Tornyol

What do they actually do

Tornyol is developing a consumer mosquito-control system made up of a base station and a palm‑sized micro‑drone (~40 g). The base station uses ultrasonic transmission and an array of microphones to detect wing‑beat/Doppler signatures of mosquitoes, dispatches the drone to intercept and kill them with its propellers, and then recharges the drone for continuous patrols. The company presents this as a set‑and‑forget device for homes. Tornyol is taking pre‑orders and shows shipping starting in 2026; subsystems work in lab/simulation, but full end‑to‑end field reliability is still being built and validated (site, YC page, Hackaday demo summary).

Right now, the team is integrating detection, flight control, and interception algorithms and is recruiting early pilot users. Public materials show phased‑array detection and simulated kills, with the next milestones being repeatable real‑world intercepts and pilot units for early customers (site, YC page).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Suburban homeowners with mosquito‑heavy yards: Evening use of patios/yards is limited by constant bites; they dislike noisy traps, smelly sprays, and frequent repellent reapplication and want something low‑maintenance that actually reduces biting (site).
• Hosts of outdoor gatherings and small venues (BBQs, patios, cafés): They lose enjoyment or customers when mosquitoes are bad and need continuous protection with minimal staff time, predictable coverage, and high uptime.
• Residents in mosquito‑borne disease areas: They face ongoing health risks and inconsistent municipal control; they want stronger local suppression than intermittent spraying or larvicide programs can provide (YC page).
• Small property managers and landlords: They field tenant complaints and incur recurring costs for chemical treatments; they want clearer per‑property coverage and predictable costs with fewer service calls.
• Public‑health researchers, NGOs, and early pilot partners: They lack granular, time‑resolved mosquito activity data and field‑testable tools; they want deployable systems that can generate useful maps and outcomes in pilots (About, YC page).

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Recruit nearby pre‑order holders and YC‑network volunteers for free loaner installs in exchange for detailed logs, onsite observations, and a data‑sharing agreement; provide hands‑on support and rapid fixes to close reliability gaps.
• First 50: Run 1–2 week paid or subsidized pilots with backyard hosts, short‑stay rentals, and a few cafés/event venues, tracking simple outcome metrics (uptime, perceived bites, complaints). Use local PR, referrals, and a small field‑tech team to build 5–10 strong case studies.
• First 100: Sign pilot channel deals with 2–3 regional pest‑control/property‑management partners plus one public‑health/NGO pilot for neighborhood‑scale bundles. Offer volume pricing and maintenance SLAs and standardize onboarding and installer kits using earlier case studies.

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

The broad vector control market is estimated in the tens of billions of dollars globally (roughly $23B–$30B around 2024–2029, depending on source), spanning residential, commercial, and government spend on chemicals, traps, and services (StraitsResearch, MarketsandMarkets). Within that, consumer mosquito traps alone are a few hundred million dollars globally (about $376M in 2023) and mosquito control services are on the order of ~$0.8B globally in 2024, indicating a sizeable but segmented market that Tornyol could tap pieces of (Persistence Market Research, BusinessResearchInsights).

Bottom-up calculation:

Beachhead household and small‑venue focus: assume 250,000–500,000 early adopters across the U.S. Sun Belt, Southern Europe, and other mosquito‑heavy regions who buy premium control solutions. At an average of $400–$600 per year per site (hardware amortized plus service), that implies roughly $100M–$300M in initial TAM. Adding 30,000–50,000 small commercial venues (cafés, patios, event spaces) at $600–$1,000 per year adds ~$18M–$50M, for a combined beachhead of ~$120M–$350M.

Assumptions:

• Targetable early adopters include households currently buying premium devices/services and willing to try a novel system.
• Average annual revenue per site blends hardware amortization and a subscription or service plan; actual pricing may differ from this estimate.
• Commercial venues require slightly higher ARPU for coverage/uptime; counts exclude large municipal programs until effectiveness and regulatory paths are proven.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Thermacell: Consumer repellers that create a localized protection zone without topical sprays; widely sold for patios and camping. Represents the incumbent “set‑and‑forget” consumer alternative to biting reduction (Thermacell site).
• DynaTrap (Woodstream): Electric traps that attract and capture flying insects, including mosquitoes, with models rated up to 1‑acre coverage; a leading trap brand in retail (DynaTrap site, Woodstream brand page).
• Mosquito Joe (Neighborly): Franchised outdoor pest‑control service offering barrier sprays, misting systems, and trap installs; a common residential service competitor (Mosquito Joe services).
• In2Care: Station‑based, professional‑installed traps that use autodisseminating larvicide and adulticide carried by mosquitoes to breeding sites; deployed by pest‑control pros and municipalities (In2Care).
• Oxitec: Biotech approach releasing non‑biting, self‑limiting male mosquitoes to suppress local populations; used in regulated public‑health pilots and programs, not consumer installs (Oxitec tech, US EPA overview).