Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/1084219
44 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com game CHANGER See the full interview online Q How did you start out in this industry and how has it brought you to where you are today? I moved to Canada from Italy in March of 2016. By May, I had founded Kore- chi, and we were incubated at Hamil- ton's McMaster Innovation Park. We had started out by building autonomous robots to measure the thickness of lake ice and indicate whether it was safe to walk or skate on it. The robot would drill a small hole into the ice and take read- ings; if the ice was too thin or cracked then it would dispense biodegradable red paint to warn people. On realizing that the market size isn't big enough, we pivoted three months later and focused on redesigning the robot to paint lines in sports facilities – like football and soc- cer. We made several prototypes, and they were put through rigorous tests; it was then that we realised that we had gained expertise on designing rugged platforms that can move with cm-level precision in outdoor environments. We then started looking at other prominent industries where such a platform could be indispensable and landed on the ag- riculture and defence sectors where the large demand makes it logical for us to invest our time and energy. Q What was your most challenging moment? The first few months after founding Korechi, I played it safe. I had a regu- lar job. I realised that wouldn't work for long. Making the leap to work full-time on my own Startup, foregoing a secure job, less than 6 months after moving to a new country was the toughest decision I have ever made. Q What was your "aha" moment or epiphany that you think will resonate most with our reader? Tell us that story. Through numerous interactions with potential customers, we realised that they needed automation to perform dif- ferent tasks. Our "aha" moment came when we realised that these tasks were only slightly different, and we could fo- cus on developing a common platform and then make different add-on mod- ules for the specific tasks. Q What is the best advice you received? Don't sell yourself short! Q What is a habit that contributes to your success? The Startup culture is quite unique; it takes considerable amount of time and endless effort to fulfill your vision. One must be very persistent to survive this lifestyle. I wasn't born persistent, but I have made it a habit now, and it has defi- nitely had a positive impact. Q What people or organizations do you believe best embody the innovation mindset? I admire Apple's approach to innovation and their ability to market their prod- ucts. Be it the iPod or iPhone or even the iPad, they seldom fail to excite their customers. Q What are some of the biggest impediments to innovation in your industry sector? Innovation requires investment; there are few VCs in Canada at the moment making significant invest in robotics – particularly in agriculture and defence industries. And then there is the classic "egg and chicken" problem: you need the investment to get your products to the customers, but you need existing cus- tomers to get the investment. Q How has innovation become engrained in your organization's culture, and how is it being optimized? We run on a shoe-string marketing budget, which makes it absolutely essential for us to grab the customers' attention through innovative products and services. Innova- tive problem-solving approaches like de- sign thinking allow us to punch above our weight and achieve more with less. Q What technologies, business models, and trends will drive the biggest changes in your industry over the next two years? Certain industries like farming in Canada are already seeing a decline in people will- ing to practice the profession while the demand for food has never been greater. The ongoing trend of automation will al- leviate some of these problems. We believe Artificial Intelligence has a huge potential to drive change across all industries. The impact can already be seen in some roles such as Human Resources and Customer Service. At Korechi, we have ongoing re- search for use of AI in improving the per- formance of our products, which results in a much better customer experience. Q What is your parting piece of advice? It is important to be focused in today's marketplace; however, it is also essential to research complimentary industries where your products or services could find use. sougata PaHari Co-Founder & Ceo KorEchi innovations inc.