Researcher to entrepreneur: from love for tiny things to building a startup

Researchers' journeys begin with an idea, fueled by the motivation that drives them forward. But achieving a successful career requires more than that – resources, time, and skills. 

As a child, Prof. Dr. Sonia María García Blanco was always intrigued about making things small and how computers work. This sparked her scientific instinct to learn more about chips that use light.

After an enriching journey in academia, including a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship, Sonia is now a consolidated academic in the field of photonics. 

But that's not all: she is also a successful entrepreneur. With the support of the European Innovation Council (EIC), she was able to bring her research to the market and found her startup, Aluvia Photonics. 
 
In this interview, we talked with Sonia about her research journey to date.

“I have always been intrigued about how chips work.” 

Let's start from the beginning. What motivated you to start a career in research? 

Since I was little, I have always been intrigued by making things smaller and how tiny chips work. I knew about the chips' inside, microelectronics, and I liked that a lot. I found out I should do electrical engineering if I wanted to work on that.

Sonia: After a postdoc in Toronto, I moved to the industry in Quebec, working on photonics and contributing to technologies for space application. Some of the devices that we developed ended up in space! 

How did MSCA and other EU funding support you in your development as a researcher? 

Sonia: I was very lucky to receive a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship early on. Though it was a small grant, it had a prestigious name and was individual, which boosts credibility when applying for other grants. I was also fortunate to receive the European Research Council Consolidator Grant, which helped further my career. These grants and EU projects have greatly aided my technological development. 

“Why am I doing this?” 

In 2022, you transitioned from an academic to an entrepreneur when you decided to set up your own company. What competences did you find most important during this period? 

Sonia: Being a very small company with just two of us, I needed to be able to do a lot of different tasks, so multitasking was important.

Resilience was also critical because we had a vision of what we wanted to achieve. But then we didn't realise how many technological and financial obstacles there are on the way as well as selling the idea to investors.

At some point, I asked myself: “Why am I doing this?” But then you need to use your resilience to say: “I have this vision. This is what I want to do. No one's going to take this vision away from me.” 

Which was the most pressing challenge when you were building the startup? 

Sonia: I struggled the most with securing investments. Both my cofounder and I were highly skilled on the technical side but had little exposure to the mindset of financial stakeholders. We said to ourselves: “This is a great idea. We have this amazing vision. How can these people don't get it?” 

It was very important at the beginning that we got the EIC Transition grant because that helped us survive and mature the technology, study the market and start growing our network. 

“I advise researchers to invest in soft skills such as storytelling” 

Nearly four in five companies report difficulties finding workers with the necessary skills. This also applies in research and innovation, including your field. As a startup founder, what kind of skills does your company look for in staff? 

Sonia: Firstly, technical competencies, which I assume everyone has by holding a degree or PhD. Secondly, stamina, because you need to keep going without getting discouraged when things do not happen as expected. 

When you submit a proposal for a subsidy or a business plan to raise funds, it is scrutinised. Therefore, you need to be resilient, have stamina, and believe in yourself. 

Finally, ownership of projects or tasks is important. Employees should take initiative, understand their role, and proactively address challenges.

Which skills or competencies would you recommend young researchers invest in? 

Sonia: Besides the expected technical skills, I would advise also investing in soft skills such as storytelling, technical writing, presentation skills, and time management. Universities or large companies often offer courses on these topics.

“You just need to try”

You are now a consolidated scholar after many years of career. But what were your expectations when you started? Were they met? 

Sonia: I've been very lucky in my career, with quite a lot of funding proposals being granted. However, I see other colleagues who aren't so lucky, and for them, it's a struggle. 

You don't decide to follow an academic career to end up just writing proposals. The idea is to engage in meaningful research, push your field forward, and direct the research in important ways. 

It would be beneficial to have permanent research positions independent of professorship tracks, allowing researchers to build long-term knowledge and contribute significantly within research groups. 

What advice would you give young researchers who are now starting to pursue a career in research? 

Sonia: One thing I learned is that you just need to try. You are never fully ready to write applications, and there's always a feeling of not being good enough. I was hesitant to tell my colleagues that I was applying for an ERC grant because I received comments like: "Your CV isn't good enough. Don't even try." 

In the end, it turned out I was good enough to get it. If I had listened to others, I wouldn't have even applied. In the end, it's important to follow your instinct and go for it. 

Discover more 

Sonia’s enterprise is the result of a brilliant idea which had the potential to be successful in the market. Take a look at how the European Commission’s Startup and Scaleup Strategy is supporting entrepreneurs to make Europe the world’s top destination for growing technology-driven companies. 

Find out more about Sonia’s ERC Consolidator Grant project and Proof of Concept Grant project.

For more MSCA news and funding opportunities, visit out dedicated page. 

Sonia María García Blanco: LinkedIn, University website. 

Research Careers in the EU