PAMETNA HRVATSKA Tomislav Rosulj

Guest Tomislav RosuljHosted by Boris ŽivkovićMay 3, 2026

Tomislav Rosulj

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

Tomislav Rosulj is still an aerospace engineering student, yet he has already built a functional business around a product that flips the script on how we teach children about drones. His Edu Dron isn't just about flying; it's a build-it-yourself kit designed to teach the underlying mechanics and electronics long before any code is written. This approach challenges the prevailing trend of purely software-focused educational tools, insisting that true understanding comes from working with your hands. Rosulj shares how a personal experience – the slow, manual damage assessment after the Zagreb earthquake – sparked the initial idea for a drone that could perform rapid 3D scans of buildings. That practical, real-world problem then evolved into the educational platform it is today, offering a unique blend of physical assembly, programming, and scientific exploration for children as young as nine. Readers will consider how the most impactful innovations often emerge from unexpected pivots, and how a deep understanding of physical systems remains crucial even in an increasingly digital world.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

The Edu Dron arrives as a box of parts, requiring users to assemble before they can program or fly it. The real learning begins not when a device works, but when you understand every component and can rebuild it yourself. This hands-on approach builds foundational knowledge that purely software-driven education often misses.

Tomislav's initial drone concept stemmed from observing the slow, manual damage assessment of buildings, including his own home, after the Zagreb earthquake. The most compelling business ideas often emerge from personal pain points or inefficiencies observed in one's own life, even if the final product pivots significantly from the initial problem.

While most educational drones focus solely on programming and artificial intelligence, Edu Dron emphasizes physical assembly and understanding components before any coding. In a world pushing pure digital skills, the counter-intuitive advantage for a product lies in re-emphasizing the physical, hands-on understanding of how things are built, not just how they are coded.

Edu Dron makes programming accessible to children as young as nine by using Blockly, a puzzle-like coding interface. Lowering the barrier to entry for complex subjects isn't about simplifying the concepts, but about designing interfaces that make initial interaction intuitive and rewarding, like building with physical blocks.

Users can 3D print and customize their drone's frame, choosing between four, six, or three rotors for different research purposes. True engagement comes from enabling users to modify and experiment with the core product itself, turning them from passive consumers into active co-creators of their own learning experience.

Before a wider rollout, the team plans free workshops in elementary schools to "test ourselves" and "determine if we are going in the right direction." Even overwhelmingly positive early feedback requires practical, on-the-ground validation with target users to refine the product and its educational delivery.

Despite receiving offers from the US, the plan is to validate Edu Dron in Croatia first before expanding to the European market. A measured approach to market expansion prioritizes product refinement and local validation, even when larger, more distant opportunities present themselves early.

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Explore further

ScenariosBusiness challenges CardsEducational cards TimelineTopic evolution