Life at a Photonic Startup – A very personal account! – Daniel Renner

Summary:

Photonic startup business success relies heavily on the uniqueness and quality of its technical know-how, of course. Success also depends heavily on a range of skills and activities beyond technical prowess. Business aspects such as marketing, sales, proposal preparation, team leadership, commercial opportunity development, product development, program management, manufacturing, quality control, budgeting, funding and financial planning among others, are crucially important. This presentation will focus on dissecting the key skills and activities required for photonic startup business success. The presenter will attempt to do this through examples drawn from his forty years of experience as a technical and business practitioner in large and small photonic companies.

Brief Bio:

Dr. Daniel Renner grew up in the southern part of Chile, in South America. He received his Bachelor of Engineering Degree from the Universidad de Chile and then, in his early twenties, he went to the University of Cambridge in England to do a Ph.D. in opto-electronics, a new field of studies at the time. Now, decades later, he has lived through the whole range of experiences that relate to the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of complex photonic devices and systems used in communication, sensor and industrial applications. In the past 34 years, Daniel has been directly involved with the growth of four photonic startups in the United States, Ortel Corporation, Agility Communications, Aerius Photonics and Freedom Photonics. This gives him a unique perspective on the workings of a high-tech small business and the process of transforming leading-edge photonic technology into products.

Daniel is currently at Atacama Optics & Electronics, Santa Barbara, CA, where he provides consulting services to photonic companies in business development aspects. Additionally, Daniel is Chair of the IEEE Photonics Society Industry Engagement Committee. In both capacities, Daniel tries to support the growth of the photonics industry and its impact on our daily lives.