The last few weeks have been a lot. I’m still on go-slow due to some health issues, which has been frustrating. But progress is still progress, and things are moving forward.
One of the biggest milestones has been finalising the circuit design for the robot. That meant I could finally get the PCB order placed. There’s always that moment of doubt… will it actually work? The boards arrived this week and I’ve started assembling them. So far, so good. They’re forming exactly as designed in a neat C-shape, allowing them to fit into a really tight space inside the robot. It’s a small engineering win, but it feels massive.
The other big highlight was attending a Launch Pad weekend run by Rocket Duck. It’s an initiative designed to bring together people with ideas, helping them connect, shape those ideas, and turn them into something real. The weekend was intense. Two very long days filled with coaching, iteration, and constant rethinking. The kind of experience where time flies but you also feel like you’ve lived a week in a day.
On Saturday we formed teams. I was lucky to have my partner Lucy there, which made a huge difference. We were then joined by Sujoy, who brought brilliant insights and perspective. The team worked really well together. We challenged ideas, explored new directions, and built out a full Business Model Canvas. One of the biggest realisations was that the robot itself is not the product. It is the starting point. That shift in thinking changed everything about how Tinkimo could create value and become sustainable.
Sunday felt tough. We had to distil everything down into a five minute pitch, which is much harder than it sounds. It forces clarity, and clarity can be uncomfortable. After some coaching and a bit of tough love, there was a moment where everything clicked. The penny dropped. We stopped focusing on what the robot is and instead focused on the problem it solves. We built the pitch around a primary school trying to avoid a poor Ofsted rating, and from there everything fell into place.
The standard of pitches was incredibly high. Everyone was polished and well prepared. If I’m honest, it felt like our chances were slim. So when Tinkimo was announced as the winner, it was a complete shock. Properly speechless.
This weekend was exhausting, challenging, emotional, rewarding, and exciting all at once. A genuine rollercoaster. But it also felt like a real turning point, not just for Tinkimo, but for how I think about it going forward.
A huge thank you to Lucy and Sujoy. I genuinely couldn’t have done this without you both.
Onwards, even if it’s still at a slightly slower pace for now.
Terri
