The Entrepreneur Who Made 'Avengers,' 'Game of Thrones' and 'Stranger Things' Sound as Awesome as They Look Orfeas Boteas, the founder and CEO of Krotos, discusses his game-changing AI-powered sound design platform.
By Dan Bova
In this ongoing series, we are sharing advice, tips and insights from real entrepreneurs who are out there doing business battle on a daily basis. (Answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.)
Please give us the elevator pitch of your business.
I'm Orfeas Boteas, the founder and CEO of Krotos. Our software empowers content creators to turn the slow process of designing sound into a real-time performance. Our audio software has been used in movies films, series and video games like Avengers, Game of Thrones, Stranger Things and Cyberpunk 2077. Our new platform, Krotos Studio, uses AI to allow creators of all skill levels to design Hollywood-quality sound and make their content stand out.
Credit: Krotos Studio
What inspired you to create this business?
My inspiration started when I did a Master of Sciences in sound design. I had to create monster sounds for a game. While I liked the process, I found it time-consuming to find animal sounds and record my voice, then layer and process them using various software. It took hours. My frustration led me to develop a solution that changes your voice into monster sounds in real-time. This is how the idea for our first product Dehumaniser, and eventually Krotos, came about. It saves both time and money while making the process more fun.
What was your "aha moment"?
When I saw people's faces light up while hearing their voices changing into a Hollywood-quality monster as they spoke!
What advice would you give entrepreneurs looking for funding?
Make sure that you actually need funding — having investors is not for every business. If you do, have a prototype with traction or a stellar management team that has exited businesses before, or both. And be patient, don't give up until you pitch to more than 150 investors. Persistence is key. Conversion rates from pitch to term sheet vary between 0.3% and 1%.
What does the word "entrepreneur" mean to you?
Innovator, disruptor, someone who can figure things out. Someone who can think of a better way of doing things. Someone who is unemployable.
What is something many aspiring business owners think they need that they really don't?
Experience and money.
Is there a particular quote or saying that you use as personal motivation?
"When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too". — Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Entrepreneurship is a journey with a lot of ups and downs, encompassing many challenges that can push you to the limit. If you embrace it and want to grow, you have to improve, learn on a daily basis and become better in everything you do. When that happens, people around you become better as well because you make better choices.
