OE 2005-12
Entrepreneurial OE, Tom Jelliffe, is Founder of start-up business, Tzuka, which is engineering the world’s most durable sports earbuds. Shock-proof, impact resistant and operational whilst underwater, they also feature built-in flash storage allowing you to upload 900 songs directly to the earbuds. In establishing a start-up business through Loughborough University’s graduate business hub, The Studio, Tom has taken on many roles including product designer, accountant, marketer, commercial lawyer and electronic engineer in the last two years, and taken Tzuka through two investment rounds. We caught up with Tom about his journey so far and Tzuka’s preparation to launch next year.
What did you go on to study after leaving Emanuel?
I went to Loughborough University and studied Geography and Business Management which isn’t exactly ideal for starting an electronics company! I always found geography quite easy and thought business would be useful. By the end of my degree, my business modules had far better results than any of my geography ones.
Have you always been interested in innovation and technology?
I’ve always been interested in solving problems, but I wouldn’t say this was specifically technology driven.
Can you explain The Studio at Loughborough University and how it supports start-ups?
The Studio is Loughborough University’s graduate business hub, where graduates of up to 5 years are given free co-working space which results in a fantastic environment to grow a business. You also get access to the University’s facilities, students, academics and grant funding which brings in so many opportunities, as well as providing monthly training sessions across the major aspects of starting a business.
What’s special about your earbuds?
Tzuka’s earbuds are designed and engineered to be as tough as any workout. They are in line to be the first in the world with an impact resistance certification, as well as being totally shock, dust and waterproof to the extent you are able to swim with them.
We’ve added 4GB of built-in flash storage which allows you to upload 900 songs directly to the earbuds. This means you don’t need a Bluetooth connection to play music. You’re able to listen to music underwater and you don’t need to take your phone with you either. They effectively turn from a classic earbud with Bluetooth streaming, into your own MP3 player at the push of a button.
We’re in the final engineering stage at the moment but are very excited to see what next year holds for us!
What inspired you to design sports earbuds?
The idea behind Tzuka came about after my gym partner and I broke nine pairs of earbuds whilst in our final year of university.
Can you describe the journey you have been on so far from concept to securing your latest round of investment?
After we came up with the idea, we needed to make sure our product was solving an actual problem people faced. We carried out some primary and secondary research which showed that over 10.4 million pairs of earphones are broken during sport each year in the UK alone, with £192 million spent on replacement sets.
The next step was to see why sports earbuds had such poor durability. We realised that almost all earbuds, regardless of price, have the exact same assembly method which splits under impact. We used the Sports Technology Labs at Loughborough University to conduct in-depth competitor testing which gave us a great idea about the current level of durability, why earbuds break and how we could engineer that weakness out of the design. We have totally revolutionised the assembly method, resulting in unparalleled durability, without compromising sound quality, comfort or style.
We then began working with the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry to turn our idea into a basic prototype to test and we are now in the process of integrating our electronics into the housing of the earbud.
Whilst this was ongoing, we did our first equity investment raise which took just over 7 months and provided us with the capital to begin the electronic development and initial testing. In August, we closed our 2nd investment round which took us 6 weeks and has provided us with the capital to continue developing our product and take it to market.
Where did your company name, Tzuka, come from?
Unfortunately, there is no wonderful backstory to it but was the best one my parents and I came up with on a walk around Richmond Park! The most important thing is that the name Tzuka was easy to trademark, wasn’t taken on any social media platforms and we appear first in all google searches.
Where do you hope to see your business go?
The ideal scenario is that we are able to reach our crowdfunding goal when we launch next year. It would be fantastic to be able to then develop our product range over time and keep launching products that people love to use.
Are you working on other innovations too?
We’ve got a few in the pipeline but they’ll depend on the success of our first product.
What does your role involve?
When running a start-up business, you will dabble in so many different roles. I’ve been a product designer, accountant, marketer, commercial lawyer and electronic engineer in the last 2 years. Our engineering partners are the Manufacturing Technology Centre and Newbury Innovations who are two of the best engineering companies in the UK. It is my job to ensure that this all runs smoothly and that our targets are being hit. In-house, we’re currently focusing on finalising the product packaging and preparing our crowdfunding campaign for next year.
How has the pandemic affected your business?
We’ve been very lucky actually. We’ve managed to complete two rounds of funding since lockdown which has been unbelievable and only recently had a delay to our engineering which is down to a combination of factors and not the end of the world. I’ve had friends who have really suffered (wedding photographers) but also some who have benefitted, so it depends on the industry and your ability (and willingness) to pivot or adapt.
One thing that I am missing out on is being able to visit our designers and subcontractors in person as I much prefer being as hands on as possible and it’s great to learn and experience first-hand how these companies operate.
What’s something you might say to your former self if you came across yourself in the school playground?
Hard work and self-motivation will get you just as far as talent.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I’ve always been quite a sporty person. I was a member of the football, MMA and handball university teams. I also go to the gym quite regularly (pre-Covid!) which was how I got inspiration for Tzuka. Any time I spend in there now I see as market research!