Onni Care wasn’t just a product. It was a mission. Born from real parenting challenges, it set out to redefine infant wellbeing technology by giving families and healthcare professionals smarter insights into a child’s early development.
We built one of the most advanced baby monitoring platforms of its time: a secure smart monitor combined with a digital service that tracked developmental milestones, WHO growth curves, and provided two-way video and audio communication. Everything was developed in close collaboration with real families, healthcare professionals, and international test partners. It wasn't a theory. It was tested in the real world.
From day one, Onni Care aimed higher than the market standard. Instead of building a simple camera, we set out to build a health-tech grade system disguised as a consumer product.
This focus on technical quality, design excellence, and safety made Onni Care stand out globally. It went on to win international design awards, secure innovation recognition from the European Commission, and compete head-to-head with Philips, Motorola, and Angelcare in global market research.
The world noticed
50 Funding Pitfalls Every Startup Should Avoid
European Product Design Award, A'Design Award, Dutch Baby Innovation Award, EU Seal of Excellence (twice).
Shortlisted in international market studies as the only Nordic player in the category
More than 40 countries expressed reseller interest during a single week at Kind + Jugend, the world’s largest baby trade fair.
Discussions with Samsung, Philips, John Lewis, Chiesi, Sonera, and Telia.
Boots, Argos, Tesco, and Benelux distributors prepared for launch
"We had real traction, not just hype."
Onni Care reached a stage most startups never do: retail shelves, purchase orders, and investor interest. Yet it still collapsed. Why?
We tried to launch with the “dream product” instead of validating a simpler, staged MVP. This consumed resources too early and slowed our time to market.
We built hardware and software simultaneously, outsourcing parts of development to multiple teams across countries. This made quality control difficult and created costly rework.
In the end, after launching in select markets, we encountered a technical issue: a faint crackling in audio under certain conditions. Our competitors had the same issue, but some distributors used it as a reason to delay launch. When a Belgian distributor finally pulled out due to delays, revenue stopped, and without funding or inventory, we had no way back. We were forced to withdraw from the market.
Onni Care was not a failure. It was a masterclass.
We lived through the full startup arc, from prototype to global recognition to public collapse. We experienced what it feels like to be inches away from international success, and how a series of strategic mistakes can stop momentum permanently.
Onni Care made us who we are as advisors today. We don’t speak only from theory. We
speak from battle-tested experience. We know how to reach retail, negotiate with big
corporations, secure funding, build hardware, navigate medical compliance, and how easy it is to lose it all if strategy doesn’t align with the reality of your funding.
That is why we now help founders and innovation leaders avoid the mistakes we made and build companies that survive and can scale.
This is not just a reference. It’s a startup autopsy.
