We are Sphaira

The world of Sphaira is created by a global team of experts with specialties in autonomous mobility, medical technology and innovation, based in Berlin, Germany and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since our founding in 2020, we have grown to a team of 12 representing eight different nationalities.  

Our name, Sphaira, derived from Ancient Greek, echoes today in words such as “atmosphere,” “biosphere,” and simply “sphere”—each reflecting the protection of our world’s diversity. Since our roots lie in protecting and assisting isolation patients and their loved ones, Sphaira is the perfect name for us.

Sphaira also symbolizes our habitat—earth, and that shapes our core values. We are dedicated to fostering community, promoting mobility, driving impact, and safeguarding our shared home.

Founder story

Janis began his career as a software engineer before becoming an entrepreneur, founding his first company in 2001. He deepened his understanding of business fundamentals through completing his MBA at Germany’s #1 school for Entrepreneurship, HHL Leipzig and spent 3-years working on M&A in New York City. 

Janis returned to Germany in 2017 to focus on startups and innovation in the DeepTech space. His passion lies at the intersection of healthcare and technology. In 2020, he founded Sphaira, integrating Germany’s rich mobility heritage with cutting-edge tech theory.

About our name

A sphaira, derived from the ancient Greek, is an orb and symbol of power. Because of the essential power of human connection and MOBY’s spherical shape made this the right name for us.

Meet the team

Dr. Marie Klopp

Medical Advisor

Janis Münch

Founder & CEO

Dr. Navid Nourani Vatani

CTO

Dr. Alex Kozlenok

Head of Hardware

Dr. Golo von Basum

Head of Quality & Regulatory

Tim Schnieder

Head of Supply Chain

Julian Schulz-von Siemens

Chief of Staff

Blesswin Dmello

Design Engineer

Lily Geyle

Design Engineer

Camilo Carmona Sanchez

Robotics Engineer

Ganesh Thimmankatti

Robotics Intern

Greta Rennert

Engineering Working Student

Interested in working with us?

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Partners

Partners

Supported by established partners in innovation

We partnered with Medical Park to define the mobility and protection needs of a hospital while refining our early product vision. Medical Park is a private, 3,100 bed hospital system, operating 13 facilities across Germany that specialize in prevention and post-operative rehab.

Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) is Germany’s second largest hospital with 2,600 beds across its two campuses. Our partnership will span across two phases, first utilizing our P1 device to transport infectious patients within their facility and second using our A1 device to transport all non-bedridden patients autonomously.

In Spring 2023 we joined Nvidia’s Inception Program which is designed to help startups have greater access to its cutting-edge technology and its vast network of leaders in the AI space. Nvidia, a driving force behind the AI revolution, will empower our technology as we embark on the journey to create the future of autonomous patient mobility.

Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB) is a development bank and promotional institute of the state of Berlin. A primary focus for IBB is funding innovative, technology-oriented companies based in Berlin. The IBB was a key participant in our seed financing round and a committed partner as we continue to grow in the flourishing Berlin technology ecosystem.

MotionLab is a maker space and hardtech innovation hub in the heart of Berlin which enables innovative mobility companies to collaborate and grow. We are proud to have partnered with MotionLab since 2021 where we built and showcased early prototypes. Their community’s early support was an invaluable launching pad for our technology.