About Thomas Hørup
I've spent my career leading early-stage innovation at Nokia, Coloplast, GN Hearing, and Ferrosan Medical Devices. Most of that work came down to choosing the problem, testing the assumptions that could sink it, and assembling a team that can turn a concept into a product.
I work with companies, startups and research funders in the early stages, when the problem definition matters most and is cheapest to change. More of that work now involves software, or devices where software and AI/ML do the essential work. I also mentor founders through DTU Skylab, Conflux Mentoring, and Open Entrepreneurship.
How I Work
Engineering
I dig into the technology to understand what's possible, what's practical, and what matters. This grounding lets me work with engineers and business stakeholders on their own terms.
Human Insight
I put real users at the centre of every decision. Through research, testing, and conversation, we find out which problems people really have before anyone builds anything.
Structure
I bring just enough process to keep momentum without killing creativity. Clear milestones, the right team, and a framework that adapts as you learn, so the idea ends up as a product.
When to Contact Me
Make Early Decisions
Decisions in the early phases shape everything that follows. I bring 25+ years of experience to the choices you have to make before the facts are in.
Test Assumptions
Before you invest heavily, find out whether the problem is real. I help you design experiments, talk to users, and test the assumptions your business case rests on.
Assess Projects
Before money is committed, I assess the plan, the budget and the team's grasp of what it takes to build the product. For funders deciding what to back, and for teams who want their application to hold up.
Build and Guide Teams
I help you find the skills the project needs and get the people working together. When the project has started but the direction isn't clear, I work with the team until it is.
Secure Buy-In
I help you build the business case that wins executive commitment and the resources that go with it.
Connect Disciplines
Engineering, design, and business often talk past each other. I translate between them, so technical options, user needs, and commercial constraints end up in the same plan.
Recognise your situation in one of these? Send me a short description, and I will tell you honestly whether I can help.
Get in touchSelected Projects
With Tenuto
Lundbeck Foundation: Grant Due Diligence
Technical due diligence on a medical-device grant application, with recommendations
on how the project could become investable.
Tenuto client, 2026.
Research Software: Lab App and AI-Built Data Tool
Built WellSpot for Professor Peter Ulvskov's group at the University of Copenhagen:
an iPad app that lights up the next well as they pipette 384-well plates for
microarray printing. It is on the App Store and used there and at a UK partner lab.
In 2026 I used AI to build them a Python tool that fuzzy-searches and downloads
plant genomes from the Joint Genome Institute.
Own product, 2023. Pro bono,
2026.
Earlier, in industry
GN Hearing Nexia micro-RIE
Led concept development of ReSound Nexia micro-RIE, the smallest receiver-in-ear
hearing aid on the market at launch. Despite its compact size, the device maintained
full functionality.
Launched October 2023.
GN Hearing Nexia Custom Hearing Aid
Led concept development of key elements of the complete ReSound Nexia custom hearing
aid solution, combining personalised physical fit with mass production efficiency. I
worked with the development team in China and created a world-first charging concept
with personalised chargers.
Launched June 2022.
Coloplast Flex Set
Led development of a line extension for Coloplast's SpeediCath Flex Set, integrating
a urine bag for use away from a toilet. User research revealed competitor bags were
messy to empty, so we designed a tearline and handles for controlled, hygienic
emptying.
Launched November 2022.
Coloplast Contend
Led a front-end innovation project redefining urinary incontinence management for
men. By putting user needs ahead of conventional business models, we developed a
concept so compelling that the business unit changed its business model to preserve
the product's appeal.
Launched February 2022, awarded two Red Dot Design
Awards.
Nokia Strategic Cross-functional Innovation
Led projects and team in a cross-functional innovation studio exploring future user experiences and emerging technologies for mobile devices. The team combined engineering, user experience design, and rapid prototyping to develop concepts that shaped Nokia's product roadmap. Projects included mobile TV interfaces, location-based services integration, and social imaging features.
Nokia 6230
Led the mechanics team from initial concept through global manufacturing ramp-up. We
fulfilled the industrial design vision while ensuring manufacturability, cost
optimisation, and robustness.
Launched February 2004.
Beyond Work
I co-host Gråt Brændbart, a Danish podcast where two middle-aged men rummage through life's dumpster, carefully sorting what's worth recycling and sending the rest to the incinerator.
I also build software, these days with AI doing much of the coding. Elspot helps Danish consumers time their electricity use to save money and CO₂.
When the skies are clear, I photograph the night sky. You can see my astrophotography on AstroBin.