Reinhard Voelkel
About Optica
Reinhard Voelkel
SalesPro4U, Switzerland
I work at the point where innovation meets manufacturing reality. In more than 30 years in photonics and semiconductor-related industries, from early optical backplanes to leading SUSS MicroOptics in Switzerland, I have seen a consistent pattern: many technically brilliant ideas fail not because the physics is wrong, but because the transition from lab to fab, from pilot line to volume production, is underestimated.
My focus is on closing that gap. I work with founders, CEOs, CTOs, corporate leaders and investors to understand where a technology truly stands on its path to industrial adoption. Technical proof-of-concept (PoC) is only one step. Long-term success depends just as much on manufacturing maturity, scalability, and economic viability.
To make this transition clearer, my current work on readiness levels expands the traditional Technology Readiness Level (TRL) concept. I advocate for a broader, practical framework that includes:
- MRL – Manufacturing Readiness: Can it be built repeatably at scale?
- SRL – Scalability Readiness: Can volumes grow without breaking the process or the supply chain?
- PRL – Profitability Readiness: Does the business model work once real production costs are included?
As Chair of the Optica Corporate Engagement Council (CEC) and Co-Chair of the Global Photonics Economic Forum (GPEF), I work to connect deep-tech innovators with the supply chains, partners, and capital required to reach industrial scale. The goal is simple: move our industry beyond niche successes and into high-volume global impact across datacom, automotive, consumer, semiconductor, and life-science markets.
Three principles guide my work:
- Manufacturing is the real test of innovation. If it cannot scale, it will not matter.
- Ecosystems outperform individual breakthroughs. Most deep-tech successes are supply-chain successes.
- Mentorship accelerates maturity. Young tech companies must think about products, yield, cost, customers, and markets from day one.
In 2026, this work continues through global initiatives such as the Global Photonics Economic Forum (GPEF) in Málaga, the PECC Summit in Sunnyvale, and the Global Advanced Manufacturing Alliance (GAMA) in Brussels. At heart, I remain a physicist and a photographer. Both disciplines reward the same thing: a clear understanding of how light behaves in the real world.
If you are building, scaling, or investing in deep-tech hardware, I’m always open to practical conversations.
