VRIJEME JE ZA GOSPODARSTVO Tomislav Grubeša

Guest Tomislav GrubišićHosted by Darko BukovićMay 3, 2026

Tomislav Grubišić

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

For over a decade, Tomislav Grubišić and his co-founder Nikša Orlić built Geolux not as a grand venture, but as a practical means to "fill household budgets," quietly developing hardware and software for foreign clients. This side hustle, rooted in their engineering backgrounds, unexpectedly became the foundation for a company that now supplies high-tech hydrological radar sensors to over fifty countries across five continents. Geolux's path from obscure R&D projects to dominating niche markets, particularly their over 30% market share in China for water management radars, offers a lesson in how patience and accidental opportunities can compound into global leadership. Grubišić explains how their willingness to adapt existing technology for entirely new, unknown applications, often at the request of a single partner, proved more powerful than any initial strategic plan. You will walk away understanding how a small, Croatian engineering firm came to dominate a global niche by embracing accidental opportunities and deep technical bets.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

Geolux began with Tomislav Grubišić and Nikša Orlić doing R&D for foreign clients primarily to "fill household budgets." The most ambitious businesses often start not as grand ventures, but as practical solutions to immediate personal needs, honing skills for years before a product-focused company emerges.

Their first step into radar technology came from a New Zealand client needing a traffic radar for speed signs. Serendipity often dictates market entry; the first product isn't always the one that scales, but the one that proves your core capability to a paying customer in an unexpected context.

A Chinese partner asked if their traffic radars could be adapted to measure water levels and speed in rivers, a field Grubišić admits they "had no idea about." The biggest market openings often lie in adjacent applications of your existing technology, proposed by an external partner, pushing you into an unknown but valuable domain.

After the request, it took them two years to develop the water speed radar. Entering an unknown application with existing technology requires significant, dedicated R&D; a quick adaptation is rarely enough to create a market-leading product.

Geolux achieved over 30% market share in a specific, new niche segment in China. Dominating an emerging, niche technology, even in a vast market like China, is often more achievable for a small player than competing in a crowded, mature one.

Grubišić notes they were "really early" in hydrological radar technology, which is still new and has little global competition. When a technology is still nascent, being an early mover into a specific application can secure a significant market position before established players even recognize the opportunity.

Tomislav emphasizes that a "good, reliable local partner" is crucial for success in China, stating it's "extremely difficult" to succeed directly. In complex markets, especially China, direct entry is often a fantasy; a trusted local partner isn't just an asset, it's the only viable channel to scale and gain market acceptance.

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