Munich Startup: Who are you and what does Orbem do? Please introduce yourselves briefly!
Orbem: We are Maria, Miguel and Pedro. Actually Dr. Maria Laparidou, Dr. Miguel Molina and Dr. Pedro Gómez, we all pursued scientific careers before deciding on this very different startup world. Two of us, Miguel and Pedro, earned their doctorates in the field of artificial intelligence in magnetic resonance imaging at TUM. Maria did her doctorate on embryonic development of chickens at LMU and then moved to TUM for a research position. Without this very unique combination, Orbem would not have been possible at all, but more on that later. In our startup, Maria is responsible for research and innovation as CSO, Miguel is responsible for product development as CTO, and Pedro is responsible for everything else as CEO.
Munich Startup: What problem does your startup solve?
OrbemEntire industries waste resources and realize only a fraction of their potential because they—literally—can't see beneath the surface of their products, processes, and data. We combine imaging technologies (like magnetic resonance imaging) with artificial intelligence to generate new insights and solve our customers' toughest problems. Our first product classifies chicken eggs before they hatch, making billions of otherwise wasted eggs usable as food.
Orbem: Generate images for algorithms
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Orbem: Sure, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is nothing new. Many people are familiar with MRIs from hospitals. While it's a wonderful technology with incredible potential, it's also so expensive that it's currently used almost exclusively in clinical settings.
We use artificial intelligence to build affordable, fast, and versatile MRI scanners. By generating images for algorithms rather than doctors, we're opening the door to a multitude of new applications – for example, in the poultry industry.
In discussions with investors
Munich Startup: What have been your three biggest challenges so far?
OrbemHardware is difficult and expensive. We've learned this painfully on several occasions. A bad design decision isn't as easy to correct as it is with software. Raising the initial capital for our first prototype, several hundred thousand euros, was also a challenge. Finally, the poultry industry isn't always receptive to technological innovation—especially when it comes in the form of an MRI scanner. Fortunately, we were able to find some pioneers here who recognized the potential of our product and supported us in its development.
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Orbem: In one year, we aim to double our team to 16 full-time employees and have our equipment installed in two hatcheries. This will be achieved through several product development milestones, particularly with regard to the speed and accuracy of the classification algorithms. We are also in discussions with investors to finance our planned growth.
Strong ecosystem for hardware startups
Munich Startup: How do you rate Munich as a startup location?
Orbem: Munich was a stroke of luck for us. We originally come from Greece, Spain, and Mexico. And the two from our perspective best universities in Germany brought us together in Munich. TUM, in particular, gave us strong support in the initial phase of our founding. Added to this is a rapidly growing ecosystem that is already producing an enormous number of high-quality innovations, especially in the hardware sector. Most recently, with offerings such as the Center for Digital Technology and Management (CDTM) has created a unique pool of entrepreneurial talent. These talents are incredibly valuable to young startups like us as first employees and, of course, continue to found companies themselves, making Munich even more attractive as a startup location.
Munich Startup: Cook yourself or have it delivered?
Orbem: Cook it yourself! Like at our remote cooking event, where our team cooked an Indian and a Mexican dish. While the results were mixed, it was all the more fun.
