Stryza Interview
In this exclusive interview, we talk to Max Steinhoff, founder of Stryza, a promising venture of wattx. Max gives us insights into his experiences at wattx and how this influenced the founding of Stryza. We also talk about the future of Stryza and the importance of wattx as an innovation driver for German SMEs.
Simon: Hi Max, you are the CEO of Stryza. What exactly do you do?
Max: Hello Simon, thank you for having me here. Yes, I am one of the two founders of Stryza. We are a software platform for industrial manufacturing and call ourselves the "Autonomous Worker Platform". Our goal is to provide a human-centred approach to process optimisation in manufacturing. We enable manufacturing workers in food, beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals to better communicate, structure their work steps and continue learning on the job. Our focus is on technically complex tasks such as machine settings and maintenance. We want to address the labour shortage in the German economy by enabling companies to get the best out of their workforce. My own career started at wattx as a Venture Development Manager. I was involved in various projects with a focus on manufacturing, where I experienced the challenges of the industry first hand - this ultimately inspired us to found Stryza!
Simon: Start-ups often use analogies like "we are the Airbnb of ..." or "we are the Check24 of ..." - which applies to you?
Max: I think the analogy "we are the Trello or Asana of the shop floor" applies best to us, although we are more than that. We combine the task management principle of Kanban with skills management and training. Our platform is a combination of Trello and Coursera for the shop floor, so to speak.
Simon: I see. As a founder, what topics are you particularly engaged with at the moment? What challenges and opportunities do you see for Stryza?
Max: Currently, our main focus is on product development and especially on skills management. We want to use our platform to improve work processes, instructions and training opportunities for manufacturing employees. The challenge is to balance different aspects such as technical levels, methodological elements and individual design freedom. In addition to these internal challenges, we also see external factors such as inflation and energy crisis weighing on the process industry. We are working to find suitable partners to drive our iterations and validations. However, the current situation has made it difficult to attract companies to innovation topics.
Simon: Despite these challenges, why should companies definitely work with Stryza? What is your USP?
Max: We enable manufacturing companies to be more agile, dynamic and flexible. Especially in times of crisis, when production plans have to be rewritten or employees are absent, it is crucial to be able to use resources more efficiently and deploy them more flexibly. Stryza offers companies the opportunity to successfully meet these challenges. We not only digitise knowledge, but also present it in various forms to ensure that it is accessible and understandable to employees.
"Wattx helped us build the company and guided us on the way to becoming an independent company." 〜 Max
Simon: That sounds really important, especially given the current changes in the labour market. How did wattx support you during the start-up process?
Max: Wattx was a great help for us. They not only offered professional support and a strong network, but also the opportunity to go through the start-up process in a structured environment. We were able to benefit from the experience and knowledge of other startups and experts. We also had access to key partners and were able to get early feedback and validation from manufacturing companies. Wattx helped us build the company and guided us on the way to becoming an independent company.
Simon: I am of course pleased to hear that we were able to support them with our network and expertise.How do you see the future of Stryza in the next three years?
Max: Our goal is to achieve a significant market share and to implement our solutions in many German manufacturing companies. When I go to the supermarket, I would be happy to know that 20-30% of the products are made with the support of Stryza. We want to become an indispensable partner for the manufacturing industry, helping to optimise the work process and empowering employees to perform even complex tasks with ease.
Simon: Finally, how do you see the future of wattx in the next three years?
Max: I hope that wattx will continue to be an innovation driver in the German SME sector. I see enormous potential there, but the necessary openness to experimentation and new approaches is often lacking. Wattx can act as an enabler and support companies in implementing innovative solutions. I hope that wattx will become even more prominent in the coming years and can further expand its role as a community builder and platform for German SMEs.
We would like to thank Max Steinhoff for his time and the interesting insights into the founding of Stryza and the influence of wattx on his entrepreneurial journey. We are excited about the future of Stryza and look forward to following their story further.