Episode
42
June 15, 2023

Navigate Market Cycles with Agility, Intelligence, and Drive

Kevin Brown

Icetana

We sit down with Kevin Brown, Chief Operating Officer of Icetana, the AI-powered software that transforms camera footage analysis. Discover how their innovative solution filters routine motion and enables operators to focus on identifying and responding to unusual behaviour. Gain valuable insights from Kevin's entrepreneurial journey, including his experience in project managing at Virtual Gaming World. Kevin also discusses A/B testing, navigating market cycles, and how he found the right price point with Nearmap (Google Maps on steroids).

Problem:

Organisations are running with thousands of cameras and are unable to track all unusual behaviour that is occurring. Their largest client has 8,000 cameras with 24/7 footage.

Solution:  

Harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Icetana software effectively detects and filters routine motion, enabling operators to focus on unusual behaviour.

One big piece of advice:

There is no excuse to be ignorant about a subject when you can read, watch YouTube, listen to a podcast or even ask Chat-GPT.

Bullets:    

  • 00:00 - Introduction  
  • 11:30 - The business Kevin would start today
  • 14:40 - The dot.com bubble burst
  • 17:46 - A/B testing eBay’s page
  • 19:10 - Got acquired by Accenture around the GFC
  • 20:28 - What Kevin learnt about the financial cycles that entrepreneurs can take  
  • 25:15 - How humans chase a sunken cost
  • 27:21 - A screenshot of $1m in the bank
  • 28:32 - Buy an iPhone for 42c
  • 30:49 - Working at a web development company
  • 31:12 - Google Maps on steroids
  • 35:00 - Finding the right price point
  • 37:45 - Made $3m in one month
  • 38:34 - Virtual Gaming World  
  • 40:20 - Laurence's Escalante  
  • 43:13 - Kevin went to Europe for a month
  • 46:35 - Project Managing  
  • 48:40 - Replaced the whole tech team
  • 50:35 - Only had 3-months in the tank
  • 54:29 - Welcome to the business – your budget is 0
  • 54:50 - Laurence took the company to Boracay
  • 56:43 - Icetana and the use of AI
  • 1:00:10 - First fire detection detected red-haired people
  • 1:03:00 - The pre-success of Icetana
  • 1:03:30 - Kevin's views on AI
  • 1:08:46 - Kevin's one big piece of advice
  • 1:11:40 - Show & Tell

Show & tell