🦥 #17 How Stefanie Broes Turned a Personal Sleep Problem Into a Global Hit With moonbird

Today

• ✋ Antwerpreneur: Stefanie Broes

• 🍦 Scoop: Music Map

• 🧃 Giggle Juice: By Twonks

• 💎 Quiz Question: Which country averages the least sleep per night?

✋ Antwerpreneur: Stefanie Broes

At 2am, Stefanie would lie in bed unable to sleep, going through every solution she could find. Apps, devices, breathing techniques. Nothing worked.

Five years later, her search for a solution became moonbird, a palm-sized breathing companion that has sold over 60,000 units worldwide. 

Forbes named it one of the top 5 brands to watch. TIME called it one of the best inventions of the year. Wired selected it as one of the best sleep gadgets.

A Snapshot of moonbird

• Founded: 2019

• Founders: Stefanie Broes (CEO) and Michael Broes (CFO and CTO)

• Headquarters: Antwerp, Belgium

• Business: A handheld breathing companion

• Raised: $2.2M

The Origin Story: When Apps Fail You

Before moonbird existed, Stefanie was like millions of others using Headspace and Calm to try to fall asleep.

She loved the apps, but here's the thing: if you can't sleep, the last thing you want is to use your phone.

She tried other solutions. There was this device called Dodow. A light metronome that guides your breathing. The problem? The light kept her awake.

That's when she had her "duh" moment: What about touch?

Kids have teddy bears. Adults hug each other.

She dove into neuroscience and found out that touch is one of the oldest forms of communication, requiring minimal brain energy to process. A psychologist friend confirmed it: When someone with anxiety or OCD gets triggered, holding something grounds them.

The product idea was obvious: A device that expands and contracts, guiding your breathing through touch.

She looked online. Nothing existed. Blue ocean.

From Avocado to Prototype

Stefanie started brainstorming with her brother Michael in their kitchen, experimenting with fruit from a basket.

They held different fruits, feeling textures and weights. The avocado felt the right choice.

They partnered with a product development agency to bring the concept to life. 

The first prototype looked like "two computer mice facing opposite directions." The second was much closer to their current version. They created a landing page so people could pre-order in March 2020. One week before COVID lockdowns began.

Accidentally, the timing was perfect. Everyone was stressed and stuck at home.

Nine months later, they shipped their first units.

Then the real adventure began.

The Sleepy moonbird Moment

When they scaled from 0 to 250 units, they discovered a critical bug in 10% of their early bird devices. They called it the ‘Sleepy moonbird’.

When the battery hit 5%, the device would shut down. When users charged it, it never came back to life.

Most companies would ship replacement units and call it customer service. Stefanie and Michael did something different: 

"We drove to the houses of those persons and opened the moonbird to reset the battery and start new software. Visiting these homes created a close emotional connection with early adopters."

They turned a product failure into relationship building.

Handling a Global Supply Chain

Today, moonbird manufactures their components in different locations around the world but they are assembled in their Antwerp office.

But getting there meant surviving a series of supply chain challenges:

• COVID sensor shortages (their biofeedback sensors were the same ones hospitals desperately needed for oxygen saturation monitoring)

• Ukrainian factory bombings (their springs were made there)

• The complexity of 46 components coming from different suppliers (if one is missing, no device)

Most startups would have died. But Stefanie's PhD experience had taught her to treat obstacles as problems to solve, not reasons to quit. Her advisor had encouraged a "no boundaries" mindset: always take the next step, find connections, work in small increments toward your goal.

"Doing a PhD is somehow similar to being a founder in the beginning. You have to continuously push yourself, not seeing obstacles but problems you can solve."

This persistence paid off.

They doubled revenue year over year while working closely with Living Labs, especially with LiCaLab, to test products with real users, collect feedback, and adjust rapidly. Preventing costly production changes later.

The Sibling Advantage

Co-founding with her brother wasn't planned, but it created the perfect partnership.

Michael brings a finance background and mechanical skills, inventing the algorithms for heart rate variability (HRV) measurements and patenting the technology. Stefanie handles marketing, science, and branding.

The key? Zero ego.

"When we have a serious discussion or debate about strategy or vision, if someone is right, it's okay because we'll benefit together."

After five years, they noticed they were overlapping roles. They’re now going back to their original strengths, each playing to their natural talents.

From Device to Ecosystem: The moonbuddy Discovery

The shift from single product to full ecosystem came from an unexpected source: kids grabbing their parents' moonbirds.

Parents reported that their children loved having a "bird" breathing in their palm. This insight led to moonbuddy. A screen-free way for children to self-regulate.

Turning Returns Into Impact

Returned moonbirds don't go to waste. They’re donated to research projects or schools for free.

