Blizz Harp – A Startup Journey towards a New Sound for the Harp
Blizz Harp is redefining the sound and possibilities of the harp. Despite being one of the oldest instruments in the world, with mentions dating back to 2500 BC, the harp has remained largely absent from contemporary music. By combining additive manufacturing with a custom-built pickup system, the startup develops an electric harp with a completely new sound that paves the way for the harp to enter new musical genres and contexts beyond its classical roots.
What began as a midterm project at KISD turned into a startup journey. Henrike Mißfeldt developed the first proof of concept during her bachelor’s thesis and later teamed up with Maxi Bücker, who she met in her master’s studies. Together they secured EXIST funding to take their vision further.
What does it mean to develop an instrument from scratch? Which challenges arise when navigating between research, product development and entrepreneurial ambition? And how does TH Köln support young designers on their way towards building something new? In her talk Henrike Mißfeldt shares the story behind Blizz Harp, offers insights into the founding process and highlights how TH Köln supports young entrepreneurs through various funding and mentoring opportunities.
Henrike Mißfeldt graduated from KISD and completed the master’s programme in Product Design and Process Development at TH Köln. During her studies she mainly focused on Service Design and UX, completed an internship at Deloitte Digital in Customer & Marketing and worked in Innovation Management at Generali Deutschland AG.
In the master’s programme she met her co-founder Maxi Bücker, who is bringing expertise from the electric guitar industry. Already during their master’s, they received the funding of KickStart@TH Köln as well as Gründungsstipendium NRW. After their graduation they were able to secure the EXIST Gründungsstipendium to further develop Blizz Harp in fulltime.
Photos © Hannah Freres, KISD / TH Köln