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#27: Hardware business: building products and teams that survive any storm (or flood) - Polina Mikhaylova
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Polina Mikhaylova co-founded KNOT, a micromobility company, in 2015, long before shared scooters came into vogue. Terms like ‘free-floating’ or ‘swappable batteries’ didn’t exist yet. Polina is a true enthusiast of docking stations. Can they be the future of shared micromobility?
Topics:
- Users in big cities are spoiled with easy access to shared scooters and bikes which comes at a cost of safety and environmental impact. How can mobility companies and cities change user behaviour in favour of docking stations?
- Why outsourcing can be totally disastrous for a hardware company.
- How to validate ideas and build prototypes for hardware solutions. The magic triad ‘software-electronics-hardware’. Where do you start?
- How to conquer foreign markets with a small team
- How to build technology that can survive a flood (2 meters under water!)
About Polina Mikhaylova:
Polina Mikhaylova is a co-founder of KNOT, provider of sharing and charging infrastructure for micromobility, bikes and scooters, with a presence in 10 countries. She is also an active member of a local startup community in the city of Strasbourg with a passion for non-ordinary events and cooperation between French and German founders. In her previous life, she was a project manager for scale-up European environmental projects thanks to a strong financial background.
About Darya Kamkalova (host):
Darya is a data industry professional, a startup mentor, a co-founder of Manifest Taproom (a craft beer bar in Berlin), and a speaker. She is committed to narrowing the gender investment gap for female founders and diverse teams. Darya is based in Berlin, Germany.
About Irina Vakatova (co-host):
Irina is a product professional with background in operational excellence. She works at TIER Mobility, e-scooter and e-bike sharing operator striving to make cities more livable and transportation more sustainable.
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