Maks Kozarzewski

Degree: 2022 MEng Mechanical Engineering, the University of Edinburgh

Current role: Co-Founder & COO, VitVio

How did you get where you are?

During my time at Edinburgh, I led HYPED, the University’s Hyperloop team. This gave me a glimpse of what it’s like to run an organisation and to work on innovative technology.

It would have been easy to get stuck in the world of Hyperloop but, to make things interesting, I decided that my twenties were for trying things out. I spent a few years designing medical devices, trying to decarbonise cement manufacturing, and creating climate policy with the European Commission. I’ve gained many transferrable skills in these roles and met some amazing people, many of whom are experts in their fields. I’ve also learnt what I enjoy doing and, maybe even more importantly, what things don’t excite me as much. 

Ultimately, given all these experiences, I’ve decided that creating something from scratch is what I would be most excited about — that’s when I got together with three of my friends and our company, VitVio, was born.

We’re building an AI-driven computer vision platform that improves efficiency and quality of care in operating rooms by tracking surgery progress, tool usage and providing training for staff. No two days are the same in my current role as a Chief Operating Officer, and that’s also one of the reasons why I enjoy it so much.

Can you tell us of any personal or professional achievements in your career so far?

During my time at HYPED, I was named Forbes 25 under 25 in Poland and an Engineering Leaders Scholar.

For the work at VitVio, together with my team, we were named Forbes 30 under 30, as well as one of ‘top 12 hospital tech startups to watch’ by leading venture capital (VC) firms. We’ve raised $2M in VC funding to date from some of the US and Europe’s leading funds (including the best performing VC fund globally). We’ve also recently announced a partnership with a leading NHS hospital.

The most exciting things are still ahead of us though, with some big announcements coming later in 2025.

What did you gain from your time at the University and were there any experiences during your time at university which particularly helped prepare you for life after graduation?

Hands-down the single biggest differentiator in my case was getting involved in student projects. It taught me how to apply things I was taught in the university classroom into practice, but also how to run a team, pitch in front of a larger audience, and understand business finances, all of which I find useful today.

There were many other, more indirect learnings Edinburgh empowered me with. To give one example, its international community, where you’re meeting people from different cultures at every step. This was very enriching to me as a person and it definitely helped me to navigate the global world of business.

Do you have any highlights or a favourite memory of your time at the university?

I have so many! I made some incredible friends at Edinburgh.

One of my favourite memories is my first-time playing golf on Bruntsfield Links with my best friend (who I met on my course). It was our last year of university and one of those beautiful, long May Edinburgh evenings, with our final exams out of the way.

I remember we sat down after playing and started wondering why it took us five years to play golf, completely for free, in a nearby park. We quickly agreed it was because how busy our lives had been in Edinburgh. It just goes to show how much Edinburgh has to offer to its students. It definitely was a good kind of busy!

What advice would you give future students who are considering studying Engineering at Edinburgh?

As you might have realised by now, I’m a big advocate of working on student projects like Formula Student, Endeavour (our rocketry society) or HYPED (Hyperloop). It definitely is a case of ‘you’ll take away from it as much as you put into it’. If you invest a lot of your time and effort into it, it will likely be the most difficult thing you’ll do at university, but also the most rewarding, and one which you’ll have incredible memories from. After all, there is nothing more bonding than soldering with your teammates at 2am!