Europe is currently experiencing a great wave of innovation – a quick look at Amsterdam’s startup scene, London’s tech ecosystem and the plethora of EIT supported innovation hubs attests to the huge appetite for science and tech driven advancement in the region. Investment in Deep Tech alone increased four-fold between 2016 and 2020, which is unsurprisingly considering it is at the heart of the European innovation boom. There’s excitement in the air about European Deep Tech – can you feel it?
If you are ready to apply your science and engineering knowledge to help solve bigger problems, a career in Deep Tech could be your chance to change the world. To inspire you, we’ve recapped four exciting movers in the Deep Tech space, what they are currently up to, and how you might get involved.
Where: Grenoble, France
Industry: Hardware and electronics
LED technology is standard. Surely, it’s already peaked?
Aledia begs to differ.
They develop and manufacture LED technology for digital displays based on their unique 3D architecture, which uses gallium-nitride (GaN-on-silicon) nanowires (WireLED TM).
Aledia is creating the next generation of microLED tech by developing longer battery life, faster refresh rates, flexible displays, ultra-high brightness, better outdoor readability and more.
The display market is worth over £95 billion per year, which could explain why Aledia has attracted highly influential investors such as Intel Capital, Demeter Investment Partners and Bpi France. In September 2020, they closed a £67 million Series D investment round, with no signs of stopping there.
If you’re interested in disrupting the LED market with Aledia, here are some of their recent hires to get your juices flowing:
Based at their Echirolles site in France, this role is responsible for optimising epitaxy processes to maximise the performance of future-generation GaN LEDs on large silicon substrates. A senior position, you will need a minimum of 10 years’ experience in epitaxy as well as qualifications in materials and semiconductors.
This position straddles the manufacturing department and the front-end operations team. You’ll be managing batches of platelets from the activity monitoring application, realising logistics, and performing manufacturing and control steps.
Any relevant qualification, particularly in microelectronics, will be attractive to Aledia.
Where: Zürich, Switzerland
Industry: Robotics and drones
How does ‘revolutionising work at height’ sound on your resume?
Voliro is developing breakthrough drones that can fly, see and touch, and are pushing the limits of what is possible with drone missions.
With their flying robot, the Voliro T, and their powerful aerial robotics platform, Voliro works with inspection service providers and asset owners to deliver cost-effective maintenance and industrial inspections solutions.
Drones are increasing in retail popularity, with the number of global shipments predicted to reach 2.4 million in 2023, but their usage for commercial, industrial and military operations is just beginning. Business Insider reports that self-monitoring, compliance tech and airspace awareness are the next big trends in drone technology – meaning that Voliro has huge space to adapt and grow as a business.
A growing business in a vastly growing industry, some recent vacancies from Voliro include:
Voliro have created this role in response to the increasing number of demonstration requests that they are receiving. You’ll travel around the world carrying out planning and postprocessing of drone missions, as well as flying the drones.
Prior drone experience is a must, as is the ability to troubleshoot complex problems.
As a Senior Engineer, you’ll take control of Voliro’s cloud development, architecture and applications. This includes deployment, maintenance and monitoring, and developing Voliro’s best practises. Requirements include a university degree in a technical field, experience in developing web frontends and at least 5 years’ of proven industry experience.
Where: London, UK
Industry: Space tech
When you think of satellite technology, GPS and telecommunications might spring to mind. But its impact on the environment could be immeasurable – in a good way.
This is what drives Satellite Vu to become ‘the world’s thermometer’.
They are developing a constellation of earth imaging satellites that use Infrared technology to measure thermal emissions and wastage, including the degradation of water quality, monitoring building temperature and collecting energy insights.
This is a great opportunity to become an early advocate for earth imaging technology, as their first satellite will be launching in 2023. Upcoming projects include a ride on SpaceX’s Falcon 9, new US investment to take them overseas, and a partnership with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd to help build their satellites. Some career moves with Satellite Vu include:
Geospatial Software Engineer
If you have a minimum of 3 years’ experience writing software to manipulate geospatial data and can write production code in Python, you could qualify for this position. You’ll be tasked with processing imaging, so experience with image processing code at scale is a bonus.
Senior Frontend Engineer
You’ll likely be familiar with frontend work, but how many frontend positions give you the opportunity to work in space tech while also addressing sustainability challenges?
To apply for this role, you’ll need a good understanding of core web technologies, proven experience in building web frontend technologies, knowledge of CSS framework and curiosity.
Where: Graz, Austria
Industry: Agriculture
What is the ‘connected cow’?
It’s the idea that farms (and farm animals) are becoming increasingly more connected to technology and the IoT.
smaXtec’s system enables continuous data collection through boluses inserted into the cows, which automatically translate the data to the smaXtec cloud. Their AI-based applications help provide farmers with extensive data on their herd, real-time alerts and access-anywhere features.
The AgTech sector has proven to be surprisingly high-tech and innovative, with 4.1% of the market share taken up by agricultural healthcare. 76% of farmers are exploring the use of technology, so there’s a clear appetite for the modernisation of farming.
smaXtec is hoping to lead the industry in early disease detection, management optimisation and improvements in reproduction. Their system has successfully detected heart attacks, mastitis, pneumonia and even a twisted uterus amongst their existing clients’ herds.
The impact of AgTech cannot be ignored – better agricultural management means a more sustainable, economically-friendly and fair world. Take a look at their vacancies to see how you can become part of this globally-impactful business:
smaXtec are looking for committed, competent and passionate employees who aren’t afraid of growth. You’ll need at least 2 years of software development experience, programming skills and a university degree to qualify for this position.
Day-to-day activities include working on end-to-end engineering projects, designing data processing streams and writing well-structured code.
Although smaXtec are fairly specific in their requirements for this role, securing this position would mean securing your place in a future-proof, innovative industry, so it’s worth applying for.
Requirements include experience working with IoT devices, processing and storage of data, and system adaptation to ensure scalability for their inevitable exponential growth.
European Deep Tech companies are worth over £58 billion, combining a mix of complex technical challenges, real impact, and great compensation.
Science and engineering have created some of the world’s most influential startups, big businesses and inventions – what do they have in common? Deep Tech roots.
To play your part in developing the next generation of technology, click here to browse cutting-edge companies in manufacturing, clean tech, med tech and more.