From studying to doing business in China

By Julian Jagtenberg | participant NAHSS 2015, Taipei

I am the founder of Somnox, a startup that helps the world sleep better using robotic technology. Currently we have 22 fte in our dream team, run a successful crowdfunding campaign (200%), won multiple prestigious awards (e.g. iF Design Award, Philips Innovation Award) and partnered with Auping. We launched this worldwide (Amazon/Coolblue/Bijenkorf/Auping) to help thousands of people get a better (natural) night's sleep.

I started as an industrial product designer at TU Delft (Msc), but have been obsessed with robots since my childhood. That is why I became active in the robotics institute at TU Delft. From engineering, I became an entrepreneur because I came up with an invention during an academic project. I came up with this invention at that time because I wanted to help my insomniac mother get rid of her addictive medication.

I am currently part of Somnox's board as "head of growth," which involves growing Somnox internationally on a data-driven experimental basis. It's a roller coaster that brings nice challenges (ups and downs). For example, last week we were on TV during CES Las Vegas, on FOX news in the USA (with 2.5 million viewers) and we got to join JINEK with Constantijn, which resulted in 10k real-time visitors to our website. There were also downs, such as production delays in the Far East.

All in all, I am living a life I could only dream of before. As an inventor/entrepreneur making the world a little more beautiful by helping people sleep better. Because a rested world, is a more beautiful world (cheezy, but true!).

Looking back on the NAHSS

As far as I am concerned, I owe the NAHSS a lot and have been given a tremendous opportunity that contributes in part to where I am today.

First of all, I gained a group of very good friends from it. I still meet on a monthly basis with my "project group" from Taiwan. We are very close and have been on several trips together (including Namibia and Sweden). I am very grateful for this wonderful, talented group of friends from different backgrounds/disciplines. In addition, the NAHSS has opened my eyes to what other students in the Netherlands are capable of and that collaboration is key for innovation and realization. Furthermore, during the NAHSS I realized that I do not want to work for a corporate company, but rather take matters into my own hands as an entrepreneur.

Partly because of the NAHSS I did an internship at VANMOOF and I am currently running my own production in Taiwan with the sleep robots we are developing with Somnox.

Thank you.