Resonator - PROTOTYPE ANYTHING!

Company: Resonator

Representative: Mihajlo Nikolic

Position: CEO

How would you explain your business in one sentence to your grandmother?

Resonator is an R&D Center and creative technology hub, where you can prototype anything and get access to applied learning opportunities.

Where did the idea come from and what problem does it solve?

Our founder’s personal experience stretches over 25 years in different tech and creative fields, and many R&D projects. With Resonator we are making R&D and rapid prototyping capabilities more accessible.

How did you form a team? How do you know each other, why did you decide to work together?

The core team could be considered early adopters of the concept, some come from one of our other companies and switched over, others joined because of their relevant experience in the startup world.

Was there a moment that almost turned you down?

There are always plenty of tough moments. Resonator is a complex business, which aims to answer questions, which were not asked before – for example, can such an open environment boost R&D productivity? If it's too easy, we need to challenge ourselves more.

The biggest mistake so far?

Procrastinating during Covid… and underestimating the effort to maintain tons of equipment and tech.

The most valuable advice you would give to those after you?

 Take one step at a time and start selling early, you don't have to wait until everything is perfect.

How do you resemble the Bulgarians and how do you differ from them?

I/we are resourceful as Bulgarians, but we are not complaining as much.

Why is Bulgaria a good (or bad) place to start a business?

The good: talented and resourceful people, affordable (still). The bad: not naturally good in sales and marketing (still).

If you have a magic wand, which partner or investor would you like to bring to the team?

SOSV / HAX, but outside of them we’d really love to have a closer relationship with some of the leading universities and research centers.

What are your goals? Where do you want to go from here on out? 

Open multiple Resonator hubs around the world and decentralise R&D effort, which requires talent and access to labs & equipment worldwide.

Additional information

One of our core missions is to burst the tech and non-tech bubbles by bringing different companies, experts and communities together. We are creating “the kitchen” environment where people can spontaneously meet and innovation and collaboration can strive.