CEO Monthly Issue 5 2018

16 CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2018 , Optinvent is a display technology company which specialises in developing cutting edge head worn displays and devices. We invited KayvanMirza, who we recently named CEO of the Year 2018 – France, to tell us more about the firmand his role in its success. Taking Wearable Technology to the Next Level Utilising its vast experience in the wearable technology field, Optinvent is seeking to disrupt the mobile music and augmented reality space with the world’s first audio and visual AR music headphone. The firm holds a key piece of patented technology that can make this a reality; a cost effective high performance retinal display which is already in mass production. Optinvent’s dynamic team of experts has received several awards for its products and is recognised industry wide for its expertise in the field. This team is led by Kayvan, who draws on vast industry knowledge and insight, as he highlights. “As CEO of Optinvent, my key responsibility is to shepherd the company through the confusing minefield that is the augmented reality space in order to determine the winning strategy, while motivating the team to stay on track in execution. This is achieved while keeping an eye on the cash situation of the company, and racing against the clock to make sure we stay ahead of the competition. “I believe that I have achieved success because of my openness to change, my perseverance and drive, speed in execution, and the ability to think out of the box. I feel that these attributes are key to succeed in today’s fast changing world. Things are moving at a faster pace. The successful CEO must deal with uncertainly in an everchanging landscape while guiding his company in the direction of his vision. It is essential to make decisions based on a limited set of parameters because things will change anyway. Speed and flexibility are key in today’s competitive landscape.” Drawing on the success he has achieved, Kayvan, as CEO of Optinvent, works hard to cultivate a dynamic, flexible and innovative culture where staff are never afraid to push boundaries, as he is proud to highlight. “The key cultural tenets of our company are perseverance, pragmatism, and our innovation DNA. These have been the guiding principles for Optinvent from the beginning. For example, when we designed the core technology, a see through retinal projection display, we asked ourselves the question ‘can it be made using high volume manufacturing techniques?’ to guide every technical decision. This was by no means an easy task and we faced many technical obstacles along the way over several years to make it happen. The staff contributed largely to find innovative solutions to the technical challenges because they were given the freedom to do so. Many would have given up, but we stayed true to our vision and made it work. “Furthermore, when we designed the augmented reality music headphones, we asked ourselves ‘what kind of AR device would a normal person wear in public, and what user experience does it need to enable?’ This was the genesis of the world’s first audio and visual AR headphone. We knew that the form factor is key here and we had to think out of the box. We learned from all the failed attempts at trying to get consumers to wear smart glasses (some that are still ongoing). Social acceptability is essential to any new product category. Also, we knew that the use cases needed to be clear and compelling for the average consumer. What is better than being able to see music videos while on the go, and getting notifications from your smartphone at the same time? The augmented reality applications will come slowly but surely once the product catches on. You cannot just thrust a new product category onto consumers 1804CE08 if they don’t even understand the use case. We are betting on the headphone form factor and the compelling music video experience. This demonstrates the creative combination of pragmatism, perseverance, and innovation that has come to characterise Optinvent.” With augmented reality and wearable technology both key focuses in the high-tech space, Kayvan and his team at Optinvent believe that they have created something which is both entirely relevant and completely unique. This pioneering solution will offer the firm a range of innovating opportunities for the future, as Kayvan excitedly concludes. “Ultimately, at Optinvent we believe that we are going to change the future of headphones and invent a new product category. Our product has the potential to be the first consumer augmented reality device and will enable this new market. As such, we cannot wait to release this product. The world’s first AR music headphone will revolutionise the mobile audio space and will bring AR to the masses. It will be the true culmination of our company’s mission: to bring augmented reality to the masses.”