This interview was originally published in German and has been machine translated.
Hi Reza, you are a co-founder of Umweltify. What does your start-up actually do?
We are a climate-tech platform. Our core product is called Synergy OS – an operating system for the green economy. It enables companies to capture, transparently report, and reduce their electricity-related emissions across the entire value chain up to 100 times faster than with conventional methods.
Our customers receive automated calculations, clear dashboards, and reporting tools that help them strengthen engagement with their value chain partners (suppliers, employees, and users) while also benefiting economically. For example, a streaming platform can make visible which users are using green electricity and directly reward them in-app.
How would you describe your vision in one sentence?
Our vision is a sustainable world powered by 100% renewable electricity.
What was the trigger or problem that inspired you to found the company?
I was a Senior Energy Advisor to the Minister in Afghanistan. At the time, electricity supply was stagnating at a low level while demand continued to rise. I asked myself how this situation could be improved and noticed that many inefficient electrical devices were in circulation, driving up electricity consumption. Manufacturers profited from selling these products but were not held accountable for their high electricity usage after sale. The question was: why aren’t they being held responsible?
This issue is now one of the most important challenges of the climate crisis. A large share of emissions does not occur in a company’s own production, but along the entire value chain and throughout the product life cycle. Increasingly, legal regulations such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) or supply chain legislation require companies to disclose and reduce these emissions. That is why we developed Umweltify Synergy OS: to give companies the tools they need to take responsibility and implement these requirements efficiently.
What does your team look like today, and how do you complement each other in daily work?
We are a team of two founders. I am a trained electrical engineer with experience in energy and sustainability. My co-founder Saleh is also an electrical engineer, holds an MBA, and has extensive experience in software development. We complement each other very well: I tend to focus more on strategy, while Saleh is more of a hands-on implementer.
How do you experience everyday start-up life between product development, finances, and customer acquisition?
For us, this diversity is exactly what defines start-up life and makes it so exciting. As founders, we are active on many fronts at the same time and take on responsibility in order to build something meaningful in the long term.
What did your personal path into entrepreneurship look like?
In May 2022, I came to Germany after the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan. My wife had already studied at Universität des Saarlandes, and my son and I followed her. At first, I worked as an employee but quickly realized that this was not the right path for me.
I then came across the program “Perspektive Neustart,” which supports migrants in starting their own businesses. I learned German, gained basic knowledge in business administration and entrepreneurship, and built up a network. Through this, I got to know Triathlon and became part of the Saarland start-up ecosystem.
Which personal qualities or mindsets help you most in everyday start-up life?
I believe the most important quality is resilience. Starting a business is not easy – especially as a migrant. You have to be able to make sacrifices without giving up on yourself. That helps you keep looking forward and continue working toward a better future.
Are there any qualities you discovered or perceived differently in yourself during the founding process?
I have learned to make decisions faster and to prioritize more strongly. In a start-up, you constantly switch between strategy and execution. This taught me that pragmatism is often more important than perfection.
What has been your biggest challenge so far, and how did you deal with it?
At the beginning, building credibility was particularly challenging – especially because when you start over in a new country, you lose your entire professional network. You have to rebuild everything from scratch: contacts, trust, and visibility.
Is there a mistake you made early on that you would not repeat today?
In the beginning, we presented Umweltify in a way that was far too technical. We were deeply immersed in the details of our business, and outsiders often couldn’t follow us. We made things unnecessarily complicated. When people hear about you for the first time, they need simple and clear explanations. This remains an ongoing challenge. If your audience doesn’t immediately understand what you do, you’ve already lost them.
What advice would you give to someone who is currently considering starting a business?
I would strongly recommend spending as much time on team building as on product development. In my view, a good team is far more important than the founding idea itself. My advice: find co-founders who are competent, complement each other, and – most importantly – believe in the idea.
How do you look back today on the step into self-employment, and what would have helped you at the beginning?
I’m glad I took the step into the start-up world. At the beginning, greater financial support would have helped us bring our solution to market faster and more efficiently. Due to a lack of funding early on, the project was delayed, which ultimately made it more expensive overall.
If you could have lunch with anyone (dead or alive) to talk about entrepreneurship, who would it be and why?
I would love to have lunch with Peter Thiel. He is an incredibly fascinating personality – a co-founder of PayPal and one of the most well-known tech investors in Silicon Valley. I am fascinated by his strategic thinking and his ability to recognize big patterns early on. I’ve already learned a lot from his talks and interviews on YouTube, but I’m sure a personal conversation would bring even more surprising insights.
What motivates you on days when nothing seems to work?
When I think about our vision, my motivation comes back. We want to make a real contribution to the energy transition with Umweltify – and even on difficult days, that gives me the strength to keep going.
