Meet robotics entrepreneur Jens Peder Kristensen
This is Global Entrepreneurship Week, which celebrates innovation and encourages everyone who dreams of becoming an entrepreneur to make the leap. Helping startups is a key focus for Odense Robotics and Odense Robotics StartUp Fund. To inspire others to make the leap, we are spotlighting role models from the industry and asking for their advice to budding entrepreneurs. In this spotlight, you meet Jens Peder Kristensen, Founder and CEO of TinyMobileRobots.
TinyMobileRobots develops, produces and sells robots that can mark and measure sport fields and roads. A robot can mark a football field in just 20 minutes, a task that takes an experienced marker around five hours manually. Once a playing field is programmed into a tablet, the robot can conduct the marking exercise again with the press of a button and with high precision. Over a season, this generates savings in both time and money.
TinyMobileRobots has strong international growth and its robots have now marked more than 2 million sports fields globally. The company is headquartered south of Aarhus and was founded in 2015 by Jens Peder Kristensen at the age of 54.
What was the turning point for you in deciding to become an entrepreneur?
I like to find solutions to real-world problems and have been helping customers with solutions for many years as a consultant. I had an idea about trying to use my skills to start a company, but was looking for the right idea. I tried several ideas that did not really work out. Then I stumbled upon a prototype robot solving a real market need and I was allowed to try to transform that into a product in my startup company.
What advice would you give people considering becoming an entrepreneur?
Find good advisors. Find good partners. If you start up in collaboration with others, ensure that you are aligned on how much money and time you will invest. Ensure that you have your family’s support. Be ready to accept that you might not succeed, but also keep fighting for your idea and solution. Be cost sensitive and cost effective. Always start with a Minimum Viable Product. If you are working with physical products, remember that it takes a lot of money and time to get to a sellable product.
Helping startups bring new technologies to the market is a key focus for Odense Robotics. We offer startups help in developing their technology and business plan. Odense Robotics StartUp Fund offers incubation and mentoring for early-stage startups.
To find out more, reach out to:
Nicolai Iversen
Business Development Manager, Odense Robotics:
+45 28 69 08 68
niv@odenserobotics.dk