About AI for data analyses, subscription management and upgraded sensor data processing modules

This post is cross-published on the c.technology blog.

As the marine industry strides towards a more digitised future, mirroring trends in automotive technology, there's a growing demand for innovative digital solutions to complement the advancement of sophisticated marine equipment. c.technology places Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) at the centre of their offering.

Dominik Bucher, CTO and Co-Founder of c.technology expresses that: "Digitalisation, digital twins, software-defined vehicles' - these are terms that have been defining the automotive industry in the last 10-15 years, and are currently similarly being seen as the next big revolution in the powersports and boating industries. However, while many OEMs are excellent at designing, building, and marketing vehicles, they lack in terms of software and especially cloud development capabilities."

We offer them a quick-to-set up, complete, yet extensible and future-proof entry into digitising their vehicles. We let OEMs implement solutions in a very efficient manner, and thus not only convince potential new buyers of their vehicles, but also strengthen relationships with each end customer and all the other professional partners along the way.

Dominik has been instrumental in steering the company's development of a comprehensive suite of cloud and in-vehicle services. His educational background and extensive professional experience uniquely position him to navigate the intersection of technology and industry demands within c.technology.

A Diverse Educational Background

Dominik holds a Master of Science from ETH Zurich* in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, specialising in computers, networks, and embedded systems. He expressed that; While we are not doing any hardware development at c.technology, my education and experience comes in handy when consulting customers, or customising IoT devices to work together smoothly with existing electronics on their vessels.

He later pursued a Ph.D. in Geoinformation Engineering, focusing on leveraging technology to encourage sustainable transport:

My focus was on developing technologies that help make human mobility more sustainable, e.g., by optimising travel patterns, providing optimal means of transport, detecting bottlenecks and inefficiencies in transport systems, or using data and gamified systems to persuade people to travel sustainably. The experience gained during this time directly flows into the tech that we develop at c.technology — from real-time movement and sensor analysis to providing an analytics suite targeted at vehicle OEMs and boat builders. This lets them for the first time see transparently what their vehicles are used for, where there is room for improvement, and how to design and whom to target with the next year's product lineup.

*ETH Zurich ranks as one of the best universities in the world and is one of the leading universities in continental Europe. The Computer Science Department has maintained its top ranking, securing the 11th place in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2024.

Professional Background

Prior to joining c.technology, Dominik gained experience across various companies and startups, spanning both software and hardware domains. His ventures included projects such as bearing-less electric motors for medical applications and location-based search and recommendation systems. Notably, his entrepreneurial ventures led to the successful launch and sale of startups, including a prominent job platform for Swiss startups.

"Together with Fabio Magagna, the third co-founder of c.technology, we launched and sold several startups. For example, we launched the largest job platform for startups in Switzerland, and, together with Christian Fehr, we launched Ship-Ahoy (the predecessor of c.technology), an ‘AirBnb for boats', where private boat owners can rent out their often unused boats."

He continued: "The latter also served as inspiration for founding c.technology: We quickly realised that the boating industry lags behind in terms of digitalization, and that many innovative businesses could be built on top of a solid foundation targeting the powersports market."

An Innovative Vision

As CTO of c.technology, Dominik drives technical and product development initiatives. He oversees product roadmaps, manages engineering teams, and facilitates collaboration with clients' technical counterparts. Beyond these responsibilities, Dominik actively engages in diverse tasks intrinsic to startup culture: "As is common in any startup, there are no real bounds to the daily tasks. One day I might be developing an investor pitch, another day I could be working on the definition of a business model or revision of a contract, the next day I could be going on a customer visit in the role of a technical salesperson."

Applying Dominik's vision, c.technology has introduced innovative updates and features benefiting OEMs in the marine industry. The company's comprehensive software stack and digital twin platform empower OEMs to seamlessly integrate cloud-connected capabilities into their vehicles, translating into tangible benefits such as cost savings, enhanced value creation, and new revenue streams:

At its core, our innovation lies in providing an easy-to-use, holistic solution that connects vehicle owners, professionals (dealers, maintainers, etc.) and OEMs, and which can be easily adapted to a customer's exact needs thanks to its modularity and modern architecture.

Product Updates And New Features

Looking ahead, c.technology's roadmap promises even greater advancements. With ongoing product advancements and potential strategic alliances in sight, c.technology is striving for a future where seamless connectivity and data-driven decision-making become as essential to boating as they are in the automotive industry.

Planned updates include AI-driven data analysis tools, end-to-end subscription management solutions, and refined sensor data processing modules. These enhancements not only bolster OEMs' market position but also foster stronger relationships with end customers and professional partners.

Dominik states:

After rolling out our completely revised and fully modular app platform this Spring (including the new OEM management dashboard), we will follow up with AI-based vehicle data analysis tools later this year, end-to-end subscription management for OEMs (allowing them to monetize our digital twin platform at the press of a button), and improved building blocks for sensor data collection and processing, which in turn is directly integrated into our AI-based predictive maintenance system. Alongside all of this, we continuously roll out specialised services for professionals, to better manage fleets of vehicles, or improve communication with end customers.

For the original article please visit the website of Yachting Ventures.