As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, young Croatian innovator Albert Gajsak of Circuitmess was a recent guest on N1 television where he talked about breaking into the challenging American market of educational toys. This rather remarkable entrepreneur explained how his Croatian product ended up on the shelves of one of the largest US retail chains of all – Walmart.
“We produce electronic devices that serve to educate children, such as legos with electronics. So, people receive it when it’s disassembled and have to put the toy back together, while the children get to learn something about electronics along the way,” explained Gajsak.
One of the products that will be on shelves across the USA is Cheter. “It’s a set of devices that look like small mobile phones, through which children can send messages to each other, but in doing so they create their own “network” while the kids learn a thing or two about encryption,” stated Gajsak. When parents buy it for them, it comes in parts and then the children have to put it together themselves.
“The children can exchange messages between two or more devices and connect to a chat group. But the point is that it can be connected to a computer and programmed, which is what our application (app) exists for,” he said.
Croatian innovator Albert Gajsak produces his devices right here at home in Croatia, and said that it’s great that he not only produces it here, but also designs the hardware, software, appearance and packaging within Croatian borders as well, making it a true Croatian-made product.
He explained how Walmart contacted him during a campaign, adding that it took three years to assemble so many devices to enter the American market and explained that he had to solve a lot of administration issues and logistical problems in order to be able to place the product successfully on the American market.
“It’s interesting to note that our campaign was covered by numerous American media such as Forbes, and that’s probably when they saw our product in Walmart, which caught their attention,” explained the talented Croatian innovator Albert Gajsak.
“The whole point of our brand is that we create different electronic devices that teach children about all kinds of different topics, from wireless communication, computer vision and so on,” he explained, adding that the plan is now to continue cooperation with Walmart. The US retail price is otherwise, $99, a price recommended by Walmart itself.
He explained that they manage to withstand the shortage of chips and semiconductors on the market and added that the problem is, as it is with most other companies at this moment in time, finding labour.
“It’s always difficult to find people who are professional, hardworking and want to work, but we do manage somehow. The best thing is that we have full creative control over the production process. From the idea to the final product itself, it’s all our own,” noted Gajsak, who added that he tries to be competitive with the wages he pays his staff in order to attract good employees.
For more, check out our business section.
