Rafael Masters - CEO and Cofounder at Vulcan Augmetics (Techstars 21) 

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Rafael’s Bio

Rafael is the CEO and co-founder of Vulcan Augmetics. He holds an MBA in international business strategy from Maastricht University, has lectured and mentored on entrepreneurship at several universities, and is on the Industry Advisory board of RMIT Vietnam. At Vulcan he ensures that the company is moving in the right direction with a clear plan, managing tech development, finance and business strategy.

Vulcan products are designed with accessibility for the end user clearly in mind, and he makes sure that this is considered at every stage of the development process, and that Vulcan is always aware of the user experience before they commit pen to paper. Rafael was raised in a village in the south of the UK, just down the road from Lord Mayor Treloars College, the largest disabled college in the country.

Many of his friends as a teenager were wheelchair-bound, or heavily dependent on technology to live full lives, and their resilience and pragmatism were a deep influence. After graduating from University with a degree in Philosophy, he went to Vietnam to travel and work, teaching English for a year before returning to the UK. While in Vietnam however, he came to love the country, the culture and the career, and decided to stay. 

He progressed from teaching to academic development and management, but decided after 8 years it was time to build something that would make a difference on a much larger scale. He had seen that Vietnam was a country of tremendous potential, with people who were creative, pragmatic and ambitious, but didn't yet know enough about business to do the opportunity justice, so he took an MBA.

During this time he also started learning more about 3d printing and design, and becoming involved with the local maker community which opened his eyes to the technological possibilities becoming available. Shortly after graduating he met Akshay, a representative of a venture studio called Alley51, at a networking event. After talking about 3d printing, maker spaces, and entrepreneurship for several hours, Rafael was invited to pitch Alley51 his startup idea and Vulcan Augmetics was born.

In the years since Vulcan was founded Rafael has continued to learn and adapt, incorporating new technology in the most efficient way, and ensuring that the company has built a brand and product that is aligned with real user requirements. His mantra is “Make what the user needs, not what you wish they needed”. 

We talked about the following and other items

Educational Background and Philosophy

Experiences with the Disabled Community

Role at RMIT University

Entrepreneurial Culture in Vietnam

Vietnamese Culture and Business Environment

Scientific and Engineering Interests

User-Centric Design

Engineering Challenges

Business Model and Market Strategy

Global Reach and Market Expansion

Future Vision and Metrics for Success

Vulcan Prosthetics and AI Excitement

AI Dangers and Singularity

Building a Tech Startup in Vietnam

Fundraising and Market Strategy

Future Plans and Market Expansion

Challenges in War Zones

Market Differentiation

Customization and User Experience L

iving in Vietnam and Safety E

xploring Vietnam and Local Culture

Future Plans and Technology Integration 

Rafael’s Social Media

Rafael’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafael-masters-81276678/

Company Website: https://www.wearevulcan.com/

Company YouTube” https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT9ycoxSCAc7ZOF-3XvDpzw

Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vulcan_augmetics/

Company TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vulcanaugmetics

 Company FB: https://www.facebook.com/vulcanaugmeticsglobal

Rafael’s Email: Rafael@wearevulcan.com