Hi, Aya, can you give us a quick background of your professional journey? How has it been so far?
I started my journey in the tech world over 20 years ago. I’ve studied Bio-Medical engineering and have an MBA in Technology Management. I started in hi-tech already in my third year of university making my way from the R&D world to product management and product marketing disciplines. In the last decade, I’ve been leading Powermat product development focused on the design-in of wireless power solutions into 3rd party products working with leading brands in the market. Prior to joining Powermat, I held multiple product management and product marketing roles in Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) and NICE (NASDAQ: NICE).
Tell us about your current role at Powermat.
I currently serve as Powermat’s VP of Product. As part of this role, I am responsible for the company’s product roadmap, product life cycle, and product delivery.
Why is the need for wireless power solutions growing and how are they useful?
In the past two decades, the technology world has predominantly focused on going wireless. From IoT devices that can be found in every home, factory, commercial space, and hospital, to autonomous vehicles and robots, all are power-hungry and require power. In a world that has gone wireless, we still remain with one cable tethering devices down – the power cable.
“Wireless power and wireless charging provide the freedom to power seamlessly, on the go, and with minimal or no human intervention, making our future truly 100% wireless.”
Can you explain to us how Powermat works towards its vision to create a 100% wireless future?
Powermat has pioneered the wireless power space since 2006. We started our journey with solutions for the new world of Smartphones which had taken over the consumer market and very quickly understood that in order to make the technology ubiquitous, we had to expand our efforts to integrate our technology into a wider ecosystem, including vehicles, homes, and commercial spaces.
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In recent years we are witnessing the 4th technology revolution in the industrial and mobility space, these devices and vehicles require autonomous power solutions. Powermat has expanded its technology to support a wider range of power levels, from a few mW to 600W, and more spatial freedom, to support the power needs of telecom, IoT, robotics, mobility, and industrial products.
How is wireless charging impacting different industries such as Automotive, Robotics, Drones, etc?
Wireless power solutions provide autonomous devices with true power freedom. The use of wireless power enables robots, cars, and drones to power on the go, inside their operational loop. This saves time & money, eliminating downtime, and the need for human intervention in autonomous operations. Wireless power also provides the benefit of safety, reducing risks of spark hazards, and enabling operation in wet and flammable. The third benefit of wireless power in these industries is the reliability provided by the technology, removing expensive connector solutions which are prone to breakage and environmental corrosion.
How can wireless advanced technology benefit the 5G, IoT, and robotics markets?
5G and IoT markets are markets that highly depend on the mass deployment of equipment. One of the key challenges of deployment of such equipment is the cost (CAPEX, and OPEX) related to installation and powering of the equipment. A great example would be the 5G technology which requires the installation of repeaters in order to provide sufficient coverage.
Installation of repeaters requires the use of long electric cables and the drilling of building walls to provide power to these units. Powermat’s wireless power technology enables the transfer of power through walls and windows to enable easy installation of telecom equipment within minutes. This provides carriers with up to X4 reduction in installation cost of 5G equipment.
Can you tell us about your Powermat’s flagship product the PMT Family and the PMQ family and how are they helping in creating a wireless future?
Power is a key ingredient of many products ranging over a wide variety of industries consumer, medical, telecom, IoT, industrial, robotics, mobility, and more. To cater to all these markets Powermat has developed technology platforms, the Powermat PMT product family, which ranges from ultra-low power areas up to 600W enables our customers to easily integrate the technology into their products regardless of their application. For example, the Powermat PMT 300 family can be used for applications up to 300W such as electric scooters, telecom equipment, Robotics, and industrial wireless connectors.
The Powermat PMQ family is a product family which provides solutions for mobile devices and products that adhere to the Wireless Power Consortium Qi standard. Within this product family, you can find a wide variety of solutions from consumer products to automotive in-cabin wireless charging solutions.
What are the most important things to consider when creating product business models?
As Powermat technology is predominantly driven by the integration of its reference designs and technology licensing to third-party products, our customer’s success is our business’s success. We work hand in hand with our customers to define and develop the best-suited solution for their products, optimizing the reference design to meet their technical requirements, cost, and supply chain needs. Our target is to enable our customers to deliver their products to market fast and at the correct price point to enable product success.
What are the biggest challenges you face when bringing a new product into the market?
When developing platforms that are integrated into a wide variety of products and industries the key challenge is defining the correct product specifications whose functionalities appeal to all industries but still meet the price points of the most cost-sensitive products.
As a VP of Product, what would be your advice to make it big in the product development sector?
The key to success in the product development world is to best understand product-market fit. Understanding the market’s true needs, pain points, and commercial considerations is the key to the commercial success of products. This needs to be paired with a sustainable business model which is based on market volume, customer price sensitivities, and company resources.
Thanks, Aya!