factorymaker’s co-founder and CEO Maria Zahlbruckner joined the Wiener Wissen podcast for a conversation with host Elisabeth Oberzaucher about building a deep-tech startup and bringing AI into the early planning of industrial buildings.
A civil engineer by training, Maria walks through how factorymaker works upstream in the planning process, where the big decisions are still open. The platform generates and compares a wide range of layout, building and site options, so teams can weigh the trade-offs in cost, space efficiency, sustainability and flexibility before they commit. The aim is to make the early decision space visible, connected and comparable, rather than narrowing to one or two drawings too soon.
Maria also speaks about her own path from university research to founding a company, and why she finds startup life more rewarding than a conventional corporate role:
“When we sit down as a team and make a decision, it gets implemented the next day. Where else do you find that speed, that drive, that passion?”
Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.