Every month, during a Coffee Break, we dive into the stories of EIC innovators and get a glimpse of the people behind the start-ups. Today’s guest is Ann Whyte, Co-founder & CEO at photonicSENS. A company that designs, develops, and produces the highest resolution 3D depth sensing cameras for immersive applications on XR devices including smart glasses and smartphones, and advanced applications in robotics, automotive, and consumer electronics. Find out more about it in this month’s EIC Coffee Break.
Tell us how the idea for your innovation started. Was it something that was bouncing in the back of your head for a long time?
PhotonicSENS was founded together with Jorge Blasco. He is the intellectual father behind the idea for the company. He’s a telecommunications engineer, with a PhD in microelectronics. The back story here is the fact that Jorge and I previously founded and sold another company that was dedicated to telecommunications, and at some point, we started discussing that it would be a good idea to look at the mini 3D camera market where we saw that there was going to be a lot of new applications coming on stream. Soon enough, we started raising finance, and then photonicSENS was created.
How did your family respond to your ideas/innovation?
They are supportive. Work is a huge part of one’s life, and when those around you see that you dedicate a lot of hours to something that you like, people tend to understand that at the end of the day you need to do what you need to do.
Can you tell us about a tough moment you had at your company and how you pushed through?
Given the specificity of what we do, most of our clients and suppliers are not based in Spain. During Covid – 19 that left us quite isolated at a critical moment. Our sales process is technical and classic B2B. You do need to meet the people, you do need to have demos, you do need to let customers test the product, and we needed somebody on the ground locally to do that. Virtual meetings are not enough. We had to look very quickly for solutions to keep the sales process alive.
We already had a sales and customer support person based in Taiwan, but like us in Europe, he too was in lockdown so we needed to build up more support in Asia. Luckily, we were able to sign with distributors and trained sales and customer support engineers in Tokyo, in China at four different centres and we also added sales representatives in California. It took some effort given that we couldn’t travel, but it has worked out well. Building this network was something we would have done further down the road, but, as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention and because of Covid-19 we pushed ahead and got this done sooner than planned.
Also, during the Covid-19 situation, we were building our clean room for production. Lockdown could have halted this but because our supplier also offers clean rooms for medical use we were able to keep to the timeline and work didn't stop. That was one good thing that happened from it. It goes to show that in the face of adversity, one can find opportunity.
What advice can you give to people who are currently playing with the idea of starting a company?
If you have an idea, go with it. Look at it from all angles – check the good, the bad and the ugly. Analyse your market and see if there’s one that will accept what you have to offer. I've noticed that sometimes people have great ideas, but they haven't thought through who's going to buy it from them at the end of the day. So, thinking carefully about that factor is a must. Of course, if that’s something you prefer to see taken care of by someone else then find someone to join you who has a vision of the market and who has experience in that regard. Team effort is also important. You can’t do everything alone so pay close attention to hiring great people who share your vision.
What are you currently reading and what book inspired you the most?
The book that inspired me the most is Jonathan Livingston Seagull written by Richard Bach. There are many messages within this story that are uplifting for anyone contemplating a startup. The most obvious message is that you can overcome adversity and limitations if you dare to be different. It’s a great read for any age, but especially for young entrepreneurs
I’m currently re-reading Zero to One by Peter Thiel. One interesting gem from the book that has been challenged by recent events is Thiel’s view that working remotely should be avoided in startups. It’s interesting how innovation has upturned the future of work. However, his views on sales are still spot on.
If you could talk business over lunch with a large corporate CEO or global leader, which one would you choose and why?
I would pick Christine Lagarde. She’s been breaking through the proverbial glass ceiling long before it was fashionable to do so. It takes courage to challenge the accepted norms, and this may be the reason why she has been a trailblazer throughout her career. I’ve never met her personally, but she comes across as pragmatic in business, and very supportive of young people, and women, encouraging them to step out of their comfort zones in the pursuit of their goals.
