SMU M.B.A. student Matt Vroom has launched HengeDocks L.L.C., building docking stations for unibody Apple Macbooks to be integrated into desktop and home theater systems. Visit hengedocks.com for more details. (Michael Danser/The Daily Campus )
When SMU business graduate student Matt Vroom launched his company Henge Docks, LLC, April 19, 2009, selling docking stations for MacBook computers, he did not expect to run out of the product within two weeks. Customers from all over the world have to wait until the manufacturer re-stock the shelves.
“We had a very, very big launch, and were picked up by the major tech blogs. The level of orders has been multitudes greater than we expected,” Vroom said, as he monitored internet activity on his laptop during an interview at the Collins Center in the Cox School of business.
The docks are user-friendly, occupy limited space and accommodate all connecting accessories in one system. All Apple Macbook models are compatible with the docking stations, and they are designed to work with any model without additional software. They are stable and secure, and can be used for both desk-top and home theater systems, eliminating cable clutter.
Vroom is the company’s designer, and Ben Maskelle, a lawyer, takes care of legal issues. Alex Bagden, who holds an M.B.A. in Finance and Strategy from the SMU Cox School of Business, is the chief operating officer and the chief financial officer.
Bagden said that they ran out of the product within seven days of the launch, and are focusing on meeting the demand.
“We have had lots of late nights in the last few days,” he said.
Vroom said that the company has received world-wide attention without paid advertising. He added that during peak traffic last Tuesday, Henge Docks was No. 55 most searched term on Google.
So far, orders have come from South Africa, UK, Germany, South Korea and French Polynesia.
Vroom conceived the idea for dock in 2007 while hooking an old 12-inch G4 PowerBook up to a home theater system. He found transitioning between the desktop with an external monitor and the home theater system to watch movies to be cumbersome. Cords got tangled, connectors fell behind the desk and the audio leads constantly got plugged into the wrong ports. Swapping the computer between being on-the-go, the desktop and home theater several times a day was tedious. When everything was finally hooked up, Vroom said that the living room looked like ‘a scene from some sci-fi hell.’ He decided that there had to be a better way.
He embarked on designing a product that would simplify the connecting process, as well as attain better aesthetics around the computer desk.
“I always loved doing things without math.” Vroom said. “That is why I preferred to pursue Industrial design for my masters program—It does not include the math mess.”
He later teamed up with Maskelle and Bagden, his former third-grade playmates, to launch Henge Docks, LLC in 2009. The name originates from the circle of large vertical stones found at Stonehenge north of Salisbury, England.
In addition to ensuring there is sufficient inventory, the trio are also developing and preparing to release 15– and 17–inch docks in the near future. The company will continue to operate from Dallas, while continuing to tap into the worldwide market.
Further information on the product can be found on the company’s website at www.hengedocks.com.
