Mike Richardson is a deep technology entrepreneur who designs and builds IoT devices for real-time materials analysis. He is a project evaluator for EIT Health where he uses his expertise in Photonics, Spectroscopy, Hardware, Med Tech and Artificial Intelligence to support Pan-European development of advanced medical technology. Mike is a Business Mentor for the German Accelerator South East Asia supporting German startups entering the ASEAN market and a passionate supporter of the deep technology community in Berlin and Asia. He is a guest researcher at Fraunhofer IZM where he launched Photonic Insights at Fraunhofer’s Start a Factory. Mike returns the generosity of the deep technology community by actively supporting hackathons. He has served as a mentor and organizer for events in Bangkok, Iraq, Berlin, and other locations around the world. Recently as a project lead for the EUvsVirus hackathon, Mike was part of the team that delivered the world record-setting event. Prior to founding Photonic Insights, Mike was the Enterprise IoT architect for True Digital of Bangkok, Thailand. We spoke to him about his motivation to join the AsiaBerlin community and his love for Berlin. Edited excerpts:
What has been your motivation to contribute to the AsiaBerlin community?
My motivation to contribute to the AsiaBerlin Community is simply to pay back the city of Berlin with whatever I have to offer. I literally owe my life to Berlin and a part of my heart will forever belong to Asia. Being a part of this community gives me a chance to serve as a bridge between the city I love (Berlin) and a region that has been a very important part of my life for 30 years (Asia).
Please share something about your experience as an AsiaBerlin Ambassador and how has it helped you or vice versa?
I have made so much business at AsiaBerlin Summit. The reason that I am a managing director and founder in Berlin is because of the connections I made at AsiaBerlin Summit. I want to convey the message that for Asians, Berlin is the easiest entry point in all of Europe. If you want to get involved in the EU, come to Berlin. If you are not able to come to Berlin, take advantage of the virtual events and AsiaBerlin events.
The AsianBerlin community has helped me and my business in many dimensions.
In regards to the business, it’s an active network where opportunities are constantly presenting themselves. What kind of opportunities? I look for collaborative, win-win scenarios — that continually move through the AsiaBerlin network.
AsiaBerlin provides a professional family. We’re all from different parts of the world and come together in a city we all love- Berlin. It’s a family where we celebrate the differences where we have a warm leader like Rainer Seider, initiator of AsiaBerlin. He is intentionally bringing us together and also bringing the best out of us.
Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur in Berlin and what is the problem you are trying to solve with your startup? How did you come up with this idea?
Start-up fever is in the air and I caught a heavy case of it. Hard not to do this in Berlin the city exudes a startup mentality and it’s easy to jump in and do it yourself. The number of resources here is practically limitless in available for the asking and since I have a deep love of science this is the perfect place to start a deep technology startup you have multiple institutes with open-door policies.
What are the areas/questions for which the community should reach out to you?
I can give tips on how to move and live here as an American. And ofcourse, all questions related to starting up and deep tech in Berlin.
