The two realized they had no background in working with hardware, which led them to bring on Bird Buddy's third co-founder, Kyle Buzzard, whose background included work on the first Chromecast design, various Logitech cameras, and the Nest Cam. The founder teamed up with colleague and friend Franci Zidar, now Bird Buddy CEO, to develop the Bird Buddy system. "Seeing birds from this angle really makes a ton of difference in the way you perceive it." "I realized that we never see birds from this personal perspective - they're always photographed from far away," Vrtacic says. The video includes several up-close shots of the bird looking into the camera lens. And it's arguably a more relaxing and fulfilling experience than scrolling videos on TikTok or watching Instagram Stories, I should note.Ĭo-founder Ziga Vrtacic, who originally hailed from mobile gaming company Outfit7 (Talking Tom kids app maker) told TechCrunch that the inspiration for the smart birdfeeder struck him after he came across that YouTube video of a seagull stealing a GoPro camera. I found that even after the initial excitement wore off, scrolling through Bird Buddy's feed has become a regular part of my daily routine (as those who follow me on Bluesky already know.). Plus, owners can purchase optional accessories for the system, like the solar roof or a suet holder, for an additional price.įor over a month, I've been trying Bird Buddy's smart feeder (provided to TechCrunch by the company), to learn more about the product. The feeder also comes with a length of cord to hang the feeder from a tree or post, as well as a bottom mount that works with a pole, wall or fence mount. It comes in blue and yellow and is made with new and post-consumer BPA-free recycled plastics. The original Bird Buddy feeder is $199 - or $269 with a solar roof to charge the camera - and began shipping to its backers last September. Of particular interest is the fact that roughly a third of those users are new to birdwatching, which demonstrates the draw this smart birdfeeder system has to pull newcomers into this hobby. Today, the company is expanding its lineup to also include a smart hummingbird feeder and a smart bird bath.įirst launched in 2020, initially as a Kickstarter project, the Slovenia- and Kalamazoo, Michigan-based startup today has around 100,000 active Bird Buddy users who are using its original Smart Feeder and AI-powered mobile app to engage with nature and learn more about their local bird populations. With the startup's original affordable bird feeder, connected camera and companion mobile app, birdwatching enthusiasts and newcomers alike can view photos and videos of bird visitors from their own backyards, which Bird Buddy identifies for you and then allows you to save privately or share with the broader Bird Buddy community. Bird Buddy, the AI-powered smart bird feeder, is bringing the popular pastime of bird-watching into the digital age - and growing its line of products in support of the hobby.
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