(From left: Jon Ingar Kjenes, CEO of Motitech, with The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Photo: Mads Oftedal Schwencke)
During the recent royal visit by the Duke and Duchess to Norway, Motitech was one of four companies especially invited to present their innovations for William and Kate. The presentation took place at MESH Oslo, an entrepreneurial hub for startups.
– It was a great honor to be picked as one of the companies that got to meet Kate and William. Since recognition and memory recall are the core values that we want our users to experience with Motiview, we wanted to give the Duke and Duchess a similar experience. That is why our film team travelled to St. Andrews in Scotland, where William and Kate first met each other while studying, says Jon Ingar Kjenes, CEO of Motitech.
Familiar Surroundings
Motiview is a motivational aid that stimulates seniors and people with dementia to increased physical activity. Using moving images and sounds, users can embark on cycle trips in familiar surroundings or relive childhood memories. This was also the case when the Duke operated the Motiview bike.
– As William embarked on his trip it was clear that the memory recall effect was huge. You have filmed my room, William said, and pointed to the building in which he stayed during his first year at St. Andrews University, Kjenes says.
A trip down memory lane for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, here with HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit and HRH Crown Prince Haakon. (Photo: Mads Oftedal Schwencke)
Customizable Playlists
Motiview has custom music playlists to accompany the users on their cycle trips, and Motitech had done their due dilligence before the royal visit.
– After demonstrating the different customization options, we left Ellie Goulding's Your Song as the anthem for the movie. This was the song William and Kate danced to at their wedding, and it went down really well with the Duke and Duchess, with both of them bursting into laughter when realizing what was going on.
– The feedback was excellent, and Kate said that we were bringing them down memory lane. After Kate expressed her appreciation for making this film especially for them, we told them that, in large parts, we are doing the same for all of our users, Kjenes says.
Establishing UK office
Motitech received a lot of coverage from domestic and international press after their meeting with the Royal Couple, including this article in the Telegraph. This may prove helpful with Motitech entering the UK market.
– It is still too early to say if this has opened any doors for us, but the press coverage will certainly be valuable as we have recently established our Motitech UK office, Kjenes says.
Exciting Times Ahead
Motiview was developed in collaboration with the Municipality of Bergen based on an idea from the agency for nursing/senior homes in the city. An extensive project saw the concept tested in six of the city's nursing homes in 2012 and 2013. Motitech has now gone global, and have a number of exciting projects in the pipeline.
– Our main focus is on the UK, Canada and the Nordic region, but we already have activities in progress elsewhere in the world, including Asia. In addition, we have several exciting cooperation and development projects in the loop. Until now we have grown organically, but we have now started considering attracting investors. We will definitely have plenty of exciting news to share in 2018, Kjenes concludes.