Lume Cube Co-Founder discusses business and COVID-19

Riley Stricklin, Co-Founder, and President of Lume Cube discusses his background, future projects, and how COVID-19 has affected his company.

Riley began by speaking about his early career and how it provided him with the foundation to engage with a start-up:

“My early career was primarily in sales and business development for a few different companies. I spent time in the Sports Industry at ESPN and Octagon, a global sports & entertainment agency, then bounced around a few companies prior to Lume Cube which gave me a great foundation in driving awareness and revenue.

The original founding team at Lume Cube were all first-time entrepreneurs, so the experience of starting a product-based company was new to all of us”.

LumeCube: COVID-19 and how it provokes adaption

We moved on to discuss the last 12 months and how COVID-19 has provoked LumeCube to adapt their working practices:

“The past year, or past nine months more specifically, have caused us to shift the company in ways we never could have imagined. COVID-19 brought so many challenges and lifestyle changes to the majority of the working world and we had the solution at our fingertips.

Back in 2019, we launched the very first Video Conference Lighting Kit at CES. When COVID hit, the Video Conference Lighting Kit and Broadcast Lighting Kit were products we had in our warehouse and the demand for them became astronomical.

We strategized on inventory, product sourcing, and thoughtful marketing to help us position ourselves within this emerging market and massively scale our revenue from March to December. Throughout the year, we’ve been adjusting and perfecting the product so that it’s the best possible solution for those living on Video Calls every day.

Ultimately, we created the Video Conference lighting category in 2019 and in the last 12 months we have worked diligently to share this message with the world. We have since partnered with Zoom and Logitech to support their users worldwide as Lume Cube is now recognized as the premium choice in Video Conference Lighting”.

Riley spoke about the Lume Cube panel pro and how its state of the art features make it one of the most advanced products in the market:

A full range RGB light was a long time coming in our line. We consistently look for opportunities to expand and level-up our product collections while also listening to our loyal community. Creators have been asking for an RGB light from us for a while and we were determined to deliver.

We took our time ensuring the product was not only powerful from a technical standpoint but really allowed users to take their photography and videography to a whole new level. We looked at every feature and included some special functionality that we believe this customer would find valuable.

We designed the largest LCD screen on the market into the back of the device. It’s more than 3x larger than any competitor and provides a full-color display.

We believe creators need to work quickly and change settings on the fly, and we hated the tiny screens on other RGB panel lights. With the Panel Pro, you get the largest, most detailed LCD screen on the market.

1. The Panel Pro is Bluetooth controlled with an advanced Smartphone Control App. You can design your own Presents (colors), choose between endless color combinations, and adjust between multiple settings and special effects.

2. Limitless Color: We wanted to give not only adjustable Color Temperature to our customers, but also allow them to access millions of color combinations via our Color Wheel in the Bluetooth app. Where other RGB panels allow for a fixed number of colors built-in, we offer an unlimited color wheel to get any shade of any color under the sun.

3. Longest Battery Life: We built in longer battery life than any of our competitors. We believe this was a valuable feature our customers would enjoy while out in the field.

4. Accessory Ecosystem: I’m probably giving this away too early but stay tuned in early 2021 for a line of modification accessories coming for the Panel Pro which allows you to shape and adjust your light. We’ll be the only light in our category offering this type of accessory system for creators.

In terms of LumeCube’s inspirations, Riley was quick to point out that they gain motivation from the community of creators and problem solvers who look to take business innovation to the next level:

“We draw inspiration from our community of creators and problem solvers. Our lights are designed to be easy to use, easy to carry, and easy on the eyes.

After all, our lights are being used every day alongside some of the most beautifully designed products on the market (i.e. Sony Cameras, Apple iPhones, Apple MacBooks, Logitech Webcams, etc.), so we want to ensure they fit in well.

We also work closely with our team of Beta Testers who are our essentially Super Users in each category (i.e. professional creators in their space). They help us determine which features are important and what will provide the most value to the end user.

Riley was quick to point out his contact details, encouraging people to reach out to him on his personal LinkedIn channel and across Lume Cube’s social channels.

“Connect with me on LinkedIn and make sure to follow along with Lume Cube’s social channels. Product and brand innovation are what gets me the most excited and we have some huge things in store for next year that we cannot wait to share with the world”.

We finished the conversation with Riley paying a special tribute to the collaborators who made 2020 that bit easier:

“I’d love to say a quick and sincere thank you to everyone who has supported us this past year. Whether that’s our brand partners Zoom and Logitech or consumer support through a product purchase, telling your friends about Lume Cube, leaving a positive product review, or whatever the case may be, we are so grateful to have such an incredible community behind us and are pumped to continue creating in 2021”.

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