Creative, exciting and interactive – a learning experience that encourages and inspires children, completely without a screen.
The core team behind Ohrlaf
We are not just founders – we are also parents. The motivation for Ohrlaf comes directly from our daily lives: we want to develop a toy that challenges, excites and inspires our children, without putting them in front of a screen.
Kilian
As a father and tinkerer, he brings together the team behind Ohrlaf, further develops the idea and the product, and ensures a clear direction for Ohrlaf.
Anastasia
As a product designer, she gave the character Ohrlaf its current form, led the design team, and bundled all creative ideas.
She is a Swiss Army knife and involved in many areas of Ohrlaf.
Mark
With his many years of start-up experience, Mark complements the team in the areas of firmware and production. As a father, he can also directly test the latest features, combining technology, know-how, and creativity.
The first electronics are packed in a simple gray Tupperware box. The sounds are sequences of 3 tones from a piezo speaker.
It works and demonstrates the concept. The microcontroller is an Arduino UNO, and three LEDs indicate the status.
White, 3D printed, playing cards... All in one case, with a lid and revised electronics.
Still all hand-soldered and not really reproducible. But that's prototyping.
Nevertheless, "BumbleBeat", as it was then called, was very well received at the Johann-August-Zeune School for Visually Impaired Children, and there were many smiling faces.
That's pure motivation to go full throttle.
It's clear, either go all-in or let it be.
We are applying for the "Founder Institute" Accelerator program in Berlin.
On the agenda are market research, pitch training, and a lot of networking.
With Simon Knittel as a mentor, the new name Liinu (Listen - Interact - Understand) is also established and the shapes & color world defined.
A big step.
We successfully complete FI-Berlin with 7 other startups.
In October, Kilian visits the notary to register Liinu GmbH. Now it's official.
We have many supporters on the electronics side, such as Josef Fendt and Lucas Weidinger.
The electronics are improving, custom-designed and more robust.
At the Allgäu Founders' Stage, with 500 attendees, we secured 2nd place.
The name has to be changed after a trademark lawsuit.
One thing is clear: it has to be nicely edgy and correspond to a character. The character Ohrlaf is created from the ear for hearing and Olaf.
Anastasia supports and coordinates the new product design and attends trade fairs, demonstrations, and tests with over 100 children in kindergartens, interviews, etc.
Colorful, vibrant, and all-inclusive. Children can twist open Ohrlaf, grab the playing cards, and start right away. All in one interactive learning companion.
The concept is extremely popular in daycare centers and with parents, and it's clear: interactive screen-free play is well-received.
Parents constantly wish for new adventures for their children. Educators want content that can be individually adapted to their group.
With Ohrlaf Studio, we make exactly that possible: a platform where stories, learning games, and soundscapes for Ohrlaf can be created and shared.
The closed test phase with initial daycare centers and families is currently underway – open access for creators and educational institutions will follow in 2025. This way, Ohrlaf grows step by step from a box into a creative learning ecosystem.
The first electronics are packed in a simple gray Tupperware box. The sounds are sequences of 3 tones from a piezo speaker.
It works and demonstrates the concept. The microcontroller is an Arduino UNO, and three LEDs indicate the status.
White, 3D printed, playing cards... All in one case, with a lid and revised electronics.
Still all hand-soldered and not really reproducible. But that's prototyping.
Nevertheless, "BumbleBeat", as it was then called, was very well received at the Johann-August-Zeune School for Visually Impaired Children, and there were many smiling faces.
That's pure motivation to go full throttle.
It's clear, either go all-in or let it be.
We are applying for the "Founder Institute" Accelerator program in Berlin.
On the agenda are market research, pitch training, and a lot of networking.
With Simon Knittel as a mentor, the new name Liinu (Listen - Interact - Understand) is also established and the shapes & color world defined.
A big step.
We successfully complete FI-Berlin with 7 other startups.
In October, Kilian visits the notary to register Liinu GmbH. Now it's official.
We have many supporters on the electronics side, such as Josef Fendt and Lucas Weidinger.
The electronics are improving, custom-designed and more robust.
At the Allgäu Founders' Stage, with 500 attendees, we secured 2nd place.
The name has to be changed after a trademark lawsuit.
One thing is clear: it has to be nicely edgy and correspond to a character. The character Ohrlaf is created from the ear for hearing and Olaf.
Anastasia supports and coordinates the new product design and attends trade fairs, demonstrations, and tests with over 100 children in kindergartens, interviews, etc.
Colorful, vibrant, and all-inclusive. Children can twist open Ohrlaf, grab the playing cards, and start right away. All in one interactive learning companion.
The concept is extremely popular in daycare centers and with parents, and it's clear: interactive screen-free play is well-received.
Parents constantly wish for new adventures for their children. Educators want content that can be individually adapted to their group.
With Ohrlaf Studio, we make exactly that possible: a platform where stories, learning games, and soundscapes for Ohrlaf can be created and shared.
The closed test phase with initial daycare centers and families is currently underway – open access for creators and educational institutions will follow in 2025. This way, Ohrlaf grows step by step from a box into a creative learning ecosystem.