Entrepreneurship is not subjected to a particular arena rather it is a wide spectrum which supports the integration of business perspective with creativity. A perfect balance between both the technical and art amenities give a venture an ethnic identity to stand out from its competitors.
In order to come up with advanced innovations, adept leaders comprehend such attributes and offer tireless efforts to bring an idea into reality. Accentuating on such courageous step to pursue passion, the ability to bring out a change and redefining entrepreneurship, CIO Look brings to you the journey of a zealous entrepreneur, William Sachiti, the Founder and CEO at Academy of Robotics.
Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between William and CIO Look:
Give a brief overview of your background and your role in the company.
I am a serial entrepreneur. I have been working on the field of start-ups for over a decade. During this period, I have started and established four start-ups, three of which have been acquired. The last was acquired by Secret Escapes in 2015. Today, I am the Founder and CEO of the Academy of Robotics. A driverless car company which designs and builds autonomous car specifically designed to automate last mile delivery.
With ascending in the number of pivotal and ground-breaking technological advancements the role of technologists is continually evolving. How according to you, has this role changed over the years?
As an entrepreneur in the tech space, I accept that all my greatest achievements will be obsolete in 10 years, such is tech. Technologists and tech innovators tend to be people who embrace change and like the fast paced nature of what we do, we constantly have to learn new skills and advance with the industry. I myself, after having my last company acquired, enrolled into a university to and study a degree in Artificial Intelligence & Robotics.
What were the past experiences, achievements or lessons that shaped your journey?
In my experience, the one thing that seems separates the winners and losers is pure perseverance. The ones who keep at what they are doing, past the point that most rational people would have quit are the one who tend to succeed. A personal lesson is that it is okay if people, investors and those close to you don’t think it’s a good idea or do not see the vision, they too are just people. In fact, the whole world and everything around you, was made by people no smarter than you are and you can change it, Rob Siltanen once said “Those who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are often the ones who do”.
What were some of the primal challenges and roadblocks that you faced during the initial phase of your journey?
The biggest challenge that any entrepreneur faces is that, whatever their concept or idea, it often has not been done before, this means there is no set template to follow. When I told people that I was going to start a driverless car company; they believed that I was crazy and it was an industry for billion dollar players. Today, we have a factory, a team and are known for being a major competitor to the biggest companies in the space.
For me, I try to surround myself with an excellent team and remember that it is all about solving problems. I always try and think of the biggest pain point felt by the highest number of people, focus the company or vision in solving a particular problem and then build a business around that.
Where do you see yourself in the near future and what are its future goals?
In about 4 years, I think I would have solved the problem I set out to solve in the autonomous car space. After this, I will be moving onto the project I have been working up for 15 years. I want to look into and pursue a project to create the world’s biggest man-made lake in the middle of the Sahara desert and begin afforestation at a scale large enough to transform and entire desert. The plan is that 25- 35 years after I begin the project, the Sahara desert will be a desert no more or will be transformed on a scale large enough to inspire others to finish the project off.
What is your advice for the emerging tech enthusiasts?
No matter how big, how small the idea or project is, start now and see what happens. How I define an entrepreneur is, one who seeks out opportunity without regard for the resources he or she currently controls, they will always find a way to make it happen. It is likely that your first start-up will not be your last start-up, so it is okay even if it doesn’t go great, in fact, you will always gain, if not money, then invaluable experience. If you are building tech, the quality of your product makes all the difference. Being several times better than anyone else’s offering and having an obsession for quality and detail is a better tactic to sustain longer in the tech market.
About the Company:
At Academy of Robotics, William and his team are on a mission of creating the next generation of automation, to shape the future for all the mankind. The technology institute with an extraordinary technical team of engineers, scientists and researchers specialised in creating technology to perform or simplify complex tasks. The institute combines the best techniques from machine learning and mechatronics to build powerful self-adapting machines and task specific artificially intelligent software.
Currently, William and his team are on a quest to build the best autonomous delivery vehicle in the world, addressing one of the biggest problems in logistics today—the last mile delivery problem. It has developed and introduced the world’s first autonomous delivery vehicle, Kar-Go which is one of its present achievements and many more to come.
The Kar-Go’s system is optimized to autonomously drive on unmarked roads, making the vehicle perfect for deliveries in residential areas. The vehicle will be soon launched in late 2018 under pilot schemes with some of Europe’s largest retailers and FMCG brands.
