# Research & Ventures: Researcher, Project Lead, Investment Analyst

> Where it started: AI, robotics and building the investment case for a start-up.

- **Period:** 2004 to 2009
- **Company:** University of Tokyo · Hungarian Academy of Sciences · ValDeal Innovations (Robotics, AI research and venture building)
- **Location:** Tokyo, Japan · Budapest, Hungary · Canberra, Australia
- **Scope:** Led a 15-person team across three multi-country research projects; led a research team at the University of Tokyo; screened 600+ research ideas for commercial potential.
- **Themes:** AI & robotics research, Grant leadership, Venture building, Tech scouting

## Outcomes

- $5M+: EU and national research grants won
- $1M: Toshiba grant for the iSpace project
- $550k: seed round built and pitched

A PhD at the University of Tokyo, research leadership at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and venture work that seeded Gravity R&D.

## The research years

- **University of Tokyo, Institute of Industrial Science.** Won a $1M Toshiba grant for iSpace, a 3D virtual space and early IoT project, and led a team of three MSc researchers.
- **Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA SZTAKI).** Won $5M+ in EU and national grants and coordinated three multi-country projects, including Europe’s most advanced industrial 3D CAVE tele-robot system.
- **Australian National University.** Research scholarship on automatic text summarization, later piloted by the Australian Federal Police.

## The venture years

- **ValDeal Innovations.** Built the investment case, roadmap and go-to-market for Gravity R&D and pitched its $550k seed round. Led M&A and tech-scouting work, including the product roadmap for Omixon, which later raised $2M in venture funding.

## What I took from it

A PhD in AI teaches you what a model can and cannot do. Venture work teaches you that this is rarely the question that decides the outcome.

Source: https://zoltan.peaktopeak.hu/work/foundations