UMANE · STRATEGIC DESIGN
Building a business. Making it human.
Umane began with Eric Blaser’s vision. Through strategic sparring with him and the founding team, I helped shape the business, connecting brand, strategy and operations. My wife Anita and I are also investors.
- PROJECT
- Umane
- MY ROLE
- Brand & business strategy Early operations & agile coaching Sales & digital strategy
- WITH
- Eric, Hendrik, Julia & Silvan · founding team Anita Tillmann · strategic perspective & network MoreSleep · visual identity UndPlus · spatial brand experience Ben · digital strategy Kevin · hospitality
CHALLENGE
Sports science. For lasting health.
Umane combines sports science, personal coaching and data to help people stay healthy. The challenge: turn these insights into a personal health plan that people can keep following in everyday life.
THE STRATEGIC IDEA
Technology for human connection.
Eric brought the original idea. In our strategic dialogue, I introduced the hospitality perspective: personal care builds trust and helps people follow their health plan. Adherence became the focus, with AI creating more room for human connection.
ONE CONTINUOUS CUSTOMER JOURNEY
The next step. Always in view.
My focus was to explore how personal care could scale through digitalisation. Together with Eric and Ben, I developed a customer journey that brings digital services and in-person care together into one coherent experience.
The best coach is not one person.
Eric’s idea sits at the heart of the product vision: an aligned team, with the client at the centre. We shaped the experience around that principle, bringing different areas of expertise together to support each person’s progress.
Ben Mateev: from strategy to product.
Ben leads the implementation of the digital strategy. He turns our shared direction into a robust digital product, with privacy, reliability and a clear user experience at its core.
A human view of performance.
The brand brings scientific precision together with warmth. Its photography makes movement, effort and human connection tangible.
BUILDING THE FOUNDATIONS
Brand, business and the way it works.
I developed the name Umane and secured umane.com. In sparring with Eric, I connected the shift from Berlin Athletic with brand, business and operations.
Anita Tillmann has been essential to the project. She brought her network, entrepreneurial vision and thoughtful, constructive criticism, helping us sharpen the direction and move the business forward.
I also brought Ben into the project for digital strategy and Kevin for hospitality.
From strategy to identity.
I brought MoreSleep into the project. Together, we translated the brand strategy into a visual identity, connecting scientific precision with a warm, human character.
BRINGING THE BRAND INTO THE ROOM
A place that feels like Umane.
UndPlus joined at my invitation to translate the strategy into space. With Eric and the founding team, we aligned architecture and the customer journey around the same purpose: helping people stay with their plan.
RESULT
Strategic design in practice.
One direction for brand, business and experience. After the build-up phase, I stepped back from daily involvement. My wife Anita and I remain connected to Umane as investors.
Photography: Lukas Piel
Next project
KEYNOTE PRODUCTION
Personio
I led the creative production of Personio’s flagship keynote, from story and visuals to speaker coaching and stage direction.