Case 2
OOONO
From a Bold Idea to Europe’s Next Potential Unicorn
“You don’t discover whether a product works by perfecting it on your laptop. You discover it by putting it into the world.” — Christian Walther Øyrabø, Founder & CEO, OOONO
Christian Walther Øyrabø has entrepreneurship in his DNA, and in 2017 he founded OOONO – a Danish tech company dedicated to creating products that make everyday life safer, both in public spaces and on the road. Their first product, the OOONO Co-Driver No. 1, began as a tech-based replacement for flashing headlights or honking: a community-driven device that enables drivers to share traffic information effortlessly, without stress or noise.
What started as a small hardware experiment has today become a rapidly growing international tech company. OOONO reported 583.45 million DKK in revenue in its latest financial year (2024) — an extraordinary achievement for a company not yet a decade old. From the very beginning, Christian carried one clear ambition:
He wanted to build a Danish unicorn.
What once seemed unrealistic to many is now well within reach.
When Ambition Becomes a Driver
OOONO was founded in August 2017, and Christian quickly realised that timing would determine everything. There was a narrow window of opportunity — if OOONO didn’t scale fast, larger competitors would soon claim the space.
From day one, Christian embraced a mindset many founders struggle with:
launch early, listen, repair, improve.
Rather than waiting for perfection, OOONO released a product that worked “well enough,” accepted flaws publicly, and iterated rapidly. This philosophy — learning in real time instead of behind closed doors — has shaped OOONO’s evolution from a small Danish startup to an international scaleup.
Behind the product stood a deeply personal ambition: to become a unicorn. For years, the goal sounded naïve to some. But Christian refused to let other people’s opinions — or the Danish “Jantelov” — limit how big he allowed himself to think. That ambition pulled the company forward, even when the journey felt uncertain.
From Startup to Scaleup
The transformation from startup to scaleup became clear when OOONO’s products began taking off outside Denmark. Today, 95% of OOONO’s customers are international, and the company’s strongest markets include Germany, Italy, the UK, and France — supported by a powerful Amazon-based go-to-market strategy.
OOONO expanded its product portfolio beyond traffic safety, developing technologies that enhance personal safety and convenience. One example is Joule, their MedTech defibrillator, reflecting the company’s mission to improve everyday security in society.
Scaling also required confronting Europe’s regulatory reality. As Christian shared during a panel discussion, at a EU attaches visit at OOONO this June, hosted by Danish Entrepreneurs:
- Europe’s regulation is heavier than other regions, making innovation and scaling more difficult.
- OOONO’s traffic alarm is semi-illegal in Germany, despite contributing to safer driving — a clear example of good intentions meeting regulatory complexity.
- Fragmented legal frameworks across EU member states make it challenging to scale consistently within Europe.
- The “iron blanket” around European data restricts innovation, even when companies — like OOONO — deeply value data protection.
Despite these challenges, Christian remained committed to building from Europe. OOONO aims to keep development and production within the EU, though global competitiveness increasingly tests that ambition.
Challenges, Learnings and the Myth of Luck
From the outside, OOONO’s journey may look like a story of perfect timing and luck. Christian strongly rejects that narrative.
He comes from ordinary circumstances, with no unique advantages. That is exactly why it frustrates him when people frame his success as luck. In his view:
Luck begins when you leave the front door.
Momentum is created when you show up — when you work, meet people, build relationships, and act before you feel ready.
OOONO’s growth has included countless obstacles, setbacks, and difficult moments. Christian’s most important lesson is that problems are not signs of failure. They are natural steps on the path to building something big. The winners are the ones who persist — not the ones who start perfectly.
His advice to new founders is simple but demanding:
- Jump before you feel ready.
- Invest yourself fully.
- Accept years of work others don’t want to do.
- Keep moving even when doubt and resistance hit.
These years create the very opportunities that people later label “luck.”
Vision, Purpose and the Road Ahead
Inside OOONO, Christian have cultivated a strong sense of purpose: their work should matter to people’s lives and health. The idea that OOONO’s products make everyday life safer is a powerful motivator – one that keeps the team energised even during demanding growth phases.
Looking ahead, OOONO is focused on:
- Strengthening its global position
- Scaling efficiently across international markets
- Expanding its product portfolio
- Leveraging technology to improve public safety
- Turning the unicorn ambition into reality
The company’s future is built on the same principles that defined its beginnings in 2017: move fast, learn constantly, improve relentlessly, and never shy away from ambition.
As Christian told the group of EU attaches in June: “Growth isn’t optional for tech companies. If you’re not growing, someone else will take your market. Europe needs to consider whether layered regulations are stopping us from building the next generation of global tech leaders.”
OOONO’s story shows what is possible when ambition, discipline and persistence come together – and when a founder dares to believe in a future that others cannot yet see.