Meet Mads Bendt, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Capra Robotics
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 Mads Bendt, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of CAPRA ROBOTICS®
CAPRA ROBOTICS® is a high-tech robotics company that aims to revolutionise the use of outdoor mobile robots. The company offers one product – a highly adaptable and unique mobile platform specifically designed for easy integration with additional hard- or software tools. This makes it customisable for specific applications, within inspection and surveillance, logistics, and urban maintenance.
Mads Bendt founded the company in January 2019. Mads has been using a powered wheelchair for the last 37 years due to a hang glider accident. As a result, he has more than 200,000 hours of experience in driving electrical powered vehicles indoor and outdoor. Since his injury, he has designed and built four powered wheelchairs, all unique in design and function.
Mads has an educational background in a combination of different educations and professional tracks: a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, an MBA in Economy, and a B.Sc. in Education Science. He has seven years of experience within SW and more than 20 years of experience within radical innovation, some as an innovation sparring partner for some of the biggest commercial successes in Denmark. Mads has created several companies within the last 35 years.
What was the turning point for you in deciding to become an entrepreneur?
I have always had an urge to drift towards being an entrepreneur and wandered several different ways to find the direction most well suited. Having both a father and a mother that made their own businesses, it was a kind of natural path for me to follow as well. There was not really a specific turning point, it was more founded by a social cultural background.
What advice would you give people considering becoming an entrepreneur?
I have mostly tried to find the path that contained the best possibility to be curious and outlive my passion, while also maintaining focus on the business potential. It is important, in my world, to be ambidextrous in the way that you have to be strong in both business and development. So that is my best advice: follow your passion where it can lead to a good business. Be both broad and deep. Keep focus on making a good business here and now, but also on development of your product and company.
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
[email protected]