Today we’d like to introduce you to Konstantin Dolgan.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Since my childhood, I was interested in technology and entrepreneurship. However, I only realized how to combine them during graduate school.
While getting a Ph.D. in materials and infrastructure systems engineering, I got bored with research, lab work, and writing my dissertation. I started to participate in different entrepreneurial events on campus. One of them was a program where you need to design a business model for your idea and then pitch it to potential investors. In three months, we had to understand who our customers were, what their needs were, and how to design a product that would suit their demands. That’s when I realized that it’s an opposite approach to product/technology development compared to what’s used in the academic environment. I placed second in the competition. Although I was a little disappointed about not getting the first place, I enjoyed the process a lot.
In the next semester, I took a class in Entrepreneurship called Innovation Venture Research. In that class, we had to figure out how to commercialize a technology developed at our university. Boom! That’s where technology and entrepreneurship collided for me. I could now combine my extensive technical expertise and entrepreneurial spirit (absorbed from and developed by my parents). I was “set free,” and from that moment, I knew exactly what I wanted to do in life. I wanted to develop new products and technologies that would fit people’s needs and wants and would be something businesses could benefit from.
While still working on my dissertation, I started to help professors to commercialize their inventions and served on the intellectual property committee at my university. Later my wife and I formed a student organization called LA New Product Development Team (LA NPDT). A year later, I graduated and needed a job to build my capital. I worked as a product development engineer at a pump manufacturing company. I learned a lot at that job but wasn’t happy because my dream was to build my own companies. As soon as I saved enough money and established a steady flow of product development projects, I quit my job and went all-in into building LA NPDT.
Three years later, I still love being an entrepreneur and running a company. Every day I’m happy to go to the office. There are not enough hours that I can put into my business. I love what we do. A new day brings a new story, a new challenge, and a unique experience. We develop products ranging from toys to commercial equipment, complex electronics, and wearable devices. In addition to working with a lot of creative people (our customers, partners, and team members) I have fun developing things that nobody even knows about yet. What could be cooler than working with the latest technology and the smartest people? There are so many opportunities in every project, and every step we take. I don’t know where I will end up, but I definitely want to enjoy each second of the process.
Has it been a smooth road?
It was a rather smooth road. I didn’t have any significant challenges. There were small problems along the way that my wife and I solved together. When you know what you love doing, and as soon as you stop switching between different career paths or life goals, it all becomes simple and boils down to “Just do it.” It’s essential to have a life partner, though. I mean someone who would understand your passion and would be willing to sacrifice your time together or his/her interests for the happiness of the partner. I’m thankful to my wife for going through this journey with me.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the LA New Product Development Team story. Tell us more about the business.
Our company, LA New Product Development Team, turns product ideas into reality. We work with inventors, startups, and established companies that want to create new products or technologies and bring them to the market.
We believe in enabling and growing businesses through product innovation. Our team “infuses” companies with creative solutions and technical expertise.
We offer a “one-stop-shop” experience delivering turn-key solutions from idea all the way to manufacturing and marketing. Over the course of three years of our existence, we worked on a large variety of products, including household tools and utensils, equipment for oil and gas and construction industries, medical devices, IoT hardware, consumer electronics, and even sex toys. Our process works for all type of products. We are best known for delivering technical solutions that are user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. Our customers also enjoy working with us because we not only create designs and build prototypes but also provide manufacturing and marketing. Our mission is to realize our customers’ vision.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Consumers always want newer and better products. At the same time, the life cycle of products shortens. So, our industry will continue to grow. It’s interesting to note that it not only grows but it changes in form. Several disciplines and industries collide in product development, design, engineering, marketing, manufacturing, and others. Software and hardware worlds interweave at the speed of light and combined with creative content, deliver an immersive experience to consumers. It’s exciting how technology changes our lives and what is coming in the future. Fasten your seat belts and don’t blink!
Contact Info:
- Address: 2031 Kings Hwy
- Phone: 3182435789
- Email: kd@lanpdt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/product.design.la/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lanpdt
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LANPDT
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-new-product-development-team-shreveport
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