The first solution to track breathing during activity with standard headphones, which enables superior training advice.
The BreezeLabs Team
- Can you tell us about your company and your role in it? How did you come up with the idea?
- What challenges did you face in the early stages of your startup, and how did you overcome them?
- What advice would you give to other startup founders preparing to pitch at SICTIC?
- What impact did the funding from SICTIC investors have on your startup’s growth?
- What stage is your company currently in, and what are your plans for the future?
Can you tell us about your company and your role in it? How did you come up with the idea?
What inspired you to start this business, and what problem are you aiming to solve?
BreezeLabs was founded by Matthias Heuberegr (CEO) and Patrick Helfenstein (CTO). The idea originated during Matthias’ role at the Center for Digital Health Interventions (ETH Zürich and University of St.Gallen), where research explored how breathing could be detected using a smartphone.
As a passionate runner, Matthias often noticed people training with headphones while listening to music or podcasts. This sparked the idea of tracking breathing during running. The more he learned about the importance of breathing in sports and health, the more he became hooked. For example, breathing data can make high-intensity interval training easier to track — something existing hardware struggles to do. Matthias recalls his frustration when his wearable described a tough interval session as “very easy.” BreezeLabs aims to close this gap by providing accurate breathing-based performance insights.
What challenges did you face in the early stages of your startup, and how did you overcome them?
Were there any particular strategies or resources that played a crucial role in your success?
There was no single challenge that stood out; instead, it was the combination of typical startup hurdles — scarce resources, limited time, high uncertainty, fundraising, and the development of a new technology. Managing all these aspects within a small team has been the main challenge in itself.
What advice would you give to other startup founders preparing to pitch at SICTIC?
Based on your experience, what do you think are the key factors for a successful pitch and securing investment?
Before applying to pitch, we attended a SICTIC pitch event ourselves to see how other startups presented and to understand their stage of development. This gave us valuable insight into when it would be the right time for us to pitch. Attending also enabled us to start important conversations and connect with the right people early on.
What impact did the funding from SICTIC investors have on your startup’s growth?
Could you share specific milestones or achievements that were made possible by the investment? Please also mention how Angel Investors of SICTIC helped.
The group of investors from SICTIC were the first to invest in BreezeLabs — and the first investor is always critical to kickstart the process and build credibility with subsequent investors. Their support was therefore key. Beyond funding, the investors provided connections to relevant industry players, valuable feedback, and even assisted with data collection and product testing.
What stage is your company currently in, and what are your plans for the future?
Tell us about your exit strategy, further growth, or exploring new markets and opportunities?
We are currently focused on bringing our product from MVP stage to a robust solution ready for market adoption. Our immediate priority is to secure a second B2B customer and convert pilot projects into recurring license deals. Looking ahead, we see a long development pipeline with opportunities in both sports and health sectors. For now, however, we remain focused on endurance sports, where we see strong potential for impact and adoption.