Brief Summary
This episode dives into the critical topic of securing funding to scale innovations, with practical lessons from the field of assistive robotics. How can startups assess the required level of investment? What are the key challenges in securing funding? And how can they align initial costs with long-term sustainability goals?
Rob van de Ven, Co-Founder of Happybots, shares his journey developing and scaling Felix, a ‘social’ robot designed to support individuals with psychosocial disabilities. He is joined by Małgorzata ‘Margaret’ Grobelna from the Zero Project, who complements these experiences with a broader perspective on funding assistive technologies and strategies for building sustainable, impactful solutions.
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The Guests
Rob van de Ven is co-founder and innovator from Happybots. Happybots is changing lives with their emotional support robots, like Felix, designed to help individuals with disabilities express emotions and form meaningful connections. Their work beautifully combines advanced technology with empathy, and what we love most is how they are redefining assistive technology by placing human emotions and inclusivity at the center of their innovations, creating spaces where everyone can thrive.
Margaret Grobelna is Programme Manager at the Zero Project. Margaret plays a pivotal role in driving the Zero Project Scaling Solutions Programme, an initiative of the Essl Foundation - our valued partner. Her work focuses on fostering innovative collaborations and creating opportunities for impactful solutions to scale globally.
Key Questions Addressed
1. How do you determine the level of investment required for scaling your robotics solutions?
2. What are the biggest challenges in securing funding for such technology?
3. How do you balance initial costs with long-term sustainability?
Links to Mentioned Resources
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For questions or feedback, reach out to us at: scaling-solutions@zeroproject.org
Sponsor/Partner Info
This episode is brought to you by the Zero Project with the support of the Essl Foundation, Fundación Descúbreme, GIZ on behalf of BMZ, Atos, EnAble India, and Inclusive Creation.