25 years where software meets physical systems.
Operating experience with IoT across industry, smart home, automotive, energy and healthcare, and with edge AI — including the architectures, standards and market dynamics that shape those sectors. Independent since June 2026, with three focus areas: agentic AI, IoT and go-to-market.
IoT platforms, from the household to the factory floor.
Profile (PDF)
An international career from running my own digital agency, through 15 years at the IoT middleware pioneer ProSyst, to commercial responsibility within Bosch — with a verifiable track record in P&L ownership, product commercialisation, international market expansion, and leading complex change programmes.
Commercial leadership for the European business of Bosch’s Connected Product and IoT (CPIoT) solutions. Global brand ambassador, Sales Support team lead, builder of technical-champion relationships with CTOs and VPs of engineering across the upper industrial mid-market and at large industrial enterprises. Co-founder and host of the international event series Bosch Bytes (Athens 2024 & 2025, Copenhagen 2025). Drove the Agentic AI and Physical AI agenda: co-organiser of the HACK4INDUSTRY AI-agent hackathon (Hannover Messe 2025) and responsible for the Hybrid-AI showcase.
Business Owner for the external commercialisation of the Bosch IoT Suite — commercial accountability including delivery, not platform engineering. Full P&L responsibility for the third-party business, with revenue in the low double-digit millions of euros following the Bosch acquisition of ProSyst (2015). Scaled the platform from a Bosch-internal asset into a commercial enterprise offering; ~40 FTE across GTM, solutions architecture, pre-sales, and partner management. Business Owner responsible for the customer on OEM-scale mandates, FOTA programmes in automotive among them.
Senior Product Manager and Evangelist at the European IoT middleware pioneer (acquired by Bosch in 2015). Closely involved in sales throughout, from pre-sales to close, with manufacturers in industries such as automotive, manufacturing, energy and smart home. Coordinated all standardisation activities: active in the OSGi Alliance (since 2001), the Home Gateway Initiative (HGI), the UPnP Device Management Working Group, and the Broadband Forum (TR-069, TR-157). Led every EU and internationally funded research project across automotive, IoT and ambient assisted living, including the US Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) programme that shaped V2X standardisation. International speaker at IEEE conferences, EclipseCon, OSGi Community Events, IFA, CeBIT, and Telematics Detroit.
What I stand for, and how I work.
Vendor-neutral decisions
On agentic AI and when selecting an IoT platform I act as the client-side representative: whether the move is worth it, build or buy, which partner, with the AI Act, the CRA and NIS2 as inputs to architecture and processes from day one. I write the spec, select the partner and sign off their work. I never bid on the build.
Open standards first
Open standards and open source before in-house builds — a stance I have held since 2001. Four years on the OSGi Alliance board (2016–2020), four years on the Steering Committee of the OSGi Working Group at the Eclipse Foundation (2020–2024), co-chair of the OTA SIG at the Industrial Internet Consortium (2018–2020). Open interfaces are how a business keeps control of its own business model.
Ecosystems, not single products
Industrial platforms live or die by partners, standards, and communities. Bosch Connected Experience (Master of Ceremonies 2016, 2017, 2020), Bosch Bytes Athens and Copenhagen, HACK4INDUSTRY at Hannover Messe: formats that put OEMs, startups, and standards bodies in the same room.
Built it myself, not only recommended
Anyone signing off on AI roadmaps should have worked with the models themselves. SchulHeld (React/Firebase/Vercel) built end-to-end with Claude Code in roughly 150 hours, agentic architectures and prompt engineering done myself. Anything I put in front of a CTO, I have run on my own keyboard first.
From pilot into the P&L
Models and showcases work — a business only starts once a pilot lands in revenue, cost centres, and operations. Bosch IoT Suite from internal tooling to third-party revenue in the low double-digit millions of euros, FOTA programmes for over 4 million vehicles of a global automotive manufacturer, and, in a Hannover Messe 2025 showcase scenario, first-pass yield raised from 75% to 89%.
Direct & handover-ready
A grounded read, a clear position — even when it is uncomfortable. A mandate ends, the team stays: deliberate delegation, individual development, handover to accountable people with clear ownership.
