CREAL develops and markets a new type of display technology for Augmented Reality (AR) glasses. Unlike existing solutions, CREAL’s displays create full 3D images that are completely natural to human vision. We reached out to Tomas Sluka, the company’s founder and CEO, to learn more about his perspective on entrepreneurship, company culture, and the value of his work in his series Founder Focus. .
CREAL’s track record makes it one of Switzerland’s most important innovators. The company has been in the top 100 Swiss startup rankings every year since 2018 until 2022, last year he was fifth. Awarded CHF 30,000 by Venture Kick in 2017, the startup also participated in the Venture Leaders Technology program in 2018, bringing ten of his founders to an investor roadshow in Silicon Valley. bottom. CREAL also won the Swisscom StartUp Challenge in 2019 and joined the Silicon Valley Business Acceleration Program.
These achievements, among other things, not only underscore external recognition of the potential of CREAL’s technology to shape the way users interact with the emerging metaverse. They also reveal a commitment to driving the company’s progress. Learn more about the company’s founder and CEO.
position: Lausanne
Country of Citizenship: Czech language
degree: Graduated with a PhD in 2018.PhD in Science and Engineering, Liberec Technical University, Czech Republic
job title: CEO
Number of workers: 24 people
Money collected: Approximately 16 million Swiss francs
Initial touchpoints with Venturelab: 2017 Venture Lab Evening Course
How did you come up with the name for your startup?
I purchased many domain names related to 3D visualization before I resolved the issue. I thought 3D was the next step in communication technology. CREAL3D.com (“see real 3D”) is one of them. He then bought his CREAL.com domain from someone and renamed the startup.
Where and how did you come up with the idea for your startup?
I was convinced that 3D visualization, such as AR/VR, would inevitably become the next communication technology standard, but the first VR headsets had a very uncomfortable feel to them. I knew the reason, but didn’t see a working solution. After months of research, a solution came to me. It also had obvious business potential. Founding a startup was just a necessary step at one point.
“Maybe I’m enjoying the game more than being a winner in the past.”
What advice would you give your teenage self?
Even though there were many difficulties, I did not intervene and try to make them live the same life. Life is a complex game full of opportunities, and you never know which junctures and lessons mattered. Your best intentions and advice can backfire and take you down the wrong path. But if I were to actually answer your question, I would tell myself to look at business as a positive mechanism, a positive-sum game that creates real value for people.
What are you most excited about in your life right now?
Besides my family, it’s a startup game. Constant uncertainty about how it will end, and ups and downs along the way. Just like in sports, you may be enjoying the past game more than winning it.
What is your nighttime routine (including when you usually go to bed)?
Other than being a night owl, I have no routine. I think routine kills creativity. But whenever possible, he tries to read until he falls asleep.
What is your favorite book and why?
i put jared diamond guns, germs, steel (1997) is at the top of my list. It offers a very unique perspective on how human societies develop. There are no good people or bad people. There are good and bad conditions for development. We are nothing better than bacteria in a petri dish.
What should everyone try once?
I don’t mean to do bad things to anyone, but I do believe that people become better people when they go through difficult and desperate times in their lives.
Why did you become an entrepreneur?
Because I wanted the opportunity to create something that I truly believed would be useful and do what I wanted to do. In the past, I have also gained a very wide range of experience and the ability to invest practically all of my time in important work.
“Startups have to act like one body, one mission.
What is your ritual/routine before an important meeting?
I tell myself: fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
What’s your favorite part about being an entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurship has made my life more diverse. I don’t think I’ve had such a diverse experience in any other career path.
What’s your least favorite part about being an entrepreneur?
administration, paperwork, and fundraising.
What does success look like to you? And what does that mean for you?
A clear conscience, knowing that you have always done your best to act fairly and to contribute positively to society. Even if you fail, you know you tried.
What is the most important lesson you learned as a founder?
Companies are living superorganisms, and the advice given in the startup training workshop on corporate culture and “DNA” was not emphasized just to fill time. These things are very important. Startup has to act like he’s one body on one mission. Although this cannot be forced on anyone. must happen naturally.
Today’s virtual and augmented reality goggles provide a 3D image with conflicting depth cues, causing unpleasant eye strain.
