Jaime Rovegno, co-founder of one of the winning science- and technology-based startups of Know Hub Ignition 2020, answered thought-provoking questions from participants in Beyond Academy, a program that seeks to build a culture of innovation in academia.
Nine teams from different higher education institutions are taking part in Beyond Academy. The goal of this program is to provide tools and methodologies so that researchers can discover potential customers for their technologies and validate their value propositions. In short, this program developed by Know Hub Chile and Hub APTA seeks to promote a culture of innovation within academia.
That is why it is especially relevant for Beyond Academy participants to hear from someone who has traveled the path of science- and technology-based entrepreneurship. Jaime Rovegno, co-founder of Photio, one of the winning technologies of Know Hub Ignition 2020, shared with researchers and students the journey that turned Photio into an award-winning startup with international prospects.
Photio is a paint additive that turns surfaces, such as the walls of houses and buildings, into environmental depolluters. One square meter painted with Photio cleans the air just like two mature trees. This is thanks to a chemical process triggered by UV radiation (natural or artificial), which breaks down a series of environmental pollutants into non-toxic compounds. Since winning Know Hub Ignition 2020, its work has gained prominence both in Chile and abroad.
Jaime Rovegno told the Beyond attendees the story of the startup: how it came about, what its journey has been and where it is headed. “When we started, Photio was aimed at the mining industry as its target customer, but that didn’t work out as expected. We came to the conclusion that we had not discovered the technology’s real customer,” said Rovegno.
That is why Photio’s time in Know Hub Ignition, a program that supports the creation and maturation of science- and technology-based startups, was crucial. In that initiative, as in Beyond Academy, training is based on the iCorps methodology, with a strong focus on customer discovery.
“We had to rethink what we had done, what the problem was, who the competitors were, how we stood out, who was willing to buy the product and what business model we should follow,” Rovegno explained about his experience in Know Hub Ignition.
He added: “In 2019 our project was mature, and it took us about four months to identify our customers and how we were going to reach them, which was during the months we worked in Know Hub Ignition, the same thing you are doing now. I can tell you to make the most of it, because it helped us a great deal.”
Photio recently won the world final of the Creative Business Cup (Denmark), and in the coming months it is expected to softland in California with the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside), a strategic partner of Know Hub Chile.
