# Petr Stepanek

> Agentic AI Developer & Hardware Product Designer. Czech entrepreneur at the intersection of artificial intelligence, health technology, and hardware product design. Co-Founder of Macromo (AI agents for longevity) and Founder of Next Zone (Prague's first hardware startup incubator). Sigma Squared Fellow and Josef Hlavka Research Award recipient.

Petr Stepanek is a Czech entrepreneur and technologist based in Prague. He co-founded Macromo, a health-tech startup building AI agents for longevity and personalized health monitoring, which has been featured in Forbes, CzechCrunch, and Forbes.cz. He also founded Next Zone, the first hardware startup incubator and event space in Prague. His work spans AI agents, wearable health technology, hardware design, and biomarker tracking.

Contact: me@petrstepanek.com

## Background

- Sigma Squared Fellow (global network of under-26 founders)
- On Deck Founders 2023
- Josef Hlavka Research Award 2022 (Czech Technical University / CVUT)
- Origin: Czech Republic

## Experience

- CTO & Co-Founder, Macromo — 2021 to Present, Prague
- Founder, Next Zone — 2020 to Present, Prague
- CTO & Co-Founder, Undout — 2019 to 2021, Prague
- Electrical Engineering Teacher, Smichov Technical School — 2019 to 2020, Prague
- CTO & Co-Founder, Flash Mobility (formerly Boardmobile) — 2018 to 2019, Prague and Shenzhen
- Hardware Team Lead, Boardmobile — 2017 to 2018, Prague
- Hardware Design Intern, Spaceti — 2017, Prague

## Projects

### Macromo

Macromo is a health blueprint designed to add 10 more active years to life by combining genetic, blood, and lifestyle data into holistic AI-driven health recommendations. As Co-founder and CTO, Petr assembled a team of bioinformaticians and developers to transform academic bioinformatics research into groundbreaking AI. Macromo was the first company in Central Europe to bring blood testing into the home, requiring only 500 microliters of blood from a finger prick. The platform combines DNA results, blood test data, family medical history, and lifestyle information through a mobile app that delivers personalized health recommendations. Macromo's Macromo Engine (ML and AI models) offers a comprehensive view of users' health risks and positions itself as a "pre-doctor" — providing preventive insights before professional medical intervention becomes necessary. The company has expanded into gut microbiome testing for both adults and children. Backed by investors including Tomas Cupr (Rohlik Group / TCF Capital), and a prior CZK 20 million pre-seed round from Lumus, Martin Radina (Spadia Labs), Jan Siroky (ex-Mews CTO), and the Franc family (IQ Structures). Featured on Nasdaq.

### Next Zone

Next Zone is Prague's first hardware startup incubator and event space, founded in 2019 in the unused workshop areas of Smichov Technical School (SSPS) by Petr Stepanek with support from school director Radko Sablik and Prague city councillor Vit Simral. The facility has two parts: a Maker Space equipped with CNC machines, laser cutters, and 3D printers functioning as a hardware incubator with selective admission, and an Event Space designed for hybrid events with 26 camera connection points and five simultaneous streaming capabilities. Next Zone supports hardware entrepreneurs from drawing through construction to finished product, and has grown into a hub where thousands regularly gather to collaborate, network, attend events, and share knowledge.

### Flash Mobility (Flashboard)

Flash Mobility (formerly Boardmobile) was an electric longboard startup co-founded by Petr Stepanek at age 16, starting in a garage and scaling to deliveries across Europe. Petr led hardware design and built a complete supply chain in Shenzhen, China. Products included the Flashboard Mini (carbon fiber body, airless tires, custom battery packs, BLDC motors, electronics and molds) and the Flashboard Pro (fast comfortable rides with custom airless tires, custom controller and firmware, built for scalability with Shenzhen manufacturers for both prototyping and large-scale production). At age 18, Petr got his first business visa and went to Shenzhen to set up the supply chain, where he discovered the Trouble Maker community and learned from experienced hardware founders. Flash Mobility was acquired by JETSURF.

### Undout

Undout was a health-focused sleep improvement startup co-founded by Petr Stepanek, where he led the hardware design of an innovative smart alarm clock connected to an app. He tackled RF, audio, thermal issues, and capacitive touch interactivity, achieving full certification and a sturdy supply chain. Inspired by a Mark Zuckerberg Instagram post in April 2019 about a wooden sleep box, co-founder Max Kozlov built a prototype within a week and recruited Stepanek to handle hardware production. The Undout Sleep Box was positioned as "the healthiest alarm clock in the world," using gradual orange light dimming at night, no radio wave emissions during sleep, and a simulated sunrise for gentle awakening. Made from Czech oak with electronics sourced from China. The crowdfunding campaign launched on Czech platform Hithit on March 3, 2020, raised 100% of its goal within 48 hours, and reached over 400% (435%) of the goal within a month, reaching over 500 customers.

