Timothy Scheek: A Journey from Backyard Tinkerer to Silicon Valley Innovator
Sometimes, innovation starts with something as simple as curiosity. For Dutch entrepreneur Timothy Scheek, that spark was lit early. “Whether it was Lego or taking apart an old vacuum cleaner, I always wanted to understand how things worked,” he shares. That childlike drive grew into a breakthrough in loudspeaker technology — one bold enough to win over Silicon Valley’s biggest tech names.
A Midnight Idea That Changed Everything
While studying at the HKU, Timothy and his brother Mattias founded a high-end speaker company targeting a niche market. But Timothy’s mind kept spinning: Couldn’t this be better? “Speaker tech hadn’t really changed for decades. Everyone built on the same principles. I couldn’t stop thinking about how to radically improve it.”
One night, he couldn’t sleep and messaged his brother: “This will change our lives.” The vision? A speaker so compact yet so powerful, it would redefine what was possible.
From Risky Prototype to Silicon Valley
They poured everything into countless prototypes — a risky move with no guarantees. Support came from TU Delft, which helped secure vital patents. Eventually, the brothers flew to Silicon Valley to pitch the giants. The response? Enthusiastic but challenging. Investors asked the tough questions: Can you scale it? Can you keep it affordable?
Armed with that feedback, they returned to the lab, refining the design through years of testing and even a pandemic pause. By 2022, they were back — and this time, ready. Sonos stepped in with the winning proposal, not just financially but strategically too.
“Apple might have bought it too,” Timothy Scheek says, “but it would have been just one of many ideas there. With Sonos, it became a real gamechanger.”
Sports Shaped His Business Mindset
Behind this success story lies a sporting spirit. Timothy grew up playing street football and athletics but chose basketball at 13 — even playing in the Dutch Eredivisie for ABC. “In sports, talent isn’t enough. You need stamina and the drive to give 100% every time. A startup is no different. A good idea is just 1% — you need the fire in your veins to make it happen,” he explains.
That competitive edge fuels everything the Scheek brothers do: “In everything, we want to be the best.”
From Business Partners to Brothers Again
Timothy credits the close bond with Mattias as key to their success. “We’ve always worked together — it feels like we were trained for this. We trust each other completely. Sometimes a minute of talking is enough to get on the same page.” But that intense focus came with a price: “At one point, we were more business partners than brothers.”
The company’s sale changed that. “Since then, we’ve slowly become brothers again — and that’s worth so much.”
Ready for More?
Curious for more? Read the full interview with Timothy Scheek in our issue — Life After Football Magazine, Issue 84.
From bold investments to exciting partnerships — discover more stories about game-changing business ventures here.
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