Tim Stevens, a former Canadian Military Clearance Diver, never thought he would one day lead the development of an underwater technology that could make the deep blue seas a safer place to be.
Above: Tim Stevens with MARA, the "Miniature Ascent Rate Alarm"
Tim Stevens, armed with a passion to improve underwater safety, joined inventor and scientist Robert Rowe in 2005 to form Master Underwater Technologies Inc. (MUTI). Located on Vancouver Island, the two partners brought together extensive diving and underwater experience with scientific innovations to develop underwater technologies.
With over 29 years training military and civilian divers under his belt, Stevens has witnessed his fair share of serious accidents and dangers posed to divers underwater. Many of these accidents result from divers ascending to the surface too quickly, causing serious conditions like the burst lung syndrome (barotrauma) and "the bends" (decompression sickness), which can bring on physiological and neurological problems.
Starting a Company from the Waters Up
Over the last 20 years, Stevens and Rowe found technology advancements like complex diving computers have helped recreational and professional divers manage challenges like monitoring buoyancy, gas supply, swift currents, bottom time, and rate of ascension. But most customers deem the price tag too high for casual use; and those who do make the investment run the risk of not hearing, seeing, or using dive computers accurately.
Stevens and Rowe soon realized that this was a market they could dive into and decided to gain some much-needed support by approaching the University of Victoria's Innovation and Development Corporation (IDC). With support of the British Columbia Innovation Council, IDC's mission is to facilitate transfer of the university's research to the private sector. "IDC is one of the best partners a new company could possibly want," said Stevens, who discussed how IDC's administrative support and professional business guidance helped them license key technologies and find the right lawyers and accountants.
The Path to Innovation Success
After months of working with engineering and technical experts, Stevens and Rowe and the rest of the MUTI team launched MARA, the "Miniature Ascent Rate Alarm", a device the size of a match box designed to fit onto the strap of a diving mask. The technology is designed to send an audible warning to a diver ascending over 30 feet per minute by detecting changes in water pressure and analyzing the changes against time and electronic dive tables.
In its market, MARA is a stand-alone success with no competing devices outside of a few diving computers with ascent rate features. But Stevens remembers the company's earliest days, facing challenges as any new company does. "Investment was non-existent for the first year, in spite of my pitch to many corporate and private investors, angel investors and friends. Personal lines of credit and credit cards were used to keep the company going. Fortunately, IDC provided much needed services as required".
With lack of investment and the high costs of producing, transporting, travelling and marketing globally, MUTI finally reached a turning point when MARA created a big splash at the 2006 Diving Equipment and Marketing Association Trade Show. The success prompted sales in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. MARA continues to grow in popularity driving MUTI to push forward on their next project, LocatePlus. This project is set to use acoustic technology to assist divers underwater in locating other divers and the dive boat.
Looking Forward
For all new companies just starting out, Stevens says believing in the product and the ability to succeed is a must. "Great business planning is one of the keys to success for a business; the other is finding the funds to achieve the goals in your business plan".
When asked how he defines innovation success, Stevens quotes his business partner Rowe in saying, "I look at something and say, how could that be better? What is the basic principal and how can I improve it? Real innovators see a problem, and then work for years to solve it".
Turning innovation into a commercial success is as turbulent as the waters they test in. "Without assistance from my wife and the staff at IDC, I would not have been able to be the key person for Master Underwater Technologies," reflects Stevens. "Sharing the good and bad times in life is the key to happiness in both your personal and business life".
