qiio: The Venture Leader Technology that takes the complexity out of IoT 

25.03.2022 07:00, Isabelle Mitchell

The Venture Leaders Technology expert jury had their work cut out for them this year: They had to look through 180 applications to choose the 10 members of the Swiss National Startup team that will travel to Silicon Valley in April. Before the 10 entrepreneurs meet with international investors and industry leaders to strengthen their business network and advance their globalization, we want to introduce you to each of the 10 Venture Leaders Technology 2022: Meet Felix Adamczyk, the CEO of qiio.

qiio® connects the edge to the cloud: qiio’s q200 Guardian, the qiio Sphere Studio®, and the global connectivity represent a unique, intelligent solution that enables the robust deployment of IoT solutions anywhere by choosing the best available cellular connections while diagnosing and resolving potential connectivity issues. The technology of the Zurich-based startup is easy to install and complements existing cloud infrastructure.

Name: Felix Adamczyk
Location: Zürich
Nationality: German
Graduated from: ETH Zürich in 2016 with a master’s degree in electrical engineering and information technology
Job title: CEO of qiio
Number of employees: 20+
Money raised: CHF 5 million Seed funding and CHF 10 million from family and friends
First touchpoint with Venturelab: For Venture Leaders China in 2016

Felix, can you summarize what qiio does?
We provide a secure IoT solution: qiio® delivers proven, edge-to-cloud solutions with intelligent cellular connectivity as a service. We help businesses to scale, as this is currently not possible—regarding security and connectivity—without qiio’s products and services.

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
During my studies at the ETH in Zurich, I had founded my first company called Smart Home Technology. It was about home automation for lamps and shutters in houses from your smartphone. It was clear that existing solutions will not be sustainable when all of these devices have a standby power consumption. So, I invented a technology that we called Zero Standby. It was an excellent product for the future of low-power devices in a connected world, but the market was not there yet. During the discussion with industrial companies in Switzerland, I often got asked if we couldn’t provide a simple, secure, and scalable IoT solution from a single source to connect their machines to the cloud, as they couldn’t find anything suitable on the market. Well, that was the beginning of qiio. 

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders Technology roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision? 
We want to expand our business area from the East Coast to the West Coast, get in touch with top venture capital investors from the connectivity arena, and meet potential new customers, use-cases, and partners. 

What is one thing not many people know about you?
I won a prize in a German youth science competition called Jugend forscht for my invention: a solar-powered ECG (electrocardiogram). I then traveled to Tanzania to trial my invention with the local hospitals. In the end, I was working for a general hospital in the countryside and was responsible for all necessary technical work and repairs.
 
What was your dream job when you were a child?
To have my own company.

What would be the title of your biography?
The Creator. I honestly love being an entrepreneur. It was already the case when I was a child, and it is still the same. I love to build new products and new business models with an amazing team that has an impact. 

What is the one talent you wish you had?
To be more organized.

What is a topic you would like to learn more about?
To cultivate cacti. As a teenager, I had many cacti in my parent’s garden. I am fascinated by their beauty, diversity, frugality, and amazing traits, such as their self-supply of water by using their thorns to turn fog into water. A cactus does not demand a lot, but it surprises you with beautiful flowers if you let it.

What is your favorite movie?
Star Wars—I am a big science fiction fan!

What is your favorite podcast?
Olivier Bloch: The Internet of Things Show—I enjoy Olivier’s weekly show, as he has a great and fun way, at least to me, to dive into IoT and to mix it with industry talks, demos, and customer scenarios. I enjoy seeing the latest trends that are promoted there.

What is your favorite book?
The biography of Steve Wozniak: iWoz. I became fascinated with his brilliance, philanthropy, and unconventional approach to academia, life, and business. The story of the invention of the personal computer is not so different from what we see in the creation of the Internet of Things. I think it is hard to shape the future of IoT without being fascinated by the story of Steve Wozniak.

What is always in your fridge?
Greek yogurt

What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of my company and team.

What advice would you give your teenage self?
Do what fascinates you most.

What was your favorite subject in school and why?
Chemistry and religion because I liked the teachers.

How did you come up with the name of your startup?
qiio: The name is combined from two Italian words: qui and io—I (am) here! Isn’t the name a perfect match for what we do?  

Where and when are you most productive?
Before sunset and after sundown.

How and where do you clear your mind?
On my bicycle.

What is the most challenging aspect of being a founder?
Being in a new field and having to find answers to questions that have not been asked before.

Last but not least, could you show us your workspace? 



For more information and updates on qiio and the Venture Leaders Technology 2022, follow #VLeadersTech on social media and on www.venture-leaders.ch/technology.

The Venture Leaders Technology 2022 program is organized by Venturelab and supported by dpd Switzerland, EPF Lausanne, ETH Zurich, Kellerhals Carrard, Rothschild & Co, and the Canton of Vaud.