Acoustic design solutions made from circular materials 

Sustainability at the core of the business

It became what Jeffrey, with his architectural background, and Sven, with his experience in corporate office design, wanted to pursue. "It wasn't either the design or the eco-friendliness that was important to us. It was the combination of design and a sustainable business that we found intriguing", explains Sven Erni, Co-Founder and CEO of Impact Acoustic.

Company culture has enabled success

With this idea in their first three years, they have already built a solid business, including their own production site with 40 employees, an acoustic brand with furniture and lighting series, and a profitable business case. These achievements were more than timing and luck. Building a great team and investing in a strong company culture was hard work. "From an employee perspective, I find company culture majorly important. Our team has a lot of work to do, but we all believe in the vision, and have a shared goal in mind”, says Nando Schoch, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer. "We also have a great fail culture that allows us to try new things, and if it doesn't work, we adjust quickly thanks to short decision ways."

 The expert feedback from the SEF.Growth programme also praises the team, saying: "In the Swiss startup world, it is rare to see a team that works so well together and has achieved such rapid growth and market success. The team has done everything right, and the track record proves it."

Products meet today's needs

Today, the company offers a range of standard products, from simple partitions to complex ceiling structures, as well as bespoke solutions designed using algorithms to meet the exact specifications of its customers. Soon, Impact Acoustic will add products to its portfolio that are made from circular cotton. "At the end of the material's life cycle, we can mix it with water, dissolve it and press it in new forms. With that, we can produce products countless times without losing material during the process", he adds proudly. In parallel, they experiment with recycled nylon materials.

All products are available in a carefully selected range of colors, allowing architects and interior designers to customize their solutions to suit their interior design preferences. This meets today's needs well. Back then, offices just needed to provide minimum equipment, but nowadays, employers are expected to provide working environments that enable creative teamwork and focus work.

A game changer was the covid pandemic when people in office jobs learned to appreciate working from home to avoid being interrupted by a busy environment and noise from colleagues' calls and meetings. Big companies understood the assignment: "Offices are no more about tables and chairs but creative meeting locations. An appreciable case we have now is the company Philip Morris, which takes it even further: They are aware that jobs in production sites are exposed to even more noise than office jobs. As a result, they are currently investing in a noise-absorbing environment for their employees in their production halls in Bologna", tells Sven Erni.

Next stop: Chicago

The team is proud of its accomplishments and has convinced the experts of the SEF.Growth programme in almost all aspects. "We had solid answers to all questions – also for the tough ones. That made us feel confident about our further journey", says Sven. "Nonetheless, every discussion was valuable and gave us an opportunity to question our strategy early on in this fiscal year." To continue its rapid growth, Impact Acoustic will benefit from the SEF.Growth label and from the opportunity to speak at the SEF conference. 

Another milestone following soon will be the official entry into the US market, for which part of the team will travel to Chicago. One can conclude that this team gets anything done rapidly for circularity and high-quality acoustic design solutions.