Can you tell us a little about your role at Seervision?
I am one of the co-founders of Seervision, and CEO of the company. Since we are still a young startup, I do a bit of everything, but my main focus is to share knowledge from past experiences and look at challenges with a bird’s eye view. I’m ultimately responsible for delivering on our ambitious business plan, making sure we have the right people, resources and infrastructure in place to grow. While the team is evolving, it is important to make sure that we’re staying on track while everyone’s thoughts and feelings are heard.
What’s an average day like for you at Seervision?
Every morning starts like a lot of CEOs: with a very full inbox. After dealing with any urgent tasks, I typically take a moment to think of our big key tasks that we’re currently working on so that I can focus on the day ahead. When I’m in the office I try to have as many face-to-face discussions with our team about what they’re working on as I can. I always wish there was more time in the day for this, as the team is full of great people doing amazing work. We’re also much more flexible about working from home now (for obvious reasons), so it’s great to get some time to actually talk to a person instead of a screen. After that, the day tends to fall into organization checks and planning our next steps as a company. Being CEO in a startup means jumping in wherever I might be needed to help, even in the sales process. I often try to set some time aside to engage with potential partners and build new relationships that will help to position Seervision better in the market.
Are there any customer projects you have been particularly excited about? Any that you’re looking forward to?
Everything we have done up to now has been exciting. Sometimes due to the client that was involved, making the stakes quite high, and sometimes due to the short distance between our beta testing at the office, and the deployment of an algorithm in a real production. However, I still believe the most exciting things are ahead of us. Our recent partnership agreements with System Integrators and distributors like Kilchenmann, Diversified and ASK Corporation have opened us up to so many potential new customers and exciting new challenges. We are always being presented with new and exciting ways of using the Seervision Suite, and it’s great to be a part of something that is always adapting and evolving to the needs of our customers.
What do you look forward to the most when you come to work?
That I am excited about it — every single day. In my opinion there is no better feeling than always being excited about what you do. I never find myself looking at my watch thinking: “When will I get out of here?”. They say in a lot of startups that the CEO is always the last guy in the office at the end of the day. I might not quite live up to that every day (we have a very dedicated team), but if it wasn’t for my wife and kids I’m sure I’d never leave my desk. We still have a lot we want to achieve and there are always new ways to improve, so I feel like this excitement will last forever!
Which technology are you most interested in seeing the video industry using in the future?
Outside of what we’re doing at Seerivision, I am looking forward to the day that live shows will be able to adapt to the person watching them. There are teams out there working on algorithms that can tell custom stories using intelligent cameras. By using several automated cameras at events, production teams will potentially be able to create multiple independent productions that tell stories in very different ways, simultaneously. It’s a very innovative time for the video production industry, and we’re very excited to be playing our part.
What do you get up to when you’re not being a CEO?
Since becoming a father, it’s all about family. It’s not easy to raise a company alongside children, and I’m always trying to teach my daughters how to be better than I ever was. If we all do that, I believe we are doing our best to drive humanity forward. I also love to play basketball, and generally being outdoors, even if I’m just roaming the city with a coffee in my hand. Being in Switzerland, one can’t escape the beautiful landscape and outdoor activities; we recently went on a mountain hike with the whole company, and it was a great chance for everyone to get out in the fresh air and get moving again after a year of being stuck inside.