Building Deep Tech with Ilir Aliu

In this episode, I talk with Prof. Dr. Marco Huber, Professor for Cognitive Production Systems at the University of Stuttgart and Scientific Director for AI at Fraunhofer IPA.Marco shares his journey from a middle-class upbringing with no academic role models to becoming a leading figure in applied AI for manufacturing. We talk about discovering computer science through a single physics teacher, why he almost went to vocational school, and how a mix of personal drive and mentors shaped his path.We spend some time on his years between academia and industry, what he learned working in high-pressure startups, and why real innovation happens when theory meets factory floors. Marco explains how Germany still leads in fundamental AI research but is at risk of losing the race when it comes to turning research into scalable industrial products.A conversation about explainable AI, robotics in production, and why Europe has only a small window left to turn Physical AI into a competitive advantage.

Stefan Dörr-Laukien is the co-founder and CEO of NODE Robotics, a Stuttgart-based company building the software layer behind scalable mobile robot fleets.In this episode, Stefan shares how his path into robotics did not start with founding ambitions, but with curiosity for how machines work. From studying mechanical engineering at TUM to hands-on autonomous driving research at BMW and years at Fraunhofer IPA, his motivation was always the same: building systems that work in the real world, not just on paper.We talk about the transition from research to entrepreneurship, why understanding the market matters more than perfect technology, and how NODE Robotics emerged as a Fraunhofer spin-off with real customers from day one. Stefan explains why many mobile robot projects fail at scale, how software complexity is the real bottleneck, and why modular, hardware-agnostic autonomy is critical for industrial adoption.The conversation also looks into decision-making under uncertainty, the risks of staying too technology-driven, and why taking action beats waiting for perfect information. An honest reflection at building deep tech companies in Europe, navigating industrial customers, and turning applied research into a global product.A grounded conversation about ambition, uncertainty, and what it really takes to scale robotics beyond pilots.

I talked with Stephan van den Brink, founder and CEO of MANUS™, the company behind some of the most advanced data gloves used in robotics:Not only robotics: teleoperation, motion capture, and embodied AI. Manus started as a small student project and grew into a deep tech company trusted across the robotics world.We talk about Stephan's path from studying law and economics to discovering he was meant to build things, not file documents. He explains how the first Manus glove was built in evenings and weekends, how an early Kickstarter failure opened better doors, and how an accelerator program became the turning point for the company.Stephan shares how Manus shifted from VR gaming to B2B simulation, then to motion capture, and now to robotics. He explains why EMF tracking became their core technology and why precise hand data is suddenly in huge demand as humanoids and AI driven robots take off.We also talk about building a company for ten years, staying alive through hype cycles, making hard calls, and focusing on what real customers need.

In this episode, I talk with Harald Schäfer, CTO at comma.ai, where he is leading one of the most interesting autonomy efforts in the world:They work on end to end driving and generative world models is changing how small teams can compete with billion dollar labs.We talk about his path from electrical engineering in Belgium and Santa Barbara to joining comma as one of the earliest engineers. Harald explains how he helped turn a hacker project into a focused engineering team that ships reliable autonomy to thousands of real users.He walks me through comma’s move to a single neural network that controls the car from video input, why deleting code is often more powerful than adding more, and how his team uses world models to train on billions of synthetic miles that never existed on real roads. Harald also shares what it is like to build inside a company with no CEO, why simplicity beats complexity in autonomy systems, and how the new comma 4 and Body 2 signal a move beyond cars into general robotics.If you work in robotics, autonomy, or AI systems, this conversation is packed with lessons about engineering clarity, avoiding brittle stacks, and shipping real products with small teams.

Albane Dersy turned down Goldman Sachs to build Inbolt, a robotics company now deployed in factories across the world. Her story is a masterclass in execution:In this episode, we talk about how Albane grew up in Paris, pushed her way through the French prep school system, and found her path into entrepreneurship after a semester at Wharton opened her eyes to what was possible. She explains how she met her two co-founders during the X EC program, and how the first version of Inbolt had nothing to do with robots. They started with a real-time guidance tool for workers and later pivoted to industrial robots after spending months on factory floors and seeing where customers really needed help.Albane walks through what it takes to sell and deploy automation inside global companies. She talks about why founders need to be on site all the time, and why selling early matters more than waiting for perfect reliability. She explains why deployment is everything in manufacturing and how Inbolt built a system that retrofit existing robots, reduced downtime, and proved value in a few weeks instead of years.We also talk about ambition, hard work, and the pressure she faced breaking into industries that are not always welcoming to young founders. Albane shares her early years in boxing gyms, her drive to be taken seriously, and the mindset that helped her operate and grow a company that now works with some of the biggest manufacturers in the world.If you want a clear look at how real robotics gets deployed at scale, and what it takes to build a company inside the most demanding industry in the world, this is an episode you should hear.