Gaurav Asthana knows many people believe technology is having a negative impact on their personal relationships. They feel addicted to their smartphones, their eyes glued to screens for hours of the day.
For Asthana, the answer does not come in the form of shutting technology out of our lives, but rather by integrating it in smarter ways. He wants to expand the “touch points” that people have with that digital world.
“With our technology we are hoping to redefine the way the screen is perceived, and change the way people interact with the digital world,” Asthana said.
Asthana and his co-founder Matthew Dworman aim to do that through their startup Touchwood Labs.
“We have created this new touch display technology, and what this allows us to do is we can create invisible touch displays that can be embedded seamlessly under naturally opaque materials, such as wood and stone,” Asthana said.
When interacted with, color displays can emerge from everyday objects like walls, countertops and tables.
Asthana said uses for the technology vary by context, but Touchwood Labs does not want to make these surfaces into smart devices with access to Facebook on the bathroom door or Instagram on the dining room table.
Rather, Asthana said he envisions users could control smart lights from a nightstand. They could connect to music systems or browse through Apple TV or Amazon Firestick options on a coffee table. Or they could access recipes on a kitchen countertop.
Touchwood Labs intends to integrate its technology into commercial spaces, as well. For example, the startup has technology to allow people in a restaurant to access a menu, make payments and play games directly on the table.
The startup has ideas for workplaces, too. Asthana said the technology can serve as an “intermediary” between a smartphone or laptop and a person— think a small circle on a desk that glows a certain color to show that the person got a text.
“We want to help people break free from the addiction they have developed with their devices,” Asthana said.
Touchwood Labs joined accelerator AlphaLab Gear in early 2020 and officially launched in the summer of 2020, a timeline inevitably impacted by the global Covid-19 pandemic. The coronavirus influenced design choices for the company, such as building out technologies that could detect if a surface — such as a shared keyboard or restaurant table — was sanitized and display that information.
However, the virus also made those plans more challenging, as restaurants shifted to takeout and workplaces shuttered.
“That entire direction was put on hold temporarily,” Asthana said. “As this point, our focus is more on addressing the consumer market. Specifically, going after people who are interested in fine craftsmanship and technology and automation and enthusiasts in getting smart home devices.”
Asthana said Touchwood Labs plans to launch a pilot program in summer 2021 to test 100 units — coffee tables and side tables/nightstands — with users.
Then, after taking what they learn from the pilot into account, Asthana and the Touchwood Labs team intend to commercialize with a mass market launch at the end of 2021, near the holiday season.
Looking out to 2022, Asthana said he expects other commercial opportunities to return.
Asthana said the company has not decided on pricing yet, but that mass consumer models of the technology would retail for under $1,000. He declined to disclose the company’s funding, just noting that it’s funded by angel investors and closed an investment round in late 2020.
Touchwood Labs has seven employees. The team has space at AlphaLab Gear, but has been working remotely during the pandemic.
Q&A
What are the pros and cons of being a young entrepreneur? The pros are you constantly are learning something every day. No two days are alike. The ups and downs of having a startup in the early stages are very amplified, so some days when you have success, you are over the moon, and some days when it takes you down, it can be really hard, as well. All of that was made worse with Covid and our team being scattered across the country. The ups and downs can seem really exciting, but it’s also really depressing sometimes.
How do you get people to take you seriously as a young entrepreneur? I don’t think I have ever had that problem of not being taken seriously. I would say that being prepared with knowing what you are going to be talking about and the ins and outs of your product and company. And knowing what you don’t know and being ready to admit that is important. People like to interact and work with other people who are willing and able to admit this. … The world is a very helpful place if you ask for the right kind of help.
What advice would you give to another young entrepreneur? I’d say you have got to have firm belief in yourself and your abilities. The belief comes from passion and enjoyment for me. If you are trying to start a new company and whatever you are doing is something you are excited about, and it is keeping you up at 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. because you are so excited about it …if you have got that love and passion toward what you are doing, then those tough times will be a breeze.
TIMELINES
Personal:
Originally from Mumbai, India
2010-2014
Moved to the U.S. and received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2018-2019
Moved to Pittsburgh and received his master’s degree in integrated innovation for products and services at Carnegie Mellon University
Professional:
Spring 2019
Idea for Touchwood Labs conceived
Early 2020
Accepted into AlphaLab Gear
Summer 2020
Company officially formed
Late 2020
Closed investment round
Summer 2021
Plan to have beta product launched to pilot group
Late 2021
Plan to have consumer launch
BIOBOX
Name: Gaurav Asthana
Title: Chief operating officer, Touchwood Labs
Age: 28
Dream job: “I always dreamed about working as a consultant and designing physical products in a design consultancy. I would love to be a Formula 1 race car driver.”
If you could have a conversation with anyone, who would it be? “Nikola Tesla. I would love to be able to speak to him because he was one person who was an entrepreneur and pushed a technology that was very much derided by everyone around him.”