“At schools, when kids feel overwhelmed, they have to leave the classroom to talk to someone. But with moonbird, they can calm down right at their desk without missing class, and they even ask for it themselves.”

The results surprised everyone. Today, schools across Belgium and the USA participate in the program. They have a simple form where schools can apply for free devices.

It's a perfect example of turning a business challenge into social impact.

Protecting Innovation: The Patent Strategy

moonbirds and moonbuddies look simple, but the technology inside is protected by smart engineering.

The moonbird has a sensitive motor inside, so squeezing too hard could affect how it works. That’s why they added a hinge system that flips the motor out of the way when too much pressure is applied, keeping it safe.

The moonbuddy uses an airbag system that inflates and deflates but it’s noisy. Currently, they're working on a third technology that will make them completely silent.

These aren't just features, they're patents that protect market position.

Building Culture: The Lovewall

In their Slack, they have a channel called "lovewall" where customer support posts positive messages about the product. The whole team celebrates every win.

Simple. Effective. Keeps everyone focused on the mission.

The Funding Reality Check

Despite selling more than 60,000 units and achieving positive EBITDA and ROI, raising their current round has been more complicated than expected.

Their American VC strategy wasn't just about capital, it was about market access. But current market conditions, where the American government prioritizes American jobs and businesses, have made this path challenging. So, they're now looking at European VCs.

Hardware-focused investors are very niche and move slower than the fast-money software or AI world. But, Stefanie and Michael are confident they'll close the fundraising round this year.

The Future: Where Hardware Meets Software

Their vision for the next two years is clear: launching a software product and expanding internationally.

Two big growth opportunities:

1. Nailing the go-to-market strategy in the US market: Potentially through high-visibility TV opportunities like Shark Tank for nationwide exposure and distribution partnerships.

2. AI-powered software: An intelligent app delivering personalized sessions based on historical, contextual, and biometric data. The app will be downloadable independently, with moonbird as an optional premium upgrade, creating a new revenue stream while maintaining their hardware focus.

Six Lessons for Entrepreneurs

Stefanie’s biggest lessons:

1. A bit of naivety can be an advantage: When starting a business, not knowing every challenge in advance can actually help. It keeps you from overthinking and gives you the courage to take the first step.

2. Having a co-founder makes the journey easier: Building something solo is hard. With a co-founder, you can rely on each other. When one goes on holiday, the other will keep the business moving forward.

3. Your network is one of your best resources: Surrounding yourself with people on a similar path saves time and helps you learn faster. Sharing experiences and advice can help you avoid common mistakes.

4. Big goals become achievable when broken down: Almost anything feels doable when you take it step by step.

5. Start by solving your own frustration: Great ideas often come from personal experience. If something doesn’t work for you, chances are others feel the same. 

6. Batch production helps you stay flexible: Producing in small batches makes it easier to spot problems early and improve along the way without having to make major changes later.

   

   Tenor

Finding Calm in Poetry

For Stefanie, poetry is something she enjoys every now and then. 

When she’s feeling calm and at ease, she naturally finds herself drawn to reading or writing poems. 

In those moments, the words flow easily, and she’s reminded of how much she loves it.

The True Measure of Success

For her, success isn't measured only in units sold or revenue. It is the impact on human lives and having people say that moonbird have changed their lives. 

“Someone said it was the first time for them knowing how it feels to be relaxed. For me, it's incredible to help a person unlock these things. This is why we are doing this.”

The best businesses solve your own problem first, then scale that solution to others.

And maybe, the real measure of success isn’t revenue or units sold. It’s coming home after a long day, opening a book and feeling, finally, at ease.

Stefanie’s Recommendations

• People to follow: Valeria Lipovetsky and Lenny Rachitsky

• Podcast: Limited Supply by Nick Sharma, Lenny’s Podcast, Not Alone by Valeria Lipovetsky, and How I AI by Claire Vo

• Books: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor, and Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker 

• Current song on repeat: Bloom - Maribou State

• Favorite place in Antwerp: Café Kamiel

Antwerpreneur-to-Antwerpreneur Q&A

We often forget why we started doing it and what we wanted to achieve. What’s your why?

Stefanie’s answer: “My why is helping people understand that you can use your breath as a tool to change how you feel, how you sleep, and how you regulate your emotions.”

Where can you find Stefanie?

You can find her on LinkedIn and Instagram!

🍦 Scoop

If you’re in the mood to expand your music taste, check out The Music Map
Just type in your favorite artist or band, and it’ll show you a constellation of similar musicians to explore.

🧃 Giggle Juice

🚆 

💎 Quiz Question

Which of the following countries averages the least sleep per night?

A) South Korea

B) Saudi Arabia

C) Japan

D) Singapore

_{You can find the answer at the end}