The American engineer, researcher and founder of the robotic company RoboTech, Oded Kariti, was born on July 15, 1975, in San Diego, California.
He is graduated from the San Diego State University College of Engineering and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. Several years after, he received his Doctor Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of California.
Thanks to his great ambition and love for his profession, Kariti quickly landed his first job in a robotics company. There he was able to show off and develop his talent. Kariti’s passion for robotics was growing day by day.
His ambition and experience helped him to participate in some of the greatest and most significant research projects in the field of robotics. Oded had the privilege to work with the most experienced and successful robotics engineers and researchers.
After working for 5 years in this company, he decided to found his own robotics company, RoboTech. His aim was to make people’s everyday living easier by providing them help with the household tasks like cleaning, cutting the grass, etc. So, he started developing cleaning robots. Recently, he made a deal with an electric vehicle company and soon will start his new project, a self-driving car.
Oded Kariti is affiliated with many universities, including San Diego State University and Polytechnic Institute of California. Moreover, he is a frequent speaker and lecturer at various conventions and conferences and an active member of several scientific associations.
Over the past decade, Oded Kariti authored and co-authored a number of research publications and 4 books.
Kariti’s accomplishments often made headlines in renew science magazines and sites.
Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that Kariti shares his knowledge through publishing articles on online magazines.
How did you get started in this business? What inspired you to start this business?
I became passionate about technology and robotics when I began to study engineering. After finishing high school, I entered the university and received an engineering degree. At that time I was very interested in the technical side of life – cars, computers and of course robots. The first time I started analyzing the science of robotics, I was 21 years old. At that time, robots were not so sophisticated as today. Subsequently, I joined a team of engineers and researchers, who were developing a different kind of robots. Everything began from there. As I was learning new things, my passion for robotics was growing. I wanted to find a way to make people’s everyday life easier. So, my aim was to create a universal cleaning robot. I founded my own company and started with the task.
How do you make money?
First of all, I want to mention that I don’t do it for the money. My company makes money by creating highly complex robotics and selling them to other companies and everyday people for industrial use, consumer use, and other purposes.
How long did it take for you to become profitable?
For the first year, the company was working with loses, but, when we finally developed our first product and sold it to our partner company, we obtained significant gains. So, it took one year to become profitable.
When you were starting out, was there ever a time you doubted it would work? If so, how did you handle that?
I have never doubted because I have always believed in my passion for science. That is my driving force, which is always helping me to achieve my goals.
How did you get your first customer?
Before we started developing our first cleaning robot, we made a deal with a small home cleaning service startup. When they saw our concept, they decided to be our partners in this adventure. By day one they knew that our products will fit perfectly with their business idea.
What is one marketing strategy (other than referrals) that you’re using that works really well to generate new business?
According to our experience, it is imperative that you establish your business as an authority in the field of robotics. The business website should be infallible.
One important key is to regularly update your blog and social media with insightful content regarding your company’s latest developments, happenings in the robotics industry and general information regarding progress in automation.
Also, another key factor is to contribute guest blog content to other respected websites.
It is worth mentioning that all of your online inbound marketing endeavors should be optimized with keywords and key phrases for search engine optimization (SEO) so prospective business partners and clients can find your robotics company online easily.
What is the toughest decision you’ve had to make in the last few months?
Every day, I have to make tough decisions. In order to be successful, risk should be taken. Before 3 months we were offered a deal from an electric vehicle company in order to help them to develop a self-driving car. Taking into account the competition like Google, Tesla, etc, I was skeptic about the success of our potential product. Nevertheless, I decided to take the risk and to accept the deal.
What do you think it is that makes you successful?
I will speak in plural, because it is not only about me. The success is shared equally among all the people that work with me in the company. Our unique ideas, our momentum, our adapting and collaborative capability, are what make us successful.
What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Every day I face new satisfying moments. But, if I’m asked to point out only one, that will be the launching of our first cleaning robot.
What does the future hold for your business? What are you most excited about?
We are excited mostly about our new deal with the electric vehicle company that I had previously mentioned. We feel optimistic and we believe in our ideas and capacity for creating masterpieces.
What business books have inspired you?
The books that inspired me the most are “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill and “The Virgin Way” by Richard Branson.
What is Oded Kariti’s advice to the young entrepreneurs?
I have been asked this question so many times. My advice for young people that want to be entrepreneurs is to follow their passion. If you don’t have a passion for what you do, quit and go do something else, something that makes you feel happy. Life is too short to spend it doing something you don’t feel happy about. So, find your passion, follow it and it will lead you to success. The hard work that is required to achieve success will not seem so hard when you love what you do.