How do you get people in the office more energetic, productive and back to sleep at night without immediately ending up with yoga subscriptions or an extra fruit basket? For Florian Schimmel, co-founder and CEO of Opal, who founded the company with Gijs Spierings, the answer lies in something we often overlook: light. In many office spaces, the lighting is simply inadequate. Opal wants to change that, with light that contributes to a better working day.
From personal frustration to entrepreneurial idea
Florian began his studies in aerospace, but missed something essential: direct impact on people. He made the switch to Industrial Design and completed the master’s degree in Integrated Product Design at TU Delft in 2024. During his graduate research, he dove deep into the world of light and what it does to our bodies.
What he discovered surprised him. “We pay a lot of attention to nutrition and exercise, but light is often forgotten,” says Florian. That insight formed the starting point for Opal.
A lamp that does more than illuminate
Opal is developing a lamp specifically for office environments, designed to make people work more productively and feel better. Not a clinical light box or bright fluorescent replacement, but a thoughtful design that is pleasant to sit by all day.
The product was created through multiple design and test phases. An important lesson was that good light must be able to adapt to the user and the environment. That is why the lamp is adjustable, so that both the light strength (intensity) and the atmosphere can easily be adjusted to the time of day and the room in which people are working.
“Good light only works if it moves with the user,” Florian said.
Testing, measuring and improving
From the beginning, Opal has been testing its product in practice. This started low-key, with lamps on real workstations, short questionnaires and direct feedback from users. As the product evolved, the tests became more serious and extensive. In pilots, Opal mainly looked at how people perceived their productivity with and without the lamp and what the effect was on their energy level, focus and overall feeling during the workday.
In addition, two small-scale studies were ongoing at TU Delft, focusing on themes such as thriving at work and impact on mood. The results yielded valuable insights and provided concrete tools to further hone the design. “Some participants even asked if they could keep the lamp. That felt like the biggest compliment,” says Florian.
Growing through PLNT and Sprout
Florian’s entrepreneurial journey was through PLNT, where he started with Startup Play and then attended Venture Academy. There he learned the basics that many startups skip: team building, marketing, finance and setting up a limited liability company.
During the PLNT Festival, Opal won a membership, which provided Florian with six months of workspace. he has since moved on to Sprout, where he receives bi-weekly coaching.
“The combination of coaching, a strong peer group and lessons from experienced entrepreneurs helped me tremendously,” he says.
A clear mission for the future
Opal’s ambition is concrete: to help half a million people in the Netherlands with healthier lighting within five years. The company does this along three pillars: better lighting in the workplace, more awareness about the effect of light and sharing knowledge through research and pilots.
“We would rather build something good step by step than something big quickly,” Florian says.
With that approach, Opal wants to contribute to a working Netherlands that is literally and figuratively better lit.
Advice to start-up entrepreneurs
Florian encourages students and startups to give themselves space to experiment, without the pressure that everything must succeed immediately.
“Give yourself six months. If it doesn’t work, you can always go back. But if you never try it, you’ll be stuck with that ‘what if’ question.”
According to him, success begins not with numbers, investment or recognition, but with the process itself.
Do you feel you want to give it a chance? Then this is your cue to get started. Find out how Startup Play helps you experiment, grow and find your own entrepreneurial path.