University students Jelke Schröder and Sofia Ozhogina are combining their computer science studies with building their own startup: Listen. The idea behind their company is to make museum visits more personal and interesting. With their technology, visitors can indicate upon entry how much time they have, what their interests are and, for example, their age. Based on that, a customized route or audio tour is generated that better suits the visitor. At the same time, they are building their business alongside their studies. “Building a startup alongside your studies is sometimes puzzling with your time,” they say. “But if you really believe in it, you make room for it.”
“Building a startup alongside your studies is sometimes puzzling with your time, but if you really believe in it, you make room for it.”
How the Startup Started
The idea for Listening arose during their own museum visits. Sofia noticed during a visit to the Museum of Bavarian History in Munich that different stories in the museum were actually connected but not told as one. Only after doing her own online research did she discover how historical individuals and events hung together. “The museum probably had all that information,” Sofia says. But as a visitor, you only saw fragments of the story. We thought: there had to be a smarter way.”
Jelke also recognized this problem during a visit to the Fries Museum, where an impressive historical object had only a brief two-sentence description. “There are so many stories behind objects,” he says. “With technology you can connect those stories and adapt them to what a visitor really finds interesting.”
“Startup Play really helped us understand the business side of a startup.”
Participating in Startup Play
To further develop their idea, Jelke and Sofia participated in Startup Play, where you learn how to turn your idea into a real startup. This was an important step for both students. As programmers, they had mostly technical knowledge, but little experience with entrepreneurship. “Startup Play really helped us to understand the business side of a startup,” they recount. “And also to become more confident in pitching our idea.” According to them, entrepreneurship as a student also offers advantages. “As a student, you may have less experience but, on the contrary, a lot of freedom to experiment.”
“As a student, you may have less experience but, on the contrary, a lot of freedom to experiment.”
Working from the Sandbox on their first pilot project
Since attending the program, Jelke and Sofia regularly work from the Sandbox, a workspace at PLNT for student entrepreneurs where they build their startup. It helps them stay focused on their business alongside their studies. “It helps tremendously to have a set place and routine,” they say. “You come in, grab a coffee and are immediately in the mindset to work on your startup.” At the same time, they also appreciate the community in the building. “You come here for your own startup, but often go home with new tips and contacts.” They are currently working on their first pilot project with the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which they hope to launch next summer.