Knock, knock. Who’s there?
Dunedin-based health tech startup Intermentis can help provide that answer without the need to even open the door, via its AI-driven smart doorstep assistant Soter, which manages doorstep interactions.
The technology has been designed for people in vulnerable situations, such as the elderly or those with disabilities, and anyone experiencing communication, mobility or safety challenges.
Intermentis, which could commercially launch the product early next year, is one of 12 Dunedin companies which recently received a one-off microgrant from Startup Dunedin.
The company was founded last year by Benoit Auvray, Greg Peyroux and Fraser Stephens, the seed of the idea originally stemming from Mr Stephens, who is originally from the United Kingdom, where his mother still lives.
She was hard of hearing and did not have particularly good vision. Fear of doorstep crime was also quite prevalent in the UK.
Further discussion among the trio revealed that whether it was people with disabilities, anxiety, mobility issues, vision impairment, communication difficulties or recovery from illness, there were many people who struggled with visitors and interactions.
As those issues became more apparent, the opportunities for something more advanced than a video doorbell became much clearer.
An interactive doorbell also provided visibility of what was happening at a property throughout the day, giving peace of mind for the likes of family members and carers.
Using a touch screen, and a two-way audio video camera, the system connected to the internet and had facial recognition which was sent to the cloud and AI then described what it saw.
The system, which could recognise appointments or visitors, could decide whether the home occupant needed to be alerted or not.
Work on the system began in July last year and there were two pilot programme systems on doors in Dunedin. The Startup Dunedin microgrant would allow installation of a further three.
It was hoped to install from five to 10 per month over the next six months, including in Dunedin and possibly some in the UK and the North Island.
Intermentis is also among 32 early-stage startups from seven countries in Australian-based disability tech accelerator Remarkable’s 2025 launcher pre-accelerator programme.
Remarkable started in 2016 as an initiative of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. It was inspired by a series of global competitions hosted by CPA that resulted in people with cerebral palsy driving the development of new technologies, such as a solar-powered wheelchair.
Since then, it had evolved into a variety of startup acceleration programmes, along with other initiatives, including a fellowship for entrepreneurs with disability, podcast series and industry events.
Intermentis saw disability tech and elder tech getting bigger, particularly with the use of AI. The timing seemed right for their initiative, Mr Peyroux said.
Previously involved with sheep facial recognition, he said he never dreamed he would end up going down the accessibility route, but all sorts of people could benefit from it, and it was not necessarily about age.
As an independent director of Cargill Enterprises, which employs people with intellectual disabilities, Mr Peyroux also had some personal experience and interest in the sector.
Being a new proposition had meant some issues. Nothing they wanted existed in terms of hardware, while AI was constantly evolving, Mr Auvray said.
There were also privacy concerns to address. From the start, they had tried to ensure that if someone came to the door, it would not tell the visitor if the occupant was present or not.
A campaign on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter was starting soon and Intermentis was also looking for funding from investors.
Startup Dunedin general manager Rachel Butler said there were 49 applications for microgrant funding, which was narrowed down to 12 companies, which would receive a total of $14,426. More than half were in the ed tech and health tech sectors.
The intention of the funding was to encourage startups of all industries to take the next step so they could learn or grow faster.
"It was also a chance to promote wider support available and build capability in communities and spaces that might not have engaged before," Ms Butler said.
The reach and diversity of ideas was even better than expected and Startup Dunedin was "overwhelmed" by the range, diversity and quality of applications.
"It illustrates how many people are building things in Dunedin and that entrepreneurs can come from all walks of life," she said.
