Sometimes all it takes is improving ordinary everyday things to launch a business. It’s not always about coming up with an entirely new product or service. It’s just about making something that’s better.
ZeroHour, founded by Amy Truong and Aaron Son, simply sets out to make better flashlights. To be more specific, the company makes battery backup tactical flashlights. That’s a name that makes the humble flashlight sound like some serious business.
These two business partners started out with the idea to revolutionize the battery backup tactical flashlight. With this specific area of focus they launched their first successful Kickstarter campaign back in 2013. They took what they got through crowdfunding and ran with it, selling tactical flashlights to outdoor enthusiasts.
After having so much success the first time, they have returned to Kickstarter to launch the newest model in their growing ZeroHour family.
This new product, called the ZeroHour Relic XR, is not a slimmed down version of the original. Instead, it is it’s own model.
ZeroHour boasts this new tactical flashlight flashlight will have a 3400mAh USB battery backup so you can charge your smartphone even in the middle of nowhere. The Relic XR is to be weapon and bike mountable, constructed out of aircraft aluminum, and water proof.
These are important features if you are going to take it on rugged terrain. But a flashlight is really only as good as its light. ZeroHour plans to include what they are calling a game-changing Cree XLamp XP-L LED capable of producing up to 1,000 lumen output.
For an overview of the ZeroHour Relic XR, see the video below:
Within 16 hours, ZeroHour blew past its original goal of $25,000 and has now surpassed its previous success on Kickstarter. It seems the company’s fans remember the first campaign and are eager for this new product.
With an already established company and selling product, ZeroHour may not have really needed crowdfunding to launch their new Relic XR. However, if it works why not? The company got attention the first time around and seems to have decided it was worth a second go.
Truong and Son set out to make a better flashlight and it worked for them. They took a common item and made it the best they could. After their first success they decided to stick with what they knew, and the results are positive.
It’s nice funding a Kickstarter from a company that has already delivered. There are a lot of funded projects out there that won’t ever deliver and this type of deal is comforting.