We had the pleasure of interviewing Romain Kirchhoff, CEO and Co-Founder of the winning start-up in the 2nd edition of the Boost My Startup Challenge. Uzufly is a young and dynamic start-up, active in 3D modelling by aerial photogrammetry.
Who are you and what is the story behind Uzufly?
I am Roman Kirchhoff, an entrepreneur with a passion for drone technology and its potential in the field of 3D modelling. I was born in Geneva and, after graduating from EPFL and gaining some initial professional experience with drones in London, I chose to create my own company in Switzerland. Uzufly was born in October 2020 from the interest of a municipality that was looking to improve its communication with its population. So, we focused our initial efforts on developing photorealistic 3D modelling using drones. Over time, we have assembled a team of experts who share the same passion, and, today, we work with several municipalities in French-speaking Switzerland as well as many private companies. Uzufly now has 7 members dedicated to the continuous evolution of our company and our 3D products.
Why the Boost my Start-up Challenge (BMSC) and what is your feedback on the event?
Participating in the Boost My Start-Up Challenge was a great opportunity for us to present our project to a knowledgeable audience and to refine our pitch in front of some renowned investors. It was also a unique opportunity to gain direct access to BG Consulting Engineers’ management team, who have valuable expertise to share.
What are your expectations from the collaboration with BG? Will you be able to take advantage of BG’s network for your future development?
We are convinced that our 3D technology has wide application in various sectors, including engineering. BG has extensive expertise in Switzerland and France that we hope to make use of to further develop our products and services. We have already benefited from BG‘s network, which has enabled us to work on a concrete project in Paris, and we are currently discussing new opportunities for collaboration.
What kind of projects do you work on with BG?
Our collaborations with BG are varied and cover a wide range of projects, from road and rail infrastructure to urban planning, energy simulation of buildings, total enterprise competitions and metaverse development. We can group these projects into three main categories: topographic surveys of existing areas, the integration of project variants on an interactive web platform, and the creation of high-definition visual content for communications around award-winning projects or for marketing purposes.
What is different about/specific to your collaboration, compared to a traditional one outside BMSC?
The BMSC collaboration offers a unique visibility within the company, thanks to the direct access we have to the management. The organisation of a “technical lunch” has also allowed us to be in direct contact with project managers and to understand their specific needs. This helps us to adapt our solutions to meet concrete demands and to create more effective synergies. This collaborative approach, focused on real projects, differs from traditional collaborations and allows us to be more responsive and to propose more innovative solutions.
Sabine Chamoun,
BG Ingénieurs Conseils SA, for the Boost My Startup Challenge
Cover Image: St-Prex: modelling of 50 hectares of the municipality to integrate 2 future housing projects
Romain Kirchhoff, CEO, Uzufly
Anières (before/after): overview of the future “Place du Haut” in Anières (video hyperlink: https://youtu.be/uciZQ-dc-3M)
Uzuverse: overview of the interactive web platform