House of Startups-based Zenview is making a name for itself with a solution for workspace relaxation. Silicon Luxembourg sat down with cofounder Agnella Serafin to learn more.
by: Noah Gomez
photo: Anna Katina / Silicon Luxembourg
featured: Agnella Serafin and Mathias Keune
What is your startup idea?
We created a virtual reality software to increase wellbeing and reduce stress in big corporations. Employees can go to the Zenview area in their offices, put on virtual reality glasses, and feel themselves transported to a natural environment. It’s a win-win for companies and employees, as companies get more efficient employees, and employees are happier.
In addition to visual placement, users can listen to audio guides corresponding to their current emotion to help transform negative feelings into positive ones. We also have anonymous data collection on emotions so management can see how employees feel and which scenes are most used. From there, we can make more of these environments.
We’re currently targeting offices in Luxembourg with a minimum of 100 employees.
Where did the idea come from?
Before Zenview, I worked in very stressful work environment at a big multinational company. I saw my colleagues getting sick from stress and had experienced symptoms of burnout myself.
The company had a relaxation room, but we didn’t know how to “shut down.” In other words, it didn’t really work. Stress and burnout at work is increasing at an alarming rate, reaching about 30% of Luxembourg`s workforce (according to the Quality of Work Index).
Zenview’s audio guide feature and fully immersive experience carry real added value to help change this.
“Our technology is not based on traditional 360 video/picture content, but on real-time 3D technology.”
How are you different from other solutions in this field?
We engage 90% of the senses. Zenview transports you to nature-inspired environments without you having to leave the room. Our technology is not based on traditional 360 video/picture content, but on real-time 3D technology which makes the experience fully photorealistic and fully interactive at the same time. Our competitors have one or the other, but nobody else has both.
There are many studies suggesting that spending time in nature increases productivity. In some Scandinavian countries, this is covered by insurance.
Many companies already organize workshops and meditation sessions. What Zenview does is more efficient and effective—and it is available for employees 24/7, whenever they need it. Zenview is a good entry point for beginners and skeptics. They can enjoy the amazing benefits of meditation from day one. As a plus, we take care of the entire setup, so companies don’t need to do anything. Try it!
How do you make money?
We offer the software in an all-inclusive, fully-customizable setup, which includes all furniture and hardware. In this way, we “rent” the solution on a subscription basis. Our VR software is also protected!
Do you already have customers?
Yes!
Where do you stand in terms of funding?
We are bootstrapping the company for the moment. Our strategy is to go directly to market in Luxembourg and Europe and self-finance in a short amount of time. That said, we also have plans to raise funds later in order to implement real-time biofeedback technology in our application and to apply our offer to other use cases, targeting hospitals, wellness hotels, airports, and ultimately to optimize our platform for the B2C market.
