INTERVIEW: CAREER DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS: ???????????


talent to join our team and support the growth of the company – not only in relation to the technology and R&D, but also in sales, marketing and operations. While the market response to our products has been positive, we need the personnel to elevate our performance and fulfil the commitments we have made; this means delivering on our product roadmap and ensuring efficient supply and service to our customers. A second challenge is


the rapidly growing array of suppliers in the market. However, this situation also presents an opportunity because, while our competitors struggle to find their focus, we can maintain a clear and unwavering dedication to UV-C LEDs and emphasise the value we bring to our customers and our aim to establish long-term partnerships with them. Ultimately, the success of this market will depend on the presence of numerous suppliers, and we welcome competition.


Jo Uthus, CEO of CrayoNano


another in April 2023. We have also been successful in securing funding from programs such as the EU’s European Innovation Council (EIC) accelerator and Horizon 2020 programmes, as well as various national sources, especially in the deep-tech domain. While this funding has played a crucial role in our growth, we are now generating revenue from customers and product sales in line with the company’s goals. Our focus across 2023 is to establish a strong presence in the market and begin initial manufacturing as a foundation for scaling up in 2024.


How do you see the future? Our growth strategy is to focus on expanding our supply chain and operations, particularly in Taiwan. We see strong potential for the company’s growth in the Americas,


www.electrooptics.com


Canada, Europe, and various Asian markets. To succeed in this market, it’s crucial for us to prioritise manufacturing yields, which are relatively low compared to commodity semiconductor manufacturing. To this end, we aim to enhance the manufacturability of our products, product performance, and overall market adoption. As regards performance, increasing output power, which is expected by the industry, will be crucial as well as wall plug efficiency. With these features, we believe that our technology can meet the industry’s requirements and outperform not only current LEDs, but also traditional disinfection technologies such as chemical cleaning and UV lamps. While the widespread adoption of UV-C LEDs beyond their traditional medical applications is key to our success, our immediate goal


is to achieve success in one segment before venturing into the next, ensuring a step-by-step approach to maximise impact. Nevertheless, improvements in our products will play a significant role in driving demand across various applications and sectors. Our roadmap includes incorporating more aspects of our proprietary technology into future products, closely aligned with our customers’ needs. Finally, although the potential


for growth and innovation in the UV-C LED market is significant, we will continue to explore technologies that go beyond the scope of emitters, leveraging our material systems platform for applications beyond LEDs.


What are your future challenges? The main challenge we currently face is recruiting


If you started again, what would you do differently? There are always things we wish we had done differently. However, I believe that we’ve been successful in the most crucial aspect applicable to any industry or business, which is an early focus on understanding the customer’s problems and market needs.


What’s your advice for the next generation of entrepreneurs? First, finding the right people and parting ways with the wrong ones is crucial. Hiring individuals who elevate the team, and partnering with the right people, are paramount to success. Secondly, as one of my previous managers wisely said: “the answers to your questions are not confined within these four walls” – it’s important to get out, engage with customers, talk to partners to understand their concerns and problems. These efforts, together with a humble approach, are the keys to success. EO


October 2023 Electro Optics 45


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