VoxelSensors’ COVID Founding Story: Turning Market Constraints into Strategic Advantages

The timing couldn’t have seemed worse. Speaking on Category Visionaries, VoxelSensors CEO Johannes Peeters recalled the day he founded the company: “I was at a notary actually signing the deeds to create a company when, just when I left, I started getting calls from friends and family that we needed to go to the grocery store to buy camp food and all the basics that we needed.”

Belgium was about to announce its first COVID lockdown. The three founders had “No office, a bit of money, of course, that we put in the company at that time,” and were suddenly “unable to meet with people, were unable to hire people. We were unable to discuss with the investors.”

The Reframe Instead of panic, the team saw opportunity. “Initially, were like, oh, what’s happening? But then we realized, hey, this is actually pretty nice for us,” Johannes shared. The lockdown created a unique space for foundational work without external pressure.

“We can have a quiet start, meaning we can really put the foundations of the company in place, find a couple of patents, look at or scout the world, look at what kind of investors we would be looking at, what kind of people we would hire, what kind of team we would like to build.”

The Strategic Advantage This forced quiet period proved invaluable. “We had no pressure from investors. We had no external pressure, no customer pressure. We could really do that at our own pace, and we use that time quite efficiently and in a good way.”

The team used those first six months to build the company’s skeleton. As Johannes explained, they focused on “no longer establish the company, because that was done, but really to create the skeleton of what we wanted company to look like.”

The Post-Lockdown Launch When restrictions lifted, VoxelSensors was ready. “Then, of course, the moment the lockdowns were reversed and we could meet again and see people, we had that foundation, and then we could go out, search for investments, really hire the team.”

This methodical approach meant “the real development started only at the end of that year. So, good. Eight months later.” But those eight months of foundation-building proved crucial for their later success.

Key Lessons from the COVID Launch

1. Market constraints can create strategic space for foundational work
2. External pressure reduction allows for more thoughtful company building
3. Focus on infrastructure before scaling operations
4. Use forced slowdowns to perfect your strategy
5. Build your foundation before seeking external validation

The Results Today, VoxelSensors has 16 employees and partnerships with major tech companies and manufacturers. Their COVID founding story shows how external constraints, while challenging, can create the perfect conditions for building something revolutionary – if you’re willing to embrace them.

The lesson for founders? Sometimes the worst possible timing can actually be the best, creating space for the kind of foundational work that’s often rushed in normal circumstances.