Takeaways from CES 2023

CES Las Vegas is a New Year’s tradition for me, including an opportunity to reconnect with distant colleagues.?But this year, some of you declined to make the trip – and maybe suffered a case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).?Fear Not.?I spent three days at the show and can tell you that you didn’t miss too much. Actually, two days were ample time to see everything this year.?While the?organizers claimed?this year’s show was 70% larger than 2022, it actually seemed a bit smaller than last year.?There were definitely more attendees this year – almost 3x last year’s number but still about 30% below “peak CES” back in 2018.

Startups and Home Automation

The startup basement at Tech West (Hall G) seemed somewhat muted – I think most investors around the world have lost their appetite for funding early-stage consumer hardware startups.?It’s always interesting to track which companies have “graduated” from the basement to the more spacious upper floor (Halls A-D), and this year this section of the show was dominated by?lawn mower robots,?composting trash cans, and?solar backup generator batteries.?Speaking of backup batteries, a puzzling new category here includes?huge "portable" batteries?that can charge an EV – that doesn’t seem a very efficient way to transfer energy..?

AR, Health, and Remote Work Innovation

At the main convention center (Tech East), I was particularly impressed with?MagicLeap’s second generation AR glasses?– the field of view is best in class, and the ergonomics of the glasses and wearable computer unit are straightforward and can be worn for hours at a time.?The health & wellness area was dominated by?urine analyzers?this year.?Intel’s usually interesting exhibit area was replaced by a hohum display from Microsoft.?LG, Samsung, and Sony had the usual expansive exhibits, but there was little new stuff to see.?I suppose this might be another datapoint on the pace of corporate innovation during the remote work “revolution”.

Automotive Was Hopping

?The automotive industry got a brand-new hall last year (West Hall) and this?year it was almost full.??It might have been the most vibrant part of the show, but I did wonder what a?Caterpillar Mining Truck?has to do with Consumer Electronics, apart from trying to keep up with John Deere’s displays.?As a past tech scout & innovation advisor for tier one supplier Forvia, I got a tour of its?private exhibit hall?in the Central Plaza.?It is amazing to see how this materials company has transformed into a digital powerhouse - most recently with the acquisition of automotive lighting supplier Hella.

Best of Show

I was most impressed with?REEKON Tools, a startup that "graduated" to the upper floors of Tech West.?The company focuses on digital measurement and enhancing job site productivity through data sharing among team members.?Their product set is a great illustration of how design-thinking can disrupt existing solutions - the best proof here is the company's business success - their 15 person team is boot-strapped, has achieved $millions in revenues and is already cash-flow positive!

Missing in Action

It’s interesting to note who was missing this year.??Whirlpool had some great exhibits in past years but wasn’t here this year – neither was simplehuman – ironic, since so many “smart” trash cans showed up this year.??All those laundry-folding robots haven’t re-appeared since Covid.?Speaking of Covid, devices that would sterilize air or surfaces using UV (ultraviolet) light seem a faint memory.?I saw only one company showing drones, and you could count 3D printer exhibitors on one hand.?Apart from the ubiquitous lawn mower robots, overall service robot exhibitors declined.?On the automotive side, the were far fewer charging station vendors, and the LiDAR section seemed disillusioned and decimated.?Also missing: the formerly ubiquitous “invitation-only” private suites at the Westgate hotel where you could see confidential prototypes.?The private suite section at the Venetian was a fraction of its former self.

Time to Reach Out

What didn’t decline this year??The networking.?CES is always a great place to catch up with old colleagues and get new introductions.?We were definitely back to normal here!??So, if you had a case of CES FOMO, reach out and schedule a Zoom now with those colleagues, and put that long-planned trip to Silicon Valley on the schedule for this spring or summer!

?--Steffen

Hill88 helps corporates optimize their innovation strategy, and develops business opportunities for early stage startups.

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