Munich Startup: What motivated you to start your own business?
Maria Laparidou: Clearly, the opportunity to build something that has a measurable, positive impact on the world. I didn't just want to develop technology for technology's sake, but to solve a real problem. The combination of "hardtech" and sustainability is my daily motivation.
Munich Startup: What would you have liked to know before starting your first business?
Maria Laparidou: The path from science to industrial scaling is not a sprint, but a marathon with hurdles. I wish I had known earlier that you don't need to have every answer immediately. It's okay to tolerate uncertainty as long as you have the right team by your side. Confidence in your own resilience only grows with the challenges you face.
A healthy mix of grant funding, business angels, and venture capital.
Munich Startup: How is your company currently financed?
Maria Laparidou: We've gone through a classic, but very healthy, funding mix for deeptech. It started with grants and public funding, which were essential in the beginning. Then business angels believed in us before we brought venture capital on board. We've just our Series B over 55 million euros Completed – confirmation that our model is ready for the global market.
Munich Startup: When and where do you get the best ideas?
Maria Laparidou: Certainly never at a desk. The best ideas arise from dynamic and relaxed exchange and brainstorming with other people. My personal key to innovation is consciously removing the automatic assumptions we've built around a problem. When we ask ourselves, "Does it really have to be this way, or do we just believe it?", breakthroughs usually occur.
Munich Startup: What are your 3 favorite work tools?
Maria Laparidou: Confluence: In a deep tech company, knowledge management is everything. We need to document complex processes in a way that is comprehensible to everyone.
Slack: For quick, short coordination that eliminates the need for emails and connects the team.
Gemini: AI greatly accelerates some work processes.
Your own style is what matters.
Munich Startup: Your top tip on pitching?
Maria Laparidou: Find your own style and don't copy anyone. Your audience has a keen sense of whether someone is putting on an act or is genuine. Especially as a woman in the tech world, you might initially try to meet expectations, but you'll always be most successful when you're completely authentic.
Munich Startup: Does this seem like a good time to start a business? Why?
Maria Laparidou: I don't believe in "perfect timing." Every market phase brings its own challenges, be it a lack of capital or geopolitical uncertainty, but also specific opportunities. Those starting a business today need to be more resilient, but might find less noise and more substance in the market. My advice: Don't wait for favorable conditions; find the gap that's open right now.
Orbem Founded in 2019, Orbem combines artificial intelligence with industrially scalable MRI technology. The startup enables non-invasive analysis of biological materials, making magnetic resonance imaging fast and suitable for mass production in industrial applications. In the poultry industry, Orbem is among the leading providers in Europe with solutions for in-ovo sexing and the detection of unfertilized eggs. Looking ahead, the company plans to expand its platform to agricultural products and, in the long term, to the healthcare sector.
Munich Startup: Which technology or industry would you focus on for your next startup?
Maria Laparidou: Honestly, I'm so fully committed, both mentally and emotionally, to our current mission that I can hardly imagine doing anything else. We have with the industrialized MRI technology We've only just scratched the surface. There's so much potential for positive impact in the food industry and beyond that my "next startup" is essentially the next big step in the development of our current company.
Bureaucracy as an obstacle
Munich Startup: From your perspective, what could be improved about Munich as a startup location?
Maria Laparidou: Munich is technologically world-class, but we need to reduce bureaucratic hurdles. If we want diversity and growth, we need faster administrative processes.
Munich Startup: Which founder would you like to meet in person? And what would you ask them?
Maria Laparidou: Every founder who has scaled a company through different phases possesses valuable experience. I would love to sit down with a group of very different founders and ask: "What was the moment when you almost gave up, and what exactly kept you going?" You often learn more from that than from success stories.
