In this ongoing series, we share advice, tips and insights from real entrepreneurs who are out there fighting business battles every day. (Responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.)
Please give us the presentation of your business.
I’m Orfeas Boteas, founder and CEO of Krotos. Our software allows content creators to transform the slow process of sound design into a real-time performance. Our audio software has been used in similar films, series and video games Avengers, game of Thrones, Stranger things AND Cyberpunk 2077. Our new platform, Krotos Studio, uses artificial intelligence to help creators of all levels design Hollywood-quality sound and make their content stand out.
Credits: Studio Kronos
What inspired you to create this business?
My inspiration began when I earned a Masters in Sound Design. I had to create monster sounds for a game. While I enjoyed the process, I found it time consuming to find animal sounds and record my voice, then overlay and process them using various software. It took hours. My frustration led me to develop a solution that turns your voice into monster sounds in real time. This is how the idea for our first product Dehumaniser and finally Krotos was born. Save time and money by making the process more fun.
What was your “aha moment”?
When I saw people’s faces light up as I heard their voices transform into a Hollywood-quality monster as they spoke!
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What advice would you give to entrepreneurs looking for funding?
Make sure you actually need funding: Having investors is not for every business. If you do, you have a prototype with traction or a stellar management team that has already exited companies, or both. And be patient, don’t give up until you have presented your proposal to more than 150 investors. Persistence is the key. Conversion rates from submission to term sheet vary between 0.3% and 1%.
What does the word “entrepreneur” mean to you?
Innovator, disruptor, someone who figures things out. Someone who can think of a better way of doing things. Someone who is unemployable.
What’s something that many aspiring entrepreneurs think they need that they actually don’t?
Experience and money.
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Is there a particular quote or saying that you use as personal motivation?
“When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” —Paolo Coelho, The alchemist
Entrepreneurship is a journey with many ups and downs, including many challenges that can push you to the limit. If you accept it and want to grow, you have to improve, learn every day and become better at everything you do. When this happens, the people around you also become better because you make better choices.
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