Kalpana Systems wins Kraft Heinz Global Innovation Challenge
Kalpana Systems has been named the winner of the Kraft Heinz Global Innovation Challenge for sustainable food packaging organised by Rethinking Materials.
Sandra Wiegman thrives at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and real-world sustainability challenges. As Kalpana Systems’ lead business developer, she introduces companies working on the energy transition and sustainability to our groundbreaking spatial ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) technology. Her days are split between technical deep-dives with R&D teams, strategy sessions mapping commercial roadmaps, and discovery calls with potential customers across solar, battery, and packaging industries.
Check out our technology section for more information on what spatial ALD is.
Discovery and Problem-Solving
“I love having introduction meetings with prospective customers—discovering what problems they’re trying to solve and how our equipment and technology could help them,” Sandra explains. These aren’t surface-level sales calls. They’re highly technical conversations with R&D managers about manufacturing processes, material challenges, and where spatial ALD could revolutionize their production lines. The variety between different clients is what makes her job so interesting. One week, Sandra might be discussing barrier coatings for sustainable packaging with a European manufacturer. In a next meeting, she’s exploring perovskite solar cell applications with a team in Asia.
Bridging Technology and Business
Sandra has frequent meetings with our process development team. “The needs customers share with me, I take back to the technical team. How can we improve our equipment or develop new processes to help our clients solve their challenges?” In these sessions, technology and business reality need to come together, resulting in lively discussions. But that’s the culture Sandra loves: “It’s open and equal—all opinions matter and are taken seriously. Everybody is working toward the same goal: making our technology and company successful.” Her background? A beta education in chemistry that lets her speak both languages fluently, translating customer pain points into technical requirements and vice versa.
Creating the Story
One project Sandra’s particularly proud of shows the creative side of business development. “When meeting with customers, I noticed we needed better visual materials to explain our machine concept. Together with our marketing colleague, we revamped our website and created an explainer video.”The result? Significantly more inbound interest and smoother client conversations. It’s a reminder that business development isn’t just about closing deals: it’s about crafting storylines that help customers see what’s possible.
Beyond the Office: Conferences, Customers, and Global Connections
A big part of Sandra’s job as a business developer takes place outside the office. She attends 4-6 international conferences annually, sometimes as a keynote speaker, sometimes networking strategically at events like SustPack in Barcelona or solar cell technology summits in Germany. Each conference serves a purpose: lead generation, partnership scouting, or establishing Kalpana Systems’ thought leadership in emerging markets. Between conferences, there are customer visits such as factory tours, technical audits, and relationship-building that turn prospects into partners. “We’re a truly international company,” Sandra notes. “Not only in terms of business. We have people from six countries across four continents working at Kalpana.”
Mastering Multiple Industries
What keeps this role interesting? The learning curve never flattens. “I need to understand our customers’ processes and products deeply,” Sandra explains. “It’s my job to identify opportunities for spatial ALD in their manufacturing and figure out how it integrates into their existing factories. Think of explaining how our solutions boost battery performance. Or how spatial ALD enables the commercial viability of flexible solar panels. The prospect of offering real solutions is what drives Sandra: “I truly believe this technology can be a breakthrough for sustainable developments. The applications of spatial ALD are so diverse, and the potential is huge. I love being at the forefront of commercializing this and directly contributing to making this a success!”
Ready to join our business development team?
We’re looking for our next Business Developer to help scale Kalpana Systems’ impact across the globe. If you’re excited by the intersection of deep tech, sustainability, and business development, we want to hear from you.
