Unesco International Year of Light 2015. A chat with Dresden-based Startup Holy Trinity

HOLY TRINITY Karsten Reichel and Matthias Pinker

- Could you please introduce yourselves?

All started by chance. We, Matthias and myself, used to go out with the same friends, to spent time together, to go skiing and parties together. Our business is actually the story of a friendship long a few years.

Matthias has always been a visionary, a product innovator, passionate for design. Me, on the contrary, I have always had a passion for strategy and business administration. From a mere professional point of view we are completely different but for our business our skills match perfectly.   

- How did the business start?

At that time I lived in Berlin. I was working for a company in the communication field. 

One day my "old" friend Matthias came to me with an idea one has only once in a life time. He said to me, "Look Karsten, either I bring my idea into life now or I will regret it forever." Matthias' idea hit me, it was just brilliant. 

It was about re-shaping the interaction between consumer and product, letting them play together and bringing out the best of both. It was the light, a key element for life in general and, in particular, to improve our physical and psycological well-being. Since the lamps, as we all know them, have been created, we could decide to switch them on or off, to direct the beam in a direction or in another. Now we can decide to move the light beam from the right to the left or viceversa, or to focus it in the middle, without the need to move the lamp itself. The beam positioning chances are more or less infinite. And there is more, being Matthias an innovator, he wanted for his interactive-light-idea an innovative product: LED. So we had two men, an innovative product and a crazy idea. A good mix to start a start-up!

HOLY TRINITY led suspension Light KALA at Factorberlin

- How far have you gone since then?

Since the time Matthias told me about his idea, back in 2009/10 we have taken part to many competitions here in Dresden-Saxony where our start-up is based as well as worldwide and won different awards (winner 2010 of the reddot design award, Publikumpreis at the IFA USABILITY PARK 2012, Nominee at the German Desing Awards 2012, Core77 Design Awards). We are partners in international projects and our lights reached customers in America and Asia and of course also in Europe. 

At the moment our lights are making a 3-years world tour with the exhibition called "Handmade in Germany " a unique chance offered to 150 German manufactures, craftsmen and designers to show their masterpieces. We have also an office and a showroom in Berlin.

- What is your Unique Selling Proposition?

HOLY TRINITY AREA gesture controlled light

The light-beam of our lights easily adjustable and 100% intuitive is at least for the time being our

USP. In the coming future we are moving into the Internet of Things #IoT. We are already testing our lights to be fully controlled using a mobile app., comfortably sitting on the sofa. Dresden has a long tradition in optic and optical applications. The city is also known as #SmartcityDresden and we want our lights to be part of this vision.

Moreover, we can fix our lights in ceilings and walls, and produce them in different shapes and colours. Our lights are made to meet the needs of families as well as of companies and facilities.

HOLY TRINITY led table light RIMA

They combine top quality materials and technologies with innovation and design. This is Made in Germany and locally. 

Please visit our webside as well as our Facebook page and Twitter to know more about us.