Start with a real need
Bring the people affected into the conversation. Describe what should change before choosing a technology.
ABOUT STARK-UP · FOUNDER & ECOSYSTEM
Where talent meets opportunity.
STARK-Up brings people, practical problems and complementary expertise together. Pandora’s Box gives that purpose a shared workspace: define a need, compare approaches, test what works and choose who to build with.
Where Talent Meets Opportunity.
TECHNICAL PROGRAM MANAGEMENT · QUALITY · VENTURE BUILDING
Turn a useful idea into a practical next step.
I’m Karthik Pushparaj, Founder & CEO of STARK-Up and founder of KREW Kinderwelt. Based in Berlin, I combine an M.Sc. in Automation & Robotics from TU Dortmund with experience in technical customer projects, automotive quality management and cross-functional delivery.
My work at Systec Controls and Systec Automotive, from 2018 to 2025, connected customer requirements with engineering and quality teams. It included quality planning, production approvals, risk analysis and structured problem solving. I bring that experience to testing ideas, coordinating delivery and defining clear responsibilities. My approach to technical program management connects customer requirements with milestones, stakeholder alignment and coordinated work across engineering, quality and operations. I focus on making risks and dependencies visible so teams can agree practical next steps.
Through STARK-Up, I develop products and bring people together around practical needs. Pandora’s Box supports problem-led collaboration; KREW Kinderwelt focuses on families and childcare. Jouhatsu is a STARK-Up initiative focused on digital dignity, privacy and safeguarding. I welcome collaborators who can contribute technical expertise, research, lived experience or opportunities to test a solution.
Automation & roboticsTechnical project managementAutomotive quality & OEM coordinationAPQP · PPAP · FMEA · 8DProduct developmentExperiment & validation planningEcosystem collaboration
What I can contribute
- Turn an observed problem into a focused, testable brief.
- Connect technical delivery with user needs and evidence.
- Help teams define responsibilities, risks and a practical next milestone.
- Explore collaborations across founders, engineering, research and community organizations.
Who I’d like to connect with
- Builders and founders who want to solve a specific problem.
- Domain experts and affected users willing to shape safe, useful tests.
- Universities, companies, incubators and community partners interested in collaboration.
Explore my background here, or meet community members in the People directory. Each member describes their own experience, interests and contribution.
Purpose gives the direction.
Evidence shapes the next step.
Make progress visible
Use practical tests, documented limitations and clear next milestones to guide decisions.
Build through collaboration
Bring different skills together. Participation is voluntary; teams agree responsibilities and rights separately.
PRODUCTS & INITIATIVES
Real needs. Distinct missions. Shared purpose.
Explore the products and initiatives connected through STARK-Up: problem-led innovation, family and childcare support, and digital dignity. Each has a distinct purpose, audience and participation journey.
Pandora’s Box
A STARK-Up Product
Turn a shared problem into a practical next step.
A collaboration platform connecting real problems, competing solutions, evidence from affected users and voluntary startup teams. Start with a problem or a founder project, then find people who can help test and develop it.
For problem owners, founders, builders, researchers, mentors, sponsors, investors and ecosystem partners.
- Define the problem and explore different approaches.
- Make evidence, limitations and next steps visible.
- Connect with collaborators and form voluntary teams.
KREW Kinderwelt
Find childcare. Coordinate your next step.
Launched on World Children’s Day, 20 September 2026, KREW Kinderwelt helps families discover and compare childcare options. Berlin is the initial priority market, with broader German childcare listings and further DACH coverage in development.
For parents, childcare providers, family-service collaborators and community organizations.
- Search and compare childcare options for your family.
- Review provider information and organize your shortlist.
- Use provider details to plan enquiries; availability is confirmed by the provider.
Jouhatsu
Digital dignity. Privacy. Responsible support.
A STARK-Up initiative exploring digital privacy and safeguarding through responsible guidance and partnerships. Its focus is helping people understand their options and connecting the expertise needed for safe, accountable support.
For privacy and safeguarding specialists, civil-society organizations, researchers and potential service partners.
- Explore collaboration around digital dignity and privacy.
- Contribute specialist knowledge and responsible support pathways.
- Develop safeguards before offering case-handling services.
Public case intake is not offered here.
Bring your expertise to the ecosystem. Have a problem to explore, research to test or a community to support? Start a conversation about where your contribution fits.
Explore ways to collaborate →The ecosystem grows through what people bring.
Meet the founder above, discover collaborators in People, or introduce your own experience and skills. The People directory presents ecosystem participants; it is separate from the STARK-Up company team.