Projects
Many of my ideas and products have been launched (deployed) — some thrived, some got acquired, and others, well… didn’t make it (died).
My side projects are the best way to get to know me. Instead of sticking to official job titles, I’ve taken on different roles, picked up new skills, and applied them directly to the real world. Most of the projects on this page were built in small teams, and each one is different.
At the core, everything I do is about long-term thinking, creating fun and useful products, and designing experiences that genuinely impact people’s lives. I’m especially passionate about aesthetics and making things that feel effortless for the people using them.
But I don’t buy into the idea that specialization is the only—or best—path to meaningful work. Instead, I focus on learning fundamental concepts across different fields and applying them in ways that make life easier, faster, and better.
FROM EUROPE WITH LOVE (2024 - ?)
Since sending the first newsletter to a few friends in April 2021, I’ve experimented with different formats, topics, and frequencies — and I’m still figuring things out.
What works best right now? A weekly edition featuring brands and products from Europe that I genuinely love. I send it to interesting people I’ve connected with and friends I want to keep in touch with.
One email on Sundays. Free, and easy to leave.
PULITO PULITO
On hold
High-pressure cleaning and practical errands in South Tyrol, the unglamorous, real-world kind.
On hold for now. pulitopulito.com
CAPITO CLUB
Acquired
Tutoring for kids who need things explained properly, not just louder. I co-founded it. Later my co-founder bought me out, and now runs it on his own.
HAUSJUNGLE (2017-2021)
Second ecommerce and one of my favorite projects for two reasons: 1) started it together with my wife. 2) absolute loveable product: Japanese Kokedama. Plants (mostly succulents) with their roots wrapped in soil and coconut fiber. We called them Pflanzenbommel and sold the project to one of our B2B partners in late 2021.
Show me the pflanzenbommel
Planbox (2018)
planbox combined cameras, sensors and city infrastructure – with a dash of computer vision and graphics. The core idea was something like Street View with more up to date photos. We built a small box that could be installed in urban vehicles like busses, trams or garbage trucks to measure all kinds of data within cities. There was a working prototype (installed on one of our bikes) and we could measure air quality, temperature, particulate matter, etc. and send those data points in near real time to a map. Even though we deployed a prototype, the project unfortunately died because of the individual circumstances and priorities of the team members. No hard feelings, and I like to see that other companies were more successful with basically the same approach.
Whitespace Coffee (2018)
With Whitespace I want to create a product that is worth holding in your hands (and with great taste). Since I love best customer experience, great coffee, extraordinary aesthetics and believe in technology, Whitespace is based on these four building blocks. Also, the name refers to another passion: typography. In addition, I would like to explore the interstitial territories – the "white spaces" – between the various disciplines involved in the production process of an allegedly basic product like coffee. Although the beta version (aka first roasted beans) of the product will be released in January 2018, I see it coming that this project will stay work in progress for quite some time...
Mykona | nomoresleep (2007-2012)
Mykona was founded in 2006. During my voluntary social year as a social worker at a high school in Captain Cook/USA, I also worked on a coffee farm nearby. After returning to Germany and moving to Berlin to study architecture, I founded a coffee brand. We were among the first in Germany to sell directly traded single origin coffee in a well designed packaging through our award-winning e-commerce as well as through most of Germany's major coffee online shops and our own coffee bar in Berlin-Mitte called *NoMoreSleep.*In 2012, we sold the brand to a coffee roaster – who has continued to roast and sell Mykona beans ever since.
Earlier, briefly
- MakerWeek2017A five-day maker event in Bonn, launched four weeks after the idea. Budget: 0 euros. About 220 guests.
- Pedestrian Zone2016-17A neighbourhood initiative to turn a busy street in Bonn into a pedestrian zone, sparked by Jan Gehl's Cities for People.
- T-Talk2016A public, TED-style speaker series in the lobby of Deutsche Telekom's headquarters, with up to 300 guests.
- Pførtner Project2010Design for a coffee bar in the gatehouse of the former Stasi headquarters, now a memorial site.
From the very early archive:Mykona & nomoresleep ·Academic projects