Deal Makers (& Fakers) Podcast · 2026-05-15 · 43 min
The wellness industry is growing rapidly, with unique sensory innovations now leading the way in sleep health. In this episode, Niclas Schlöpsna, Managing Partner at spectup, sits down with Dr. Emanuela Maggioni, CEO of Hynt Labs , to discuss how a sophisticated lab project secured €4.5M in total capital. Thanks for reading Deal Makers (& Fakers)! This post is public so feel free to share it. Emanuela, an expert with 20 years of experience in olfactory science and neuroscience, shares her journey from researching at Sussex and University College London (UCL) to leading a high-growth deep-tech company. We explore how Hynt Labs utilises real-time scent interventions to optimise sleep stages by integrating via APIs with established wearables like: Oura, Samsung Watch, and WHOOP. What You Will Learn? - The €4.5M Funding Strategy : How Hynt Labs combined €3.5M in equity and €1 M (£1M) in research grants. - The Pivot to Sleep Tech : Why moving from general sensory widgets to targeted sleep intervention was the key to commercial success. - Davos & Global Marketing : How demonstrating technology at the World Economic Forum acted as a massive growth multiplier.
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She raised €4.5M without giving equity.