The Future of Tire Management: Meet Our EiR
Creation is at the Centre of Collaboration
💫 The Intersection of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Germany’s growth and development engine, Berlin, has become synonymous with the title — the land of ideas. The city’s startup attraction relies on a mix of diverse talent, a vibrant tech culture, and an ecosystem that enables entrepreneurs to access a wealth of funding programs. But as with any location, Berlin is primarily defined by its people.
The city regularly experiences an outpouring of new ideas in modern and existing industries alike. Only the right combination of experts, insights, and tools are guaranteed to transform these ideas into workable solutions.
While it comes as no surprise that autonomous vehicles are gaining increased interest in Germany and even globally, a lesser discussed topic is smart tire technology. Sensors embedded in tires will play an important role especially during a time when machines will observe driving conditions instead of humans. Tire components will gather and analyze unparalleled amounts of information about our driving habits, external environments, and general asset wear and tear. However, what we do with this information will enable us to completely change the driving experience, not only by optimizing each component of the vehicle but rather going beyond this to ensure better road safety and environmental protection.
To gain deeper insights into the smart tire space, we spoke to Irfanul Haque who joined NBT’s EiR program in October 2020.
🚀 The NBT EiR Program
Innovation is about doing things that haven’t been done before and providing solutions to previously unsolved problems.
That is why we at Next Big Thing give YOU the tools and support to build ventures and technology solutions that address current and future challenges. Our four-month EiR Program is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to build, test, and refine new ideas into venture-funded companies.
Learn more about our program and take a look at the open EiR positions if you’d like to take the next step and join our team of visionaries.
🦸♂️ Meet NBT’s EiR: Irfanul Haque
Irfan, please could you tell us about your background and professional experience?
I was born in a city called Jamshedpur in India. It was named after the Indian industrialist pioneer, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, and founder of Tata Steel. I am an Electronics and Instrumentation Engineer and have been involved with sensors and connected machinery since my bachelor studies. In fact, as part of my bachelor’s final year project, I developed a prototype for the agriculture industry — an intelligent irrigation system — as a solution for farmers back in 2013. After that, I worked in different roles in various industries across IT services, oil and gas, power and distribution, security solutions, and more recently in the tire and rubber industry. With my previous professional experience and ambitious drive to broaden my current business acumen, I could think of no better place for my MBA Programme than in the land of innovation — Germany.
Why did you decide on Berlin?
I would say Berlin was bound to happen to me. For all the noise that Berlin creates in the startup world, it’s not only limited to Germany but echoes all over Europe. Not only does Berlin boast one of the most diverse tech landscapes, but it also offers a vibrant and youthful startup scene. For me, it was as simple as — an aspiring entrepreneur found a perfect fit in an entrepreneurial city.
💼 Understanding the Business Case
What challenges currently exist in your industry and how does your business case aims to solve them?
I’m focusing on a business case that aims to solve some of the most common, yet challenging, issues in the mining and aggregate industries. During my time doing extensive research on these industries led to the discovery that mining and open pit operations have traditionally followed other industries in adopting existing technologies. As a result, this has created siloed solutions and, though they may be powerful, it has created a large gap in the market because there is still a significant untapped opportunity for digitalization and data analysis in medium and small (SME) mining companies. Backed by my previous experience, the key to successfully reaching and engaging these customers is to help them set a clear path by muting out all the noise around the digital transformation to instead offer simplified options.
While we are still scoping out the details of the use case, the goal is to achieve maximum tire life by making use of digital twin technology and actionable insights. This will help with tire usage optimization and minimize unexpected downtime, while also lowering its environmental impact. By keeping the industry’s current problems in mind, our solution focuses on the effective combined deployment of simulations and optimized processes which are essential to coordinate individually optimized operations with key performance indicators (KPIs).
Could you explain your business case in one sentence?
Applications of machine learning to unlock economic value for optimum tire performance that leads toward a more sustainable future in the mining industry.
Why did you decide to apply as an EiR and partner with NBT?
Finding the right co-founder is incredibly important to bring a multi-tiered set of skills and tools to the business case.
The mutual understanding of, ‘Where change is constant, the status quo is not an option,’ pushed me to embark on this journey with NBT. The ‘how’ of doing things has become just as important as the ‘what’ and the ‘why’. By deciding to join forces with NBT has allowed me to push the limit of what’s possible. Working with a talented team of people committed to the same vision enables greater innovation and agility via a series of workshops to develop the best solution to an industry-specific problem.
What do you find most beneficial about working with NBT?
NBT’s existing ventures act as a guide in the early stages of business case development. I’ve found that this helps with benchmarking success and creates an open space to reflect upon challenges, discuss learnings, and gain inspiration from other success stories.
NBT provides a remarkable knowledge foundation for a lean technology startup with quick execution plans designed to yield a maximum return on investment. Where many companies lose valuable time and money on creating impressive features that many consumers do not end up using, NBT focuses on the unique ideas and features that are guaranteed value generators so that the next phase of development can be funded.
NBT’s core team is unmatched and made up of Data Scientists dedicated to building machine learning tools, a Hardware team that makes each portfolio venture’s vision a reality, and agile development coaches to accelerate deployment. This allows me, a product owner, to focus on ensuring that the specific needs of the business are addressed and maintained.
What technologies are you most excited about for your business case?
I’m particularly excited about the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and modern data architecture (including the cloud). My deep-rooted interest is largely based on developing these technologies further by tying them to a specific use case that meets higher regulatory and safety standards and also helps reduce the industry’s environmental footprint.
What milestone are you hoping to achieve with NBT in 4 months?
I would like to find a proof of concept (PoC) partner to co-create a solution with the end customer as the focal point.
What is one inspirational quote you live by?
“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out, it’s the pebble in your shoe.” — Muhammad Ali
What does the Machine Economy mean to you?
The Machine Economy is a great advancement in safeguarding human lives by replacing them in places unsuitable for humans such as in underground mining environments.
If you’re interested to learn more about Irfanul Haque, you can find him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
🏁 Get Involved: Join NBT’s EiR Program
At NBT, we empower and enable aspiring founders to build transformational, tech-driven businesses that deliver real-world impact.
If you’re inspired to work on a new idea in the fields of Construction Tech, Proptech, Industry 4.0, DLT, Pharma, or the Machine Economy — apply to our EiR program today!
Curious to know more about NBT? Learn about us here👇
