WA Business News 40under40 Award winner Martin Cebis has taken up a role as a chief executive officer that, for the time being, will pay him nothing.
His job as CEO at Embedded Technologies Corporation is one that marries his hobby for automating technology (his home sprinkler system is connected to the Internet and to turn it on he simply logs on) and his proven business track record in commercialising technologies.
Mr Cebis said the start-up company would focus on making business software applications and processes easier to implement and use.
“We are working in what will be a big area. The world is getting more networked and people need to connect all the devices together,” he said.
“What we are looking at is making it easy for people in niche applications, such as aquaculture and mining, to get better information back so they can manage their business better.
“We are developing software to do that. Right now, if you can get hardware that measures the temperature of an aquaculture tank or the Ph level, then you can buy software that allows you to monitor that.
“But doing it is not easy, you need an engineering degree to do it. What we are doing is the hard work to make it easy to configure and manage the aquaculture business better.”
The company has a staff roster of six, all who have opted for an equity stake and are happy to work for nothing while developing the company’s products.
Mr Cebis said a major part of his role as CEO, which he started this week, will involve researching key markets and developing strategies to penetrate them.
“They need some business advice; just which business markets are there and how to tackle them,” he said. “In about three to four weeks I’ll have a better handle on that.”