25 years on the same boundary
The interface where software meets physical systems has been my desk since 2001 — from OSGi gateways in over a million households and a million connected industrial engines, through FOTA at OEM scale, to agentic AI architectures for off-highway vehicles. What is now called Physical AI is home ground for me.
Understand
Architecture, GTM, and stakeholder reviews with engineering and sales leadership. A first considered assessment — in writing. Listening precedes opinion.
Plan
From assessment to a plan that holds: owners, milestones, KPIs, cost envelope. Aligned with the board and engineering before execution starts — no roadmap that only I know.
Deliver
Weekly status meeting, monthly note to the board or supervisory board, clear ownership map across the team.
Hand over
Selection or internal development of a successor with a documented handover plan. At the end of the mandate the team operates without external support — and can demonstrate it.
Frontier AI in my own work.
I use it in production: as a tool for my own projects, as a sales lever and as an architectural principle in client work.
Hybrid AI for manufacturing quality.
IoT Remote Manager with Hybrid AI (GenAI + IoT) — real-time quality analytics for industrial manufacturing. Showcased at Hannover Messe 2025, delivered with the Bosch team.
SchulHeld
schulheld.app ↗A personal test project to validate agentic AI workflows: a full-stack app (React, Firebase, Vercel) built end-to-end with Claude Code in roughly 150 hours. Direct experience transfer into enterprise roadmaps: where frontier AI genuinely accelerates today — and where the real bottlenecks remain.
AI certifications 2025–2026.
Third-party recognition.
What collaborators say.
“I had the distinct pleasure of collaborating with Kai on a global open-source IoT project. He brings the kind of leadership and deep technical expertise that can only be forged through years of building large-scale IoT solutions. He was truly the face of Bosch’s IoT initiatives. To this day, Kai remains my absolute go-to advisor for understanding how IoT works at scale. A true visionary in the space — I cannot recommend him highly enough.”
“Kai is in the top five of ecosystem builders globally. He connects people, products, ideas and technical architectures. He creates flow in meetings and events — a talent that becomes more and more important in the age of AI, in which the latter can take over some skills but never personality.”
“I’ve worked with Kai for around 15 years now. His passion for all things IoT, AI and Edge is genuinely infectious, and his insights into what really matters in technical systems — and why — are at the forefront of the industry. Kai is a dedicated professional, a pleasure to spend time with, and I look forward to many more years of collaboration.”
“Kai has the rare ability to maintain a big-picture perspective while mastering technical details, making discussions both strategic and highly practical. He doesn’t just follow trends — he actively contributes to them, bridging the gap between industry players, technical experts, and business needs. I wholeheartedly recommend him for any project involving IoT solutions, Edge computing, or environments that require both technical insights and strategic vision.”
“I have worked with Kai for many years, even before he became my customer (and partner). Kai has the unique talent of knowing technology in depth, while understanding business priorities, building communities and being a human that everyone wants to work with. This is a unique and rare combination in the tech world. Kai is a great leader to work with for IoT, AI and across verticals. He is curious and learning fast by being hands on. Hope to continue working with him for more years.”
“He masterfully bridges the gap between deep commercial know-how and extensive technological expertise with profound knowledge in the IoT & Industry domain. This combination allows him to not only understand complex technological landscapes but also to translate them into tangible business value for our customers. What truly sets Kai apart is his exceptional ability to connect people, foster valuable relationships, and act as a powerful networker. Furthermore, he’s incredibly valuable to his colleagues, as he is always eager to share his knowledge and serve as a sparring partner to elevate those around him.”
Bosch
Eleven years inside the Bosch group — from Business Owner of the IoT Suite platform to commercial responsibility for Products & Solutions Europe. References from former managers and board peers on request.
OSGi Alliance
Over two decades involved with the consortium behind the OSGi standard, four of them on the board. References from peer board members on request.
Eclipse Foundation
Four years on the Steering Committee of the OSGi Working Group at the Eclipse Foundation — guiding the evolution of the standard after the OSGi-to-Eclipse transition. References from the committee on request.
Let’s have a conversation.
The introductory call is confidential, with no obligation.