Skik is one of the startups currently participating in the IMPROVE programme! Skik is developing a tool for big events like festivals, based on algorithmic predictions.
We asked the founder, Eline de Jong, 5 questions about the company.
What is the problem that you are solving?
Getting visitors to listen to you –the organizer– while they are enjoying a festival is a challenge. Especially if you want them to disperse so it will stay safe at the busiest places at the event. With our tooling we give the organizer a way to forecast the density of the crowd and therefore act beforehand to dissipate them, while visitors will get personalised recommendations to get the most out of their day.
What drives you to make this service?
Algorithms can do a lot for making one’s life easier. In this case we make people happier and safer at your event. Furthermore, the technological challenges to develop an algorithm with different methods (machine learning, agent-based modelling) are intriguing and there is a lot of potential for other applications.
How did Mercator Launch help you?
The coaches of Mercator Launch helped us to figure out where to start and what to focus on.
What are the future plans for Skik?
In the coming months we’ll start working on the prototype, and in September development starts for the MVP. In spring 2022 pilots will start, and in the summer several festivals will use the tooling for their crowd management.
What do you need to make this happen?
The team needs to be complemented by a programmer/data scientist, funding needs to be procured, and assistance for building the user interface acquired.
If you can give one piece of advice to future entrepreneurs, what would it be?
There are going to be ups and downs, never give up when you believe in your idea. You need to adapt to the punches startup life is going to give you, but stay true to why you started in the first place.
