Arrow Electronics gives Flash Funding to qualified Indiegogo campaigners with Arrow Certified Technology. You can qualify for a chance to win by joining the Arrow Certification Program.

Five more Indiegogo campaigners across the world have just won $10,000 each in Flash Funding from Arrow, a global technology company that helps entrepreneurs navigate prototyping, manufacturing, and supply chain management. Arrow has now given qualified Indiegogo campaigners more than $1.5 million in Funding since the inception of the partnership.

The winners are:

• Gartenzwerg: a home garden system with IOT technology. (Based in London)
• invisaWear: smart jewelry that lets wearers alert emergency services and loved ones during an emergency. (Based in Boston)
• PuppComm by PuppTech: a portable safety and environmental monitor for dogs (Based in Denver)
• Q.bo One: an interactive, open-source robot for kids and developers (Based in Barcelona)
• Sensorwake Trio: a scent-based alarm clock (Based in Paris)

“The Indiegogo community is full of incredible entrepreneurs, and it’s wonderful to be able to recognize these select innovative tech products with Flash Funding,” said Rachel Oborny, Global Business Development Manager at Arrow. “We enjoy collaborating with entrepreneurs as they create, make, and manage their technology and look to bring their products to market.”

“We feel honored and privileged to have received Flash Funding,” said See Tho of Q.bo One. “In addition, we feel a higher sense of responsibility to do better with our product…the funding will be particularly helpful as we are developing a new iteration of our product based on feedback provided by our backers from the crowdfunding campaign.”

Tackling Prototyping and Manufacturing Challenges

Working with Indiegogo and Arrow has given each of these campaigners more than just funding. As members of the Arrow Certification Program, they received expert consulting from Arrow’s engineering team during their prototyping and design journeys. Experienced entrepreneurs often recommend getting this sort of outside input while prototyping, in order to save valuable time and bounce new ideas off of a knowledgeable third party.

“We had some very specific challenges we faced with our product,” said Sabrina Palme, Gartenzwerg’s CEO and Co-Founder. “There were some issues with the water level sensor we’re developing as well as selecting the right cables for our system–not just in terms of specifications but also availability, look, and costs. We approached Arrow for help and their expertise, and in both cases they came back to us very quickly and had some really good feedback and ideas.”

William Loopesko, Founder and CEO of PuppComm maker PuppTech, had a similar experience. “Early on in our prototyping process, we were encountering strange results and defects from our product,” he said. “This ended up being due in part to the fact that we were using prototyping “breadboard” type components. We were able to work with Arrow to identify components that we needed to include on our board to make sure everything worked properly.”

Some of the winning campaigners also worked with Arrow on manufacturing and supply chain management. Many entrepreneurs say these areas are the trickiest challenges of the entire product journey, because they often force you to rethink prior design and engineering decisions. That’s why Arrow engineers help entrepreneurs find manufacturers and components that will be the right fit.

“It’s never easy knowing if the price quoted for us is the best…Arrow has helped us think of other equivalent products or partners, and challenged us on the prices we received from our suppliers,” said Guillaume Rolland, CEO of Sensorwake. “Thanks to Arrow’s important presence in the electronics market, it helps us benefit from larger choices and more possibilities for our new products.”

“We definitely think one of the biggest benefits we got from working with Arrow was the introduction to our manufacturers,” said Rajia Abdelaziz, Co-Founder and CEO of invisaWear. “We ended up building a great relationship with the President of the facility that manufacturers our products and he has helped us open up so many doors that we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to do.”

Congratulations to each of these incredible entrepreneurs on their funding awards, and best wishes as they develop their products and grow their businesses.

Flash Funding winners are chosen from eligible campaigns in the Arrow Certification Program. In addition to funding opportunities, the program offers expert consulting on engineering, selecting a manufacturer, and supply chain management–all completely free, with no financial commitments or loss of intellectual property. Learn more and sign up for the program here.