Urban Koshale and Kristjan Stopar, two friends from high school, decided in their teens to start a business together. They didn't know what they would develop or how they would sell it, but they were determined that they would definitely create together. Even as they were starting their first job, they reminded each other of their commitment - one day they would create a successful business together.

Urban studied electrical engineering at FERIJ and is an engineer who develops and looks at a product from multiple perspectives, from mechanics to code. But with Kristjan, who studied computer science, you know his area of strength from the first minute of the conversation - a salesman who is extremely good at moving these products and bringing them to the masses. An ideal combination.

First projects

Already in high school, they embarked on their first joint project - making a CNC machine. "We had no idea how to make such a machine." But I guess it can be done... And they started, step by step. First, they bought the materials. 600 euros. "For two high school students, when we didn't have money for burek, that was a fortune. Everything we had." The material arrived, there was no turning back. Next - researching how to do it. Kristjan took care of the software, Urban the hardware. In the end, they put together a very solid CNC machine called Eggy (don't ask where the name came from, they're creative). They repeated the process, created Eggy 2.0 and sold it very solidly. 

Then they made a dog bowl, which tries to keep the water at the ideal temperature, both in summer when it's warming up and in winter when it's freezing. Hot dog cup. "We both have a dog. During a severe winter, the dog's water froze and we thought, how could this container heat itself..." But at the time, they admit, they were not mature enough to go into business. But they did get the two dogs a frying pan. 

The project that produced the most results was glasses for the blind. They have also invited Pio Žnidaršič. They have made goggles that use sensors to capture space and interpret it for the wearer via vibration motors on the belt. They have won several competitions with this project: ZOTKS Slovenia, IEEE Slovenia, IEEE Region 8, and also presented the glasses at Expo in Abu Dhabi.

Why did they stop? "Maths can be quite cruel, well, first of all, it doesn't spar. He tells it like it is. We had to face the truth and pour ourselves some pure Dolenjska wine. That is not going to work in the long term. Google, Apple, Facebook and similar giants have been making great strides in artificial intelligence, machine learning and computer vision. So we have assessed that our device will probably never come to the prominence that it might otherwise have.

Problem - Solution: the Humanodoro

When you have an entrepreneurial spirit, you are constantly sensing people's problems and finding solutions to them. They have seen more than clearly that people have a growing and stronger dependence on the phone. "We were also starting from ourselves," they are honest. The worst thing is that children are suffering more and more from this addiction. They started researching the field, from psychology, to addiction, to how dopamine works ..." 

Then came the idea for a device to help you beat your phone addiction. A mat to put your phone on, and an app that rewards you for the minutes your phone is away from your hands. 

They initially conceived of an extremely complex product, but quickly realised that it made no sense, either in terms of usability or cost of production. They followed the idea that simple the best. 

They started to simplify. Wood, cork, chip and an app with gamification and a reward system that is attractive and easy to use. 

(They are amazing with their choice of names. The username of one of the test accounts in the app is called Funny Giraffe. Where did the name come from? "Moss, we have a giraffe with a lantern on the table. It does look funny." Funny Giraffe.)

The reward system is key to the app. "If you take away the one addiction that fills you with dopamine, there will be a void. So you have to give something on the other side. Whether it's a punishment or a reward." Initially, they had the idea of getting money for a certain number of minutes on the phone on the mat, which is a powerful motivator, but there were endless legal problems with that, so they decided to go for the Doro token. So, as the minutes accumulate and your phone sits untouched on its cradle, you earn chips to enter prize draws. The prizes are designed to encourage people to maximise their potential. For example, books. 

"Two hours of book reading a day will certainly be much more productive than two hours of scrolling after TikTok."

In February 2024, they both open a company Humanodoro. Humano - humanity; doro - a gift from God. "All future products will also be made with the idea of contributing to the maximisation of human potential."

Why entrepreneurship?

"I was happy at work, but not really happy. When I have a vision in my head that I want to put into practice, every step towards it is nowhere more evident than in my own company. Because I didn't have that opportunity as an employee of a company, and the more I got promoted, the more I was suffocated by the thought: 'Fuck, I could have done this on my own'," says Kristjan. 

Why Urban? "Freedom. I love developing products. In a job I don't have the opportunity to be there from the very beginning of the development of an idea, and then all the little steps to the final result - you can only experience that by doing it yourself."

"Yes, jack of all trades, master of none," smiles Kristjan. "In the beginning, you are on your own for everything, with pros and cons. But that's what gives you a holistic view, so you understand the world a little better. I mean, once you understand that, you see that you're very green, that you have no idea about anything... Then come the struggles with yourself, to convince yourself that you're not faceless and worthless because you're not an expert... But all of that together, in the end, enriches and shapes you."

That's why entrepreneurship. 

Vision

They say they are perfectly aligned in vision and therefore equal owners of the company. But what is this final vision? 

"To make a strong impactto know in your heart that you are helping to expand humanity to other planets. This is our dream. That our company will be seen as one of those that will help humanity get to the next level. It's not measured in money. Of course I want to be a billionaire, but not for the yachts, but to have the influence to build this vision with this mass of money and people."

Advice for beginners?

What advice would you give to those who have a good idea but don't dare to embark on the entrepreneurial path? "Perhaps our only regret is that we didn't start earlier. You never know if it's the right time or not. In the end, you see that it's not Forumsexactly how you are going to do something, just throw yourself in the water. We overcomplicated things in the beginning, we almost did a PhD in overthinkingbefore we made the company. No, just go, see what you need to learn, what you need to fix. So - come on, try it as soon as you've got Chance. Don't complicate things too much."

See more at Humanodoro.com