Rafael Masters - CEO and Cofounder at Vulcan Augmetics (Techstars 21)

Rafael Masters - CEO and Cofounder at Vulcan Augmetics (Techstars 21)  Sponsor  The Jason Cavness Experience is sponsored by CavnessHR. CavnessHR provides HR to companies with 49 or fewer people. CavnessHR provides a tech platform that automates HR while providing access to a dedicated HR Business Partner. www.CavnessHR.com Go to www.thejasoncavnessexperience.com for the podcast on your favorite platforms  Powered By Earth VC is on a mission to unf@#k the earth. They are doing this by supporting breakthrough scientific research, empowering outlier founders to build enduring climate businesses and investing in high-growth startups that decarbonize the world. Earth VC empowers founders who are Ambitious, Breakthrough and are Committed Earth VC invests in the pre seed to Series A round. If you think you might be a match reach out to them at rebuild@earth.vc Rafael’s Bio Rafael is the CEO and co-founder of Vulcan Augmetics. He holds an MBA in international business strategy from Maastricht University, has lectured and mentored on entrepreneurship at several universities, and is on the Industry Advisory board of RMIT Vietnam. At Vulcan he ensures that the company is moving in the right direction with a clear plan, managing tech development, finance and business strategy. Vulcan products are designed with accessibility for the end user clearly in mind, and he makes sure that this is considered at every stage of the development process, and that Vulcan is always aware of the user experience before they commit pen to paper. Rafael was raised in a village in the south of the UK, just down the road from Lord Mayor Treloars College, the largest disabled college in the country. Many of his friends as a teenager were wheelchair-bound, or heavily dependent on technology to live full lives, and their resilience and pragmatism were a deep influence. After graduating from University with a degree in Philosophy, he went to Vietnam to travel and work, teaching English for a year before returning to the UK. While in Vietnam however, he came to love the country, the culture and the career, and decided to stay.  He progressed from teaching to academic development and management, but decided after 8 years it was time to build something that would make a difference on a much larger scale. He had seen that Vietnam was a country of tremendous potential, with people who were creative, pragmatic and ambitious, but didn't yet know enough about business to do the opportunity justice, so he took an MBA. During this time he also started learning more about 3d printing and design, and becoming involved with the local maker community which opened his eyes to the technological possibilities becoming available. Shortly after graduating he met Akshay, a representative of a venture studio called Alley51, at a networking event. After talking about 3d printing, maker spaces, and entrepreneurship for several hours, Rafael was invited to pitch Alley51 his startup idea and Vulcan Augmetics was born. In the years since Vulcan was founded Rafael has continued to learn and adapt, incorporating new technology in the most efficient way, and ensuring that the company has built a brand and product that is aligned with real user requirements. His mantra is “Make what the user needs, not what you wish they needed”.  We talked about the following and other items Educational Background and Philosophy Experiences with the Disabled Community Role at RMIT University Entrepreneurial Culture in Vietnam Vietnamese Culture and Business Environment Scientific and Engineering Interests User-Centric Design Engineering Challenges Business Model and Market Strategy Global Reach and Market Expansion Future Vision and Metrics for Success Vulcan Prosthetics and AI Excitement AI Dangers and Singularity Building a Tech Startup in Vietnam Fundraising and Market Strategy Future Plans and Market Expansion Challenges in War Zones Market Differentiation Customization and User Experience L iving in Vietnam and Safety E xploring Vietnam and Local Culture Future Plans and Technology Integration  Rafael’s Social Media Rafael’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-masters-81276678/ Company Website: https://www.wearevulcan.com/ Company YouTube” https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT9ycoxSCAc7ZOF-3XvDpzw Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vulcan_augmetics/ Company TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vulcanaugmetics  Company FB: https://www.facebook.com/vulcanaugmeticsglobal Rafael’s Email: Rafael@wearevulcan.com