### Tactical Energy Storage Systems

Improved thermal management and wiring engineering for defense applications.

### Liquid Fuel Rocket Engine

And a 20ft thrust measurement testing rig utilizing LOX and Ethanol propellants.

### Flexiguard

Hardware enclosure design for a vital signs monitor used by firefighters and military personnel.

## Skills

- Hardware Design: Mechanical & Electrical Design, Testing Fixtures for Consumer Electronics, EU Regulatory Compliance (MDR)
- CAD/CAM: KiCAD, Altium Designer, Autodesk Inventor, Fusion 360, AutoCAD Mechanical, Siemens NX
- Manufacturing: CNC & Manual Machining, Welding (TIG, MIG, Laser), Mass-Scale 3D Printing (JetFusion), Molding (Plastic, PU, Metal)
- Programming: Python (FastAPI, Bioinformatics), React Native, C (Firmware), MATLAB, Azure, Kubernetes, PostgreSQL
- Domain Knowledge: Genomics, Wearables, Lab Data, Supply Chain & Sourcing (China/Europe), Fundraising, Public Speaking

## Media

### Forbes — "Meet Petr Stepanek. He is 17 and has a robotic arm controlled by a smart glove" (January 2018)

Forbes Next Twitter post highlighting Petr Stepanek in the context of young innovators and the 3D printing and manufacturing space. The post was part of Forbes' coverage of promising young entrepreneurs and makers, placing Stepanek among noteworthy young talents in the tech and manufacturing ecosystem during the period when he was gaining early recognition as a teenage developer building 3D printers, robotic arms, and other hardware projects.

### Euro.cz — "Eighteen-year-old developer Stepanek: I have plenty of innovations in store for 3D printing" (August 2, 2018)

Interview-format article profiling eighteen-year-old Petr Stepanek, a student at Smichov Technical School (SSPS), named among the twenty most promising Czechs who achieved notable things before turning twenty. Covers his journey from building a robotic hand in eighth grade and constructing his own 3D printer over summer break, to his venture with electric longboards (Boardmobile) with business partner Lukas Joukal, sourcing components in China and planning sales in Europe and the USA. Also discusses collaboration with Motol Hospital and Charles University on prosthetics and medical device replacements, and shares thoughts on the shortcomings of the Czech education system.

### Finmag — "Dumpsters, my textbooks" (February 2019)

Profile capturing Petr Stepanek's origin story. As a child fascinated by biology, he attended science olympiads and examined specimens under a microscope, but wanting to create rather than just observe, he transitioned to electronics — influenced by his father and uncle, both Czech Technical University (CVUT) graduates who worked in research. He began scavenging old electronics from Prague trash bins, learning how devices work by disassembling them and earning money by selling parts — giving rise to his motto: "Dumpsters, my textbooks." From salvaged components he built a magnetic levitator, an electrocardiograph, an electromyograph, and an electroencephalogram. By thirteen, he had constructed a robotic hand. By sixteen, he was running an electric longboard business.

### Aktualne.cz — "A Czech schoolboy built a robotic arm. Now he manufactures electric longboards in China" (October 1, 2018)

The most detailed feature article about Stepanek's early career. Covers scavenging electronics from dumps around age twelve, building a wooden robotic hand in seventh-eighth grade, constructing his own 3D printer at fifteen, and creating a sophisticated robotic hand with fingers each capable of lifting ten kilograms. Describes collaboration with Motol Hospital on plastic skull replacements and with the Czech Association for Virtual and Augmented Reality on haptic feedback VR gloves. After realizing medical device certification was lengthy and expensive, he pivoted to electric longboards under the brand Flashboard with partner Lukas Joukal. Vividly describes adventures in Shenzhen — from meeting a helpful Indian stranger in a McDonald's who connected them to a startup hub, to navigating complex negotiations with Chinese manufacturers. Recounts being interviewed by China's state television CCTV for a six-minute segment viewed by an estimated 500 million people.

