Meet the Team: A moment with Nikolaj Bomann Mertz



By LYS
18 Jul 2022

Hi Nikolaj, thanks for joining us today!

 

Can you tell us a bit more about you ? What is your background and what do you like to do outside of LYS ? 

 

I have been evolving in the start-up world for a long time. I previously worked in a start-up here in Copenhagen. I was one of the first employees and I was part of the all scale-up journey from 0 to 100. 

In my spare time I love to be with my family. We got a house with my girlfriend and my daughter and the garden is taking a lot of time. 

 

How did you get to know LYS and why did you want to join ? 

 

A couple of years ago, I read a book named “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker that basically lays out why sleep is so important to us and how much it can be affected by the light that surrounds us. It has been the starting point for me to be aware of how light influences our body and our brain. After this I have been thinking: “Why isn’t any company in the world trying to disrupt the space and make people aware of the importance of light’s impact on us?”. I didn’t have to look very far because a couple hundred meters away from where I used to work, I came across LYS. I immediately saw the potential in building a category leader as no other company is as dedicated to light as LYS.

 

What is your role at LYS and what are your projects ? 

 

Many people out there are not aware of how much light can impact them. It is my mission to enlighten them and to make sure they become aware of it. Obviously, there is this visionary view on where I want to go with LYS, but at the same time there is the commercial aspect of building a business around it.

I am within marketing and sales and my role is to help people understand what our solution is and what they can get out of it. For the past month I have been focusing a lot on the launch of LYS Connect. Next couple of months will be focused on making sure that more and more people get aware of both our existence and the benefits of our products.

 

A question to all of our team members: What struck you the most when learning about circadian rhythms and light? Are you a Night Owl or a Morning Lark? 

 

It is funny with my personal chronotype because I think it has changed from when I was studying. I used to go to bed after midnight even during weekdays. But if you ask me today then it has changed because I recently became a dad. I am way more of a morning lark now and usually wake up at 6 or 7, at the same time that our daughter. I still like staying up late also but today my everyday chronotype has changed. 

I felt what we call the social jetlag at the beginning but gradually I adopted that new circadian rhythm. I found that very interesting when it happened. 

 

In your opinion, what are the key takeaways from working in a tech startup ? 

 

Working for a startup gives you a responsibility that you won’t find anywhere else and you need to be a person that likes that. There are not that many people usually in a start-up, and that means that each individual has to be very responsible and focusing in the direction the team agreed on. It is different from a big company where you are usually a small piece of a big puzzle.

I am thriving in this kind of environment where there are many tasks and where it is about finding your own successful path without having a predefined formula.