A place to let your ambitions run free
Creating something great requires two things: ambition and then the support to let that ambition thrive.
“Make great things happen”. It might look cool on a t-shirt, but it has the most impact when guiding one burgeoning start-up.
As the personal and professional motto of Jason Dai, Team Lead of Bosch Spatial Data, this ambitious way of living is transforming technology thanks to grow platform. Individually, Jason is merging his expertise, passion and ideas like never before while his team has the opportunity to continually hone its high-value hardware and software solutions. His story is proof that if you want to make great things happen, you have to give your ambition a place to run free.
Building progress with the right people
Jason is Team Lead of Bosch Spatial Data – formerly named Bosch InSite – an innovative hardware and software start-up that creates solutions for measuring, comparing and tracking project data on construction sites.
The solution works like this: a project manager wears a special backpack equipped with a panoramic camera and sensors that capture data on-site. The data is processed on a SaaS platform and then delivered to users using a front-end application. This means that all relevant project data can be accessed and monitored at all times from anywhere.
It’s an exciting solution that sprung to life from ambition – then developed and built from the ground up by Jason and his team. Consisting of former Bosch employees and new outside talent, the team operates with a combination of various skillsets and unique perspectives. Just like any start-up, Bosch Spatial Data is in position to quickly move forward and adapt to the challenges of the day. But because they have created a new technology in a new field, Jason first had to bring everyone together with a clear vision. And it's working. From the business-side to the technology-side – and everything in between – Jason guides his small, yet dynamic team. He simultaneously ensures that the start-up will grow while also managing the special data. It can seem like a bit of a juggling act, but the support of grow platform makes it possible.
Finding the right fit
The current success and future potential of Bosch Spatial Data come from its own people and ideas, but they are propelled forward by grow platform. Jason appreciates the resources available and values the chance to work with talented people within grow platform, as these relationships are a great opportunity to make progress. In fact, when asked what aspect is most vital to success, Jason is quick to respond: “team first”. Experience has taught him the importance of a positive team spirit.
Jason Dai
As a former entrepreneur, Jason has seen first-hand what it’s like working in an outside start-up. He notes that there are big differences between traditional start-up culture and grow platform, which is enhanced by the Bosch connection. “With grow platform, a key factor is Bosch, which is a large-scale company developing innovation in such a transparent and efficient manner.” Without a doubt, the support and resources of Bosch is already leading to cutting-edge technology for Jason and his team.
Sharpening the focus with grow platform
Working in close collaboration with grow platform, Jason re-evaluated how to maximize the value of the technology itself. First, he changed the technology road map to focus on the point cloud data. Not just because it is the solution’s core technology, but also because it represents the on-site data that his team can actually handle.
From the business plan to the product and end-users, everything was validated with the Bosch Spatial Data technology team as well as leadership within grow platform. Exploring the end-users was particularly eye-opening. The team at Bosch Spatial Data initially focused on project managers working on site in the construction industry, trying to make their lives easier and add value to their overall projects. But research revealed something else. “In interviews with several customers and potential customers or partners, we found we ran into a dead end,” says Jason. The team pivoted and realized that their product goes beyond the people who use it daily. While one goal remained to make life easier for project managers, they also turned their attention to adding value to CEOs, CFOs and CTOs. He says, “Those individuals will decide whether to buy our product, whether to pay us. And they will determine whether it's a great solution for their industry, for their company.”
Making great things happen means you have to be open to change. For Jason, that meant revamping the technology and then expanding the target audience to uncover greater business value – all with the support of grow platform.
Excelling with full support
The support of Bosch Corporate Research (CR) is also imperative to success. Bosch Research developed the technology, including LiDAR, image stitching and the SLAM algorithm, while the Bosch Power Tools division provided technical expertise and resources to support the necessary hardware testing.
If customers have special requirements for construction process data, the project team coordinates with colleagues from Bosch Research, with tasks jointly determined and distributed to the respective experts. The project team is also constantly informed about the latest findings in technology research or potential business partnerships. For Bosch intrapreneurs, this collaboration primarily represents a cost advantage. Instead of developing technologies from scratch, an existing cutting-edge Bosch technology is used to enter a new market, significantly reducing the R&D cycle and required investment.
Bringing it all together: value everywhere
By taking part in grow platform, Jason has found value almost everywhere – in the technology, with end-users, for business development and beyond. For aspiring intrapreneurs, Jason says joining grow platform depends on that rare inner drive to truly make an impact. “Everyone has different expectations for their career, and I will only recommend it to those who have ambition.” But if you have the right drive and attitude, then grow platform offers the real opportunity, full support and authentic trust that can make great things happen.
