Initiated by E52 and High Tech Campus, the 10 most promising startups-to-watch from the Brainport Eindhoven region have been announced for the fourth consecutive year. On July 12th they received a Gerard & Anton Award. The winning companies are highlighted one by one in an interview. Today part 8: Onera diagnoses your sleep as in a lab. read the whole series here.
Name: Soukaina Adnane
Startup: Onera B.V.
Year of establishment startup: 2017
What is the goal of your business?
“To provide sleep diagnostics to anyone, anywhere and at any time.”
Is this your first startup?
“Yes.”
How did the idea come about for your startup?
“It came from Imec research institute, we are a Spin-off”
Has there ever been a change of focus, a pivot? Can you tell us something about the cause and the result?
“Our focus never changed. From day one we wanted to democratize sleep diagnostics, to help people get the right treatments as early as possible.”
I’m sure there was a moment when you lost faith in your startup. Can you describe that moment?
“So far we didn’t lose faith in the startup itself, we had mainly ‘’logistic issues” where it was hard to find people to recruit and continue building the team.”
Are there startups/entrepreneurs that you see as an example?
“Not specifically, every startup is a new story, every entrepreneur is a hero in a way or another. I take every story as an example and have great respect and admiration for every entrepreneur who takes the leap and creates a startup.”
Where will you be with your company in 5 years’ time?
“In 5 years’ time, a Onera device should be in every sleep centre worldwide.”
What does Eindhoven mean for your company?
“The Onera adventure started here, and the co-founding team met here. Eindhoven’s technology and international climate made Onera possible.”
And for yourself?
“In Eindhoven, it is accepted to take a risk. Also, the entrepreneurial spirit is encouraged, which made it easier for me to drop my job securities and follow my ambition.”
What is the startup climate in Eindhoven like?
“It is still in the making, the community has been growing a lot these past few years, and I cannot wait to see what it will become in the future.”
Do you feel part of it? If so, how is this to be seen?
“It is easy to get in touch with the different startups or attend startup events. For us, it is important to be part of the community, to share knowledge and experience with the different entrepreneurs, help and mainly encourage each other.”
At what point could the Eindhoven startup ecosystem improve?
“Keep on promoting the startup world. Create more startup events and startup hubs, where expertise can be shared. Organize more investors events to attract them here would be also stimulating for the community.”