### CzechCrunch — "They took the Facebook CEO's idea and are building the world's healthiest alarm clock" (March 3, 2020)

Long-form feature introducing Max Kozlov and Petr Stepanek, both nineteen, and their smart alarm clock startup Undout. Kozlov was a networking prodigy who won startup competitions at seventeen, met Gary Vaynerchuk in New York, and won Czech "High Schooler of the Year." Stepanek brought hardware expertise from the Flashboard electric skateboard venture and China manufacturing connections. Their paths converged when Mark Zuckerberg posted on Instagram in April 2019 about a wooden "sleep box" — a device that gently glowed to signal wake-up time without emitting harmful blue light or radio waves. Kozlov saw the post, built a prototype within a week, and recruited Stepanek to handle hardware production. The Undout Sleep Box was positioned as "the healthiest alarm clock in the world," guiding users through the full sleep cycle with gradual orange light dimming, no radio wave emissions during sleep, and a simulated sunrise for gentle awakening. Made from Czech oak wood with electronics sourced from China. Launched on Czech crowdfunding platform Hithit with a goal of 100,000 CZK.

### CzechStartups — "Nothing works without the right team, says Petr Stepanek, 21-year-old co-founder of a coworking center" (2021)

Interview profiling twenty-one-year-old Stepanek as co-founder of Next Zone, a coworking and event space built in the unused workshop areas of Smichov Technical School. Recounts how the idea originated during his first year at school when he and classmates discovered abandoned workshop spaces and proposed renovating them. With support from school director Radko Sablik and Prague city councillor Vit Simral, the project grew into a two-part facility: a Maker Space equipped with CNC machines, laser cutters, and 3D printers functioning as a hardware incubator with selective admission, and an Event Space designed for hybrid events with 26 camera connection points and five simultaneous streaming capabilities. Also summarizes Stepanek's trajectory — from Flashboard electric skateboards (including his three-month China trip at eighteen), to hardware design at Undout, to his current biotech startup Macromo, which focuses on whole-genome sequence analysis.

### CzechCrunch — "Tomas Cupr goes big on longevity. He invests in a Czech startup that monitors health" (April 10, 2025)

Reports that Tomas Cupr — founder of Rohlik Group, the online grocery company — acquired a majority of voting rights in Macromo through his investment fund TCF Capital, in exchange for financing the startup's further development. TCF Capital was particularly impressed by Macromo's use of technology in diagnostics and interpretation of test results. Macromo functions as a "pre-doctor" by combining genetic tests, physical activity data, and blood results into a single mobile app to provide health recommendations before professional medical intervention becomes necessary. The company uses its Macromo Engine (leveraging machine learning and AI models). This followed a prior CZK 20 million pre-seed round from investors including the Lumus collective, Martin Radina (Spadia Labs), Jan Siroky (ex-Mews CTO), and the Franc family (IQ Structures). Contextualizes this as part of Cupr's broader longevity strategy, which also included acquiring a majority stake in the online pharmacy Pilulka.

### Disraptors Podcast #52 — "What does it take for a startup to succeed?"

Czech-language entrepreneurship podcast episode featuring both Petr Stepanek and co-founder Michal Pohludka discussing Macromo. The conversation addresses the biggest challenges of healthcare startups, how Macromo combines cutting-edge technology to analyze DNA, blood, and lifestyle data to provide personalized health insights, and explores the founders' entrepreneurial journeys. Both guests have founded multiple companies, with combined expertise in bioinformatics, science, and business.

### Pilulka.cz — "Life Reports | Petr Stepanek" (September 2023)

Podcast and article feature by Czech online pharmacy Pilulka, discussing how DNA testing can improve quality of life. Stepanek explains that modern medical technologies generate enormous amounts of data that are not utilized comprehensively. Macromo's mission is to connect DNA results, blood test data, family medical history, and lifestyle information through a mobile app that delivers personalized health recommendations. He highlights that Macromo was the first company in Central Europe to bring blood testing into the home, requiring only 500 microliters of blood from a finger prick. Explains how combining genetic predisposition data (e.g., for type 2 diabetes) with current blood markers can flag "red flags" and help users prevent diseases before they develop. Also discusses a new product line — home gut microbiome tests for both adults and children — noting that microbiome imbalances in early childhood can lead to autoimmune and digestive issues. Stepanek's interest in this space began during student work with patients suffering from rare Wilson's disease, which led to the idea of an algorithm connecting all health data for better diagnosis.

### Forbes.cz — "A home test reveals what diseases you're at risk for. A Czech startup targets prevention and is succeeding"

Coverage of Macromo's approach to preventive health through at-home testing. Profiles how users can discover their health risks from the comfort of home through DNA and blood tests, with results delivered via the Macromo mobile app. Highlights the startup's successes in the Czech market, its growing user base, and its partnerships with pharmacies and distributors. Discusses the new generation of Macromo blood tests and the AI-driven Macromo AI recommendations engine that provides personalized health guidance based on combined data from genetics, blood biomarkers, and lifestyle factors.

## Links

- Website: https://petrstepanek.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petrstepanekcom/
- Email: me@petrstepanek.com