Think of CES, and you likely think of the multi-gazillion dollar booths from the likes of Samsung or LG or Sony or Audi or Toyota. But there's another side: the cheap booth, usually staffed by a single person--occasionally two. They're typically the company's founders and sometimes sole employees. These are dreamers trying to turn their shoestring startups into the next big thing. People like this fly into Las Vegas with a dream, and hope to go home with orders from retailers--maybe even a national distribution deal.
These are people like Peter Pottier. Pottier, 26, has an invention called MyBell--a customizable "bell" and light for your bike. I put bell in scare quotes because that's only nominally what it is. It's more like a customizable alert siren. You can add any sound you'd like, and play it (loudly!) in traffic to warn off cars or pedestrians. As Pottier describes it, "it's like ringtones for your bicycle." You can also customize the LED light display.
It's cute and cool and useful. But what's really interesting is how he got here. His booth is in Eureka Park, a space meant to showcase new startups, and nothing here is on the same scale of expense as those in the main halls. It costs significantly less to rent space, and the booths are typically nothing more than card tables and banners.
Pottier didn't have to pay anything for his booth; he's here free. He won a chance to compete in a New York Angels CEA event (the CEA is the industry association that puts on CES) and then won that, which landed him a free trip to Las Vegas and a shot at getting a big deal that could launch his business.
And so he's out there, all day, pitching and pitching and pitching. With a grin on his face and seemingly inexhaustible energy. Trying.
