Team forming: We have grown to completely trust in each other while working on common projects during our studies and our free time
Vision statement: Shape agriculture towards a more efficient and sustainable industry
Biggest Achievement: Develop a complete robot from scratch in 9 months
Next Step: Transfer our technology to a tractor
Random Fact: Our office is in the basement but only two minutes from the best sushi shop in town
FIND US HERE
Farmers are having more and more trouble to find skilled tractor operators. Tractor operators have long working hours and are continuously exposed to health risks.
Our goal is to make tractors autonomous with a low cost system that can be mounted on any agricultural vehicle. This enables a higher efficiency and sustainability of farms and allows farmers to save money. Furthermore, it allows farmers to focus on what is important rather than spending time on repetitive tasks.
Do you want to make your tractor autonomous? Contact us: info@lonomy.com
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 2: Zero Hunger
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
SDG 15: Life on Land
Pascal Lieberherr, Co-Founder Rowesys (TKS21):
“Talk to your customers – you will get some surprising learnings out of it.” -
“Try to sell your product and you’ll automatically start to understand the customer and the market.”
Before Talent Kick, I was a Bachelor student in my third year. I was part of a focus project at ETH. There I met students who were also super committed. Together we developed an autonomous weeding robot. During the focus project, we mainly focused on the engineering challenges. When the focus project was over, we tried to sell the robot to customers. That was not only the moment when we started to understand the customer and the market but also the moment when we realized that entrepreneurship is a journey we must embark on. When Talent Kick came along, Gian and I knew that we wanted to be part of this program.
Once we joined Talent Kick, we understood how much there still was to do for our product to be successful. We kept developing our product further and managed to turn our skills, commitment, and passion into a product. While we had to get back on our feet several times, the process was worth every step and so much fun!
Many of these successes we owe to Talent Kick. The team helped and pushed me to go out there and find the people that we needed. The practical knowledge I gained in Talent Kick was immense. I started to see things from an entirely different perspective and could finally experience what it is like to be an entrepreneur. Also, I had the opportunity to be part of an amazing cohort and met many similar-minded students with relatable challenges and journeys. We continuously supported and pushed each other to go forward. It was also such a great encouragement when we managed to find a mentor and received the Spark Kick. It showed us that there are people who believe in our idea and that there is a lot of support out there. It confirmed for us that at the end of the day we can really make it happen and turn our idea into a business.
Our next prototype will be designed to operate on a tractor which drastically reduces investment costs since there is no need for a new robot. Furthermore, it is easy to use and can directly be operated by the farmer - stay tuned! In spring 2022 we are testing our first prototype on customer fields. We are looking for an advisor who is connected in the agricultural world, especially outside of Switzerland.
Gian Erni, Co-Founder Rowesys (TKS21):
“Just go step by step - overcome one obstacle at a time and at some point you will have come further than you would have expected.” -
“Creating your own product is such a unique opportunity.”
I have always had this idea in mind of having my own start-up. Yet, I never really thought about it in-depth. Then, I joined the focus project at ETH. With time our team realized that we wanted to do something that could potentially make a difference in the world. I became more and more interested in being an entrepreneur. In the first year of our project, we mainly focused on the technical development of our solution. After a while, we shifted our focus more towards what is important for our future company.
In the beginning, I had an entirely different view of entrepreneurship. I was quite confident about our idea and wanted to develop it further so that it could be potentially a good solution for a problem. I then understood that not only the technology matters but also the problem-solution fit has a great impact on the success of a startup. With the help of a great cohort and multiple tools such as the Startup Navigator, we could make a great leap in our project. In these eight months, we were able to adapt our product in a very dynamic way, based on the inputs gained from talks with potential customers and the knowledge provided in the Bootcamps. I think our biggest achievement this year was realizing how central the customer is to find the right solution. You cannot just stay in your garage and develop something; you really must go out there and talk to customers and other founders. It is this community that motivates me to go forward.
I think the fact that Talent Kick brings in entrepreneurial talents at a very early stage can make an essential impact on the future of many students. There are a lot of programs out there, but Talent Kick is the first one being offered to students in this way. The whole program helped us to iterate over the essential tasks of an early-stage project within a short amount of time. It is incredible that we could go through such an amazing journey next to our studies.
Before Talent Kick, building a company appeared as a huge obstacle, we did not know anything about start-ups before joining the program. Talent Kick took these boundaries away. Getting in touch with actual founders and networking with VC’s was huge for me. Within just one semester I have become more certain of wanting to found my own start-up and I cannot wait for what’s to come!