Kickoff · Milestone 01 of 05

Shyam Sathish Kumar.

I take hardware and R&D projects from idea to the field.

Founder's Associate and technical project manager in Berlin, Germany. I manage hardware, R&D and digital projects end to end: planning, budgets, resources, suppliers, prototyping, small-batch manufacturing and client delivery.

  1. 01 Idea
  2. 02 Prototype
  3. 03 MVP
  4. 04 Field

Key results

  • 150docking stations delivered to a hospitality tech client for field testing in hotels
  • 21handwriting robots produced for a robotics client, still running
  • 3countries of teams, resources and budgets: Germany, India, Sri Lanka

Milestone 02 · Portfolio

Projects

  1. P-01In progress Underwater glider araCreate R&D MVP built. Field testing next.
  2. P-02In testing Tablet docking station Hospitality tech 150 units with the client for field testing.
  3. P-03Live Handwriting robots Robotics 21 robots still running in their robot farm.
  4. P-04Live Digital transformation Optics manufacturing Website and client dashboard delivered.
  5. P-05In progress Order alert system Pharmacy Being delivered end to end.

P-01In progress

Automated underwater glider

araCreate Group · Internal R&D for nature conservation

Problem
ArduPilot has no underwater gliding mode.
Action
I taught myself C++ and adapted the ArduSub firmware to the gliding principle. I led the project from idea to a first minimum viable product (MVP).
Result
First MVP built. Field testing is next.

P-02In testing

Tablet docking station

Hospitality tech · In-room hotel tablets

Problem
The client needed a new docking station design to incorporate a new feature.
Action
I took the design from concept to MVP and coordinated with our metal manufacturing partner for on-time delivery of the metal parts.
Result
The first 150 units were delivered to the client for field testing in hotels.

P-03Live

Handwriting robots

Robotics · Robot-handwritten letters

Action
I oversaw small-batch production of 21 robots and integrated ML-based error tracking. I sourced parts from suppliers across Asia, comparing multiple quotes, and worked overtime assembling devices to meet the client deadline.
Result
21 robots produced, still running in their robot farm.

P-04Live

Digital transformation

Optics manufacturing · Long-established manufacturer

Problem
An outdated website and digital infrastructure.
Action
As project manager, I worked closely with the client and our team. The build was done by our delivery team.
Result
New website and client dashboard delivered.

P-05In progress

Order alert system

Pharmacy · Order handling

Action
I'm delivering a Python-based system end to end that lights up and sounds an alarm for every new order.
Goal
Staff never miss an incoming order.

Milestone 03 · Person

About me

I'm a mechanical engineer who ended up running projects, and I still like to stay close to the hardware. My job is to take an idea, turn it into a plan, and see it through to a device that works in the field. Some weeks that means pricing a proposal, managing budgets and resources, or comparing supplier quotes. Other weeks it means reading firmware or assembling units on the bench.

Education

  • Master's in Engineering ManagementBerlin School of Business and Innovation (BSBI)
  • Bachelor's in Mechanical (Production) EngineeringSCT College of Engineering, Trivandrum

Languages

  • English · bilingual
  • Malayalam · native
  • German · A2
  • Hindi · limited
  • Spanish · limited

Experience

Founder's Associate | Project Manager, araCreate Group, Berlin January 2025 to present

Plan

  • Lead client projects from proposal and pricing to contract and delivery.
  • Draft EU public funding applications with specialist grant-writing firms.

Coordinate

  • Manage project planning, resources and budgets for teams across different countries.
  • Support the group's hiring process.

Deliver

  • Take hardware and R&D projects from concept to MVP, small-batch production and field testing.
  • Source materials, parts and assembly with manufacturing partners across Asia, comparing multiple quotes to get the best result.

Milestone 04 · Skills

Toolkit

Project & business

  • Technical project management
  • Resource management
  • Budget management
  • Cross-country team coordination
  • Client proposals & contracts
  • Supplier sourcing
  • EU funding applications

Engineering

  • Prototyping
  • Small-batch manufacturing
  • Electromechanical systems
  • Microcontrollers
  • ArduPilot / ArduSub firmware (C++)

Software & tools

  • C
  • C++
  • Python
  • Webflow
  • Figma

Milestone 05 · Contact

Next step: let's talk.

Based in Berlin, Germany.