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Bruce Thompson
Founder ⫿ Int'l Bus Dev ⫿ B2B ⫿ Marketing ⫿ Sales ⫿ Research ⫿ Strategy ⫿ Collaboration ⫿ ☞ Let's Connect!
Bruce Thompson is an entrepreneur and innovator in the automotive and technology sectors. He is currently the Founder and involved in various roles including Research, Product Development, Strategy, Collaboration, and Business Development at Toka Technologies, a company focused on continuously variable transmission (CVT) technology.34
Background and Experience
Bruce Thompson has a strong entrepreneurial spirit and describes himself as a curious person.2 He is based in New Zealand, specifically in Auckland and Whangarei.14 Thompson is known for being highly organized, self-motivated, and adaptable, excelling both as an individual contributor and as a collaborative team member.1
Automotive Industry Expertise
While not the same person as the American automotive entrepreneur Bruce Thompson, this Bruce Thompson also has significant experience in the automotive sector:
- He is involved in developing CVT technology at Toka Technologies.3
- Thompson has participated in automotive-related events, such as speaking to the SAE IIT Kanpur Motorsports team about his vision for the future of the industry.5
Current Role and Company
At Toka Technologies, Bruce Thompson wears multiple hats:
- Founder of the company
- Involved in research and product development
- Responsible for strategy and business development
- Focuses on collaboration within the organization
- Works specifically on CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) technology34
Thompson's work with Toka Technologies demonstrates his continued interest in automotive innovation, particularly in drivetrain technology that can improve vehicle efficiency and performance.
Highlights
Breaking the VC "Black Hole" Effect: Advocating for Improved Communication with Start-ups
The current "black hole" effect created by a lack of adequate VC communication, often leaves start-ups unable to plan effectively, creating inefficiencies in the ecosystem. Here's why VCs need to improve their communication practices:
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Mutual Benefit: clearer communication would reduce the need for start-ups to employ a "shotgun approach" when applying to VCs. This would decrease the overall volume of applications VCs receive, allowing them to focus on higher-quality, more relevant opportunities. Simultaneously, start-ups could target their efforts more effectively.
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Resource Optimization: start-ups operate with limited resources. Clear communication allows for better allocation of time, money, and personnel.
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Strategic Planning: timely responses enable start-ups to make informed decisions about hiring, financial projections, and overall strategy.
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Reducing Uncertainty: clear communication significantly reduces uncertainty for start-ups. This reduction in stress and anxiety can lead to better performance, more rational decision-making, improved overall mental health and morale of founders.
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Ecosystem Health: improved communication fosters a more positive environment, encouraging innovation and potentially increasing the quality of start-ups in the ecosystem.
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Reputation Building: VCs that communicate clearly and respectfully are likely to build better reputations, leading to improved deal flow, stronger relationships with founders, and attracting top start-ups.
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Feedback Loop: even brief feedback can help start-ups improve their pitches or business models, ultimately creating stronger investment opportunities.
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Ethical Considerations: given the power imbalance, there's a strong ethical argument for treating founders with respect through clear communication.
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Long-term Vision: maintaining good relationships through clear communication keeps doors open for future opportunities.
Practical steps VCs can take:
- Implement clear communication policies with expected response times
- Use automated systems for basic updates
- Offer brief, standardised feedback for rejected proposals
- Host office hours or Q&A sessions for general guidance
Improving communication doesn't mean saying "yes" more often. It's about providing clarity and courtesy to enable better planning and resource allocation for start-ups. This approach could lead to a more efficient, productive, and mutually beneficial start-up ecosystem.
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Toka is collaborating with PhD candidate RITAM SARMA and A/Prof. Sajan Kapil from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IITG). IITG will make two components for Toka's next CVT prototype using the 'Wire Arc' Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) process. As you will see in the drawing below, conventional 'subtractive' CNC manufacturing methods would require starting out with a 14 kg block of aluminium for one of the components... this would result in a huge amount of waste, as the process subtracts from the block to form the shape. Whereas, the WAAM process literally builds up the shape from nothing (as you can see in the second photo) and will result in a near-net shape, 100% dense product with only about 1 kg of waste.
WAAM has some fantastic advantages over more conventional AM technologies... it's based on Wire Arc welding, which has been around for a long time, hence, the capital cost of the equipment is relatively low. WAAM also has a very fast deposition rate (as high as 10 kg/hr, depending on materials) and uses conventional Wire Arc welding wire, which is much cheaper and offers a broader range of alloy materials, than AM powders. Furthermore, WAAM is very flexible, for instance, the WAAM welding torch can be easily connected to a multi-axis robotic arm (six-axis in the case of this project), affording great design flexibility and a large build envelope.
IITG has been researching tool build path planning and process optimisation. WAAM utilizes a process called Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) which minimises distortion and melting of previous layers, allowing for precise control and good quality weld. The CMT process is very low energy compared to other fusion based additive processes. IITG is also working on Hybrid Wire Arc AM (HWAAM), i.e. the use of WAAM in parallel with a CNC machine. Multi-materials is another very interesting focus area of IITG's research. We're aiming to trial WAAM's multi-material capability to case harden Toka's steel drive disk (requiring surface hardness of 60 HRC).
WAAM is an exciting technology that will enable Toka to efficiently develop bespoke prototypes for customer proof of concept trials.
https://lnkd.in/gZ87_pTn << click for WAAM video
#Toka #additivemanufacturing #IITGuwahati #RitamSarma #SajanKapil #innovation #efficiency #sustainability #WAAM #Collaboration #AMLab #FabricationLab #HWAAM #metal3d #AM #AcademiaIndustrycollaboration #wirearc #tokatechnologies #TokaTracCVT #RoboticWAAM #Robotics #MultiMaterials #metalAM #wirearcadditivemanufacturing #3dprinting #metal3dprinting #metaladditivemanufacturing #3d #3dprint #additivemanufacturing #manufacturing #3dprintedmetal #metal3d #technology #metal #ColdMetalTransfer
