To repeat and manage the already proven isn’t his thing. Instead, he is occupied with revolutionising the world of transport. Joakim Kronqvist, Senior Mobile Developer at Starship, wants to create a better and more automated world. With the help of robotics and smart technological platforms, he thrives when the future is in his hands.
Joakim has a broad role where developing, planning, and discussing mobile solutions with various stakeholders is part of everyday life. His work focuses on the app that Starship’s customers download and use to order their food and drinks. He describes it as similar to other e-commerce platforms but with one significant difference — robots do the deliveries instead of humans.
In his spare time he leads an active life and likes to have a lot of things going on. For example, he is training for a marathon and puts time and effort into that. Photography is another passion. Joakim loves to spend his days in the woods portraying birds. Preferably at odd angles.
What motivates and inspires you at Starship?
“The fact that we want to revolutionise the whole world — not just a local market — is inspiring. For example, we are well established in markets such as the UK and the US. Because many people live there, we can make a big difference with our services.
But I’m also motivated by doing what no one has done before. We’re the first and largest company to automate home deliveries. It means we face challenges no one has ever seen before. It is a whole different ball game than copying other people’s proven solutions.”
What is the most unexpected thing about your job?
“Even though Starship is a fairly large company, many teams are small with a broad responsibility and a lot of self-leadership. It means it’s advantageous if you’re a bit of an entrepreneur. It’s probably a key to fit in.”
How is the culture at Starship unique?
“While other companies call themselves international, we are for real. There are no geographical limitations at all. We hire the smartest and most passionate people we can find, regardless of nationality. My team, for example, includes employees from Columbia, Iran, India, Australia, and Denmark. What we have in common is not heritage or background, but our drive to revolutionise the world.”
What do you believe is the secret to a successful career?
“Personally, I think you need clear goals in life and maybe high ambitions. It is often said that if you are ever the smartest person in the room, you should probably change rooms quite quickly. I think so, anyway; I want to hang out with people who are smarter than me.”
What do you think will be the future of robot development, transport solutions, and AI?
“If you look back at industrialisation at the end of the 19th century, I think we are seeing a similar shift now — towards an automated society. Some jobs will disappear, and new ones will be created. That especially applies to transport solutions, and it is easy to see the benefits, both environmentally and developmentally. I am driven to lead society in the right direction.”
Describe your job as if I were from another planet.
“I will assume you are an individual in the same way humans are. Well, most likely, you also need certain objects. And most likely, geographical conditions can be found on your planet as well. Then it may be that these objects you need are found at different physical places than where you are. I would say I make a system that shows where the objects are and then brings them to you.”
Will Starship make deliveries in the Metaverse?
“We are so close to the physical dimension at Starship that it’s hard to imagine, but perhaps if you look at it from a different perspective. There are probably things people want in the virtual world that need to be delivered and paid for with virtual currency. We may have a future there as well. Who knows?”
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