The idea hit a little over a year ago, when Rob Burke, his wife Ali, and their dog Petra were camping for the weekend. As they explored the area, they came to face the troubles of bringing a dog camping.

“We started talking about the annoyance of having to keep Petra on a leash all the time when wildlife was all around us for her to explore,” Rob said.

Intrigued by this issue, Ali began to envision some way she could draw a map on her smartphone that would set boundaries for Petra wherever they were on the map. And just like that, the idea for FieldLeash was planted.

As the two continued to brainstorm and refine the idea, Rob already knew what he would pitch at this year’s Startup Weekend Fargo. 

And that eventually lead to this Breakfast-Club-style moment.

Forming the FieldLeash pack

When he pitched on the night of March 27, the idea was an immediate hit.

“How many of you don’t like walking your dog and being dragged by the leash?” he asked. Hands went up.

“What if you could walk your dog without a leash?” The audience leaned in.

What he proposed to create was this: a wireless collar for your pet which would act as a portable boundary. You set the range, and your dog will then be able to move freely in that radius without the hassle of a leash. As the dog nears the boundary line, the collar will first beep, then vibrate, and finally apply an electric pulse if they cross the range. Besides avid dog-walkers, he predicted the product would certainly appeal to backpackers, hikers, campers, and any outdoorsy folks as well.

The idea for FieldLeash was one of the top 14 picked by Startup Weekend participants, and quickly rallied up a team of six. Over the next 54 hours the team worked long hours to build up the idea, creating a Facebook page, a Twitter, and a website (with the free .co address provided to participants).

Pawsitives & negatives

Some of the biggest challenges they encountered, Rob said, were making revenue projections and estimating product manufacturing – especially considering they were working over a weekend when most sources aren’t open for business.

“The main thing to overcoming these challenges is to recognize you can’t find all the answers in a short weekend,” Rob said. “But you can start to build the shell of potential around your idea and how you plan to take it to market.”

The validation process, though difficult, proved rewarding. The team sent some of their members to Scheel’s and other shops with a similar market, where FieldLeash could potentially be sold. Team member Zach Davis said the responses were nearly all positive.

“The need for a product like this is definitely there,” Zach said.

Even more encouraging, the team found, was that although similar wireless collar systems do exist, there is nothing out there like FieldLeash.

“One of our a-ha moments was not finding any patents or technological limitations in the way of our product’s development,” Rob said.

The judges eat the kibble

Finally, it was Sunday afternoon and time to present their work. Rob started off the presentation by welcoming Ali and Petra to the stage. Petra, a black lab German shepherd mix sporting a blue bandana, thumped her tail happily on stage as Rob presented their weekend’s work.

Evidently, it impressed the judges, landing him and the team third place.

In return, they took home a lamp, crafted in Startup Weekend style by Justin Morken, and gift certificates for all the team members for Rhombus Guys. The team is already planning to meet up at the pizza place to hash out their next steps for FieldLeash.

“Our biggest hurdle to do this is funding,” Rob said. “So realistically we’re not sure we’ll be able to continue with FieldLeash without an angel (pun intended) backing us.”

However, after seeing the success of their validation process and getting the win from the judges, Rob said he does have hope for FieldLeash moving forward.

“In just the short amount of time we had to validate this product we’ve found a large amount of interest in it,” he said. “Ideally? We’d love to see FieldLeash turn into a real life product.”

Read more about FieldLeash here!

Photos courtesy of Rob Burke, Sundog, and Zach Davis Photography.