Santa Ana-based startup Rokform LLC is looking to attract at least one distributor or big retailer to sell its line of mountable accessories and smart-phone cases.
The Joy Factory Inc. in Irvine hopes to strike a deal that provides entrée into Latin America and other international growth markets.
Sonic Emotion AG, which maintains executive offices in Newport Beach and headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, hopes to secure new deals with original equipment makers with its new software-based audio enhancement technology.
The 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show kicks off this week in Las Vegas, and aspirations are running high for local companies vying to make a splash at the Grand Daddy of technology events.
Cutting through the clutter won’t be easy.
More than 3,000 vendors are set to launch some 20,000 products this week at CES.
Orange County is well represented, with more than 100 local companies showcasing products and services. That’s about 13% of the more than 750 companies from tech-heavy California, which sends more companies to CES than any other state.
Spinoff
Rokform, a spinoff of Santa Ana-based motorcycle parts maker Two Brothers Racing LLC, is trying to build brand awareness, while carving out a niche in the growing mountable accessories segment.
“We just need to tell that story to more people,” said Vice President Jeff Whitten.
Rokform’s pitch was well received last year in its first trip to CES, where it garnered a design and engineering award nomination for its aluminum iPhone case and key distribution contacts. This year it’s set to debut five new products, including a slim case for the iPhone 5.
The company doubled its space to 200 square feet this year at the iLounge Pavilion, a 120,000-square-foot area covering parts of the Las Vegas Convention Center and adjoining Las Vegas Hotel & Casino that’s designated for products related to Apple Inc.’s iPod, iPhone and iPad.
Rokform will be among some 450 exhibitors at iLounge, which has quadrupled since its launch in 2010.
Two-year-old Joy Factory also expanded its presence at iLounge, taking some 300 square feet and adding a bigger booth near a main entrance to the exhibition floor.
“It gives us better visibility,” said Executive Vice President Miranda Su.
The company started in 2011 and has released 200 accessory products, including charging stations, mounts and cases.
It has relied on distribution deals with Target, Walmart and Fry’s Electronics, Apple resellers and other big-name players, such as Santa Ana-based Ingram Micro Inc., the world’s largest technology distributor.
This year the company will debut an action line of waterproof and shock-resistant cases with accompanying accessories. Joy Factory also will be on the hunt for new business beyond North America and Western Europe.
It is eyeing growth in Latin America and Scandinavia, among other markets.
CES provides one of the best forums to meet with a cadre of international executives, buyers, distributors and investors. Last year the show drew more than 35,700 international attendees from more than 150 countries, or nearly a quarter of the 156,000-plus crowd.
Bigger companies, including Fountain Valley-based networking equipment maker D-Link Systems Inc., will spend “six figures” for CES-related activities during the week.
It will hold daily meetings and demos with customers and the media at a suite at the The Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino. It also is scheduled to exhibit at the preshow Digital Experience! event sponsored by Pepcom Inc., a Delray Beach, Fla.-based technology event services company.
D-Link has gained several key distributors and partners through prior CES meetings, according to Denise Keddy, senior marketing and communications manager.
“Three years ago, we didn’t have many established relationships as we do now,” she said. “I think our presence at CES for three years straight helped us gain a foothold with retailers.”
D-Link plans to introduce seven new products this year, while drumming up some good cheer with a 1970s-style game show at its booth in the lobby of the convention center.
Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. also will look to make splash.
“Toshiba uses the Consumer Electronics Show as one of the kickoffs for product planning for the year,” said Mark Simons, chief executive of the Irvine-based digital-products, imaging and telecommunications-systems arm of Toshiba America Inc., a unit of Japan-based Toshiba Corp.
High Def
Toshiba plans to demo its latest line of ultra-high definition flat TVs, convertible tablets and other PC offerings from its large space on the showroom floor.
Toshiba will introduce 84-inch, 65-inch, 58-inch and 50-inch ultra high-def sets, according to Simons.
“Bigger is better,” he said.
Sonic Emotion has most of its time slots already filled with meetings with manufacturers, chipmakers and potential new customers. The company is using a suite at the Las Vegas Hotel to pitch its new software geared for smaller audio devices such as earbuds and tablets.
“We feel it’s a much more controlled environment,” said Chief Executive Rajeev Kapur. “You can get a lot more business done there.”
The software development marks a significant milestone in the company’s strategy to move beyond sound bars and speakers into other consumer electronics, such as PCs and the car audio market.
“We’ll be able to put our technology into somebody else’s chip,” Kapur said. “It opens up another addressable market for us.”
