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Today’s edition:

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Alex

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Ideas

1: Re-Thinking Everyday Appliances

As humans, we have a natural inclination to accept ‘default’ states without questioning what might exist in their place.

Whether that be riding horse and carriage, manual transmission cars, or heterosexual marriage, history shows us a litany of examples that were once taken as gospel and have evolved into completely new form factors.

What will we look back on in 50 years, questioning how it was a default? One of my bets is everyday appliances or “white goods.”

As global living standards continue to rise, consumers opt for more choice.

White goods have been left behind in a design-forward and increasingly personalised world.

One example of a company innovating in this space is Rocco. Rocco is developing “the world's best-designed drinks fridge” with smart controls and a patent-pending sight system that allows you to see inside your fridge and know when to re-stock:

As Afterwork VC writes (emphasis ours):

“We live in a design-centric world. Our clothes, cars, accessories and furniture are increasingly stylised, artistic and seen as an extension of our personal tastes. This same phenomenon has made its way from our furniture and wardrobes to our appliances. Now our coffee machines, toasters, blenders and even our vacuum cleaners have been bettered by a designer’s touch.

“These (white goods and appliances) markets have established large players, with very few breakthrough brands emerging. This is largely unsurprising, given the non-trivial nature of manufacturing bulk appliances and electronics. Yet behind these initial barriers to entry (a feat Rocco has achieved, thanks to the product design and sourcing chops of the team) lies a business with attractive CPG fundamentals: a sizeable TAM, attractive cash conversion cycles, and the benefits of being a standout brand in a new category of smart fridges.”

With increasingly connected smart devices and advances in AI systems, it’s not hard to imagine completely sustaining drink fridges.

Think: You set the stock you want to maintain in the fridge.

When the stock runs out, the fridge autonomously contacts a bottle shop through Uber Eats and orders a top-up.

Aside from smart drink fridges, there are several other opportunities here:

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