Munich Startup: Who are you and what does Onyo do? Please introduce yourselves briefly!
Niao Wu, Onyo: We are Jens Wöhrle, Maximilian Ott, and Niao Wu. We combine life experiences from eight countries (Germany, France, USA, Czech Republic, Spain, Mexico, Kenya, and China), are fluent in four languages (German, English, Spanish, and Chinese), and bring experience in software engineering, architectural planning, marketing and sales, top management consulting, corporate finance, and corporate management.
Jens is the Swiss Army knife of our team. After studying computer science and mathematics at TUM and Stanford, he completed an international MBA at the Collège des Ingénieurs. Most recently, he served as Chief of Staff at BNP Paribas. Onyo is his second startup. He achieved his first entrepreneurial success by establishing a farm in Kenya for the production and international export of food. At Onyo, he is responsible for technical development and finance.
Max spent his childhood in Spain. He studied in Barcelona, Mexico, and Prague. His talent in marketing and sales was discovered and nurtured at HP. In the Czech Republic, he quintupled the sales of a fashion label. He most recently headed sales for a vertical farming startup and will now pursue his own entrepreneurial ambitions with Onyo.
Niao grew up in China and spent several years managing international workplace projects at BMW. After a stint at BCG, she now plans to focus on designing the mobile workplaces of approximately 15 million employees in Germany.
Our vision of providing a healthy, sustainable work environment for all employees through hybrid work models unites us and drives us forward. The future of work is being defined right now.
Home office as a new challenge
Munich Startup: What problem does your startup solve?
Niao Wu: The hybrid work model has become firmly established as a result of the pandemic. In Germany, approximately 15 million employees will continue to work regularly from home even after the pandemic. While the office is supported by a mature industry, working from home is uncharted territory with significant health risks. Two-thirds of all employees work from home in unhealthy conditions, such as at the kitchen table. According to a Forsa study commissioned by Dekra, approximately 37 percent of home office workers suffer from back pain, shoulder tension, and headaches. And we're not even talking about the long-term consequences, which are considerably more critical.
However, ensuring occupational safety in a mobile workplace in a home environment presents many challenges. Not every employee has the space for a standard 160×80 cm desk, so a customized solution is required for each employee and living situation. Furthermore, acquisition costs would tie up capital, and the inventory would have to be depreciated over many years.
At Onyo, we offer companies a simple and affordable solution for equipping their employees flexibly and, above all, individually according to their needs. We handle the entire process as a one-stop solution via our digital platform, which is white-labeled for each individual employer. We see our offering as a perfect complement to the rapidly developing hybrid work models for increasing cost efficiency, promoting health and productivity, and boosting employee retention.
Onyo offers “Home Office as a Service for your company”
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Niao Wu: Companies like Google gave their employees vouchers and additional payments to purchase the necessary equipment for their mobile workplaces at the beginning of the pandemic. However, it's questionable whether an ergonomic mouse, chair, or desk was actually purchased, or whether it was to finance a new PlayStation or the next vacation. Other companies have purchased ergonomic chairs and made them available to their employees. Companies have to depreciate these purchased items over 10+ years; the employer incurs considerable logistical and administrative effort for maintenance or, in particular, when the employment relationship changes; and employees have to make do with a limited selection of models.
With our solution, we bring together leasing companies, numerous high-quality manufacturers, employers and employees and offer over 3,000 selected, proven ergonomically healthy products.
We also offer not only the equipment, but are expanding our offering in the near future with virtual audits to certify occupational safety at home – in other words, the complete package “Home office as a service for your company”.
Innovation in a traditional industry
Munich Startup: What have been your three biggest challenges so far?
Niao Wu:
- We needed time to assemble a strong founding team. Niao has been working on the problem of poor working conditions in the remote workplace since June 2020. She only met Max and Jens in 2021. It quickly became clear that we saw ourselves as the perfect founding team. Everything was just right: our shared vision, our complementary strengths, and our results-oriented approach.
- To be a pioneer. We are one of the first solution providers in a new market, and that requires a lot of courage and, above all, perseverance. While we were presenting our service to our customers, many companies had never even considered this possibility. This means that we have to do a lot of preparatory work to create awareness and acceptance.
- Driving innovation in a rather traditional industry. Until now, office furniture distribution has been primarily organized through dealers and facility planners. At Onyo, we organize our supply chain through a platform approach with high levels of transparency and efficiency, which can be challenging for those involved.
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Niao Wu: In one year, we want to have more than 10,000 mobile workstations in Germany ergonomically and professionally equipped – and in five years, over a million – and provide them with continuous support through our services.
Onyo was part of the LMU EC Accelerator
Munich Startup: How do you rate Munich as a startup location?
Niao Wu: Onyo has gained access to the Munich startup ecosystem through the LMU EC Accelerator , which was hosted by German Entrepreneurship GmbH under the direction of Felix Schoppa. We were able to not only receive valuable support but also discover the numerous resources available for startups. The incubators in Munich are closely networked. It's not uncommon for us to see startups again in the pre-seed phase and then in seed-phase programs. Thanks to this lively exchange, we can mutually benefit but also avoid mistakes.
In addition, the administration of the capital city of Munich is extremely open to startups and innovation and provides proactive support. For example, through Deputy Mayor Katrin Habenschaden, we were able to establish contact with the person responsible for mobile work and, through an interview, learn about the administration's needs regarding occupational health and safety in the mobile workplace. In Munich, business and research are working together on future-relevant topics. Behind Onyo's solution lies the big question of how the current transformation in our working environments will influence our lives and our city. Organizations such as the BMW Foundation, Urban Lab and Venture Labs (Spaces and Infrastructure) of TUM and UnternehmerTUM are trying to answer this question together. It is very enriching for us to be able to participate in this discourse and be inspired.
“If you don’t have a meeting, you stay at home and can sleep half an hour longer in the morning.”
Munich Startup: Coworking or your own office?
Niao Wu: A dedicated office, or even a home office is welcome. We're establishing a work culture within our organization where everyone is responsible for choosing the optimal workspace for their work, for themselves, and for the team. Our ideal vision is to have an office as a hub, where we go when we want to socialize with colleagues, be inspired by others, and generate an idea together. Those who don't have a meeting and want to concentrate can stay home and perhaps sleep an extra half hour in the morning.
