Regulate develops scientifically-based breathing exercises (“breathwork”) as a performance tool for companies, positioning itself at the intersection of HR-tech, mental health, and productivity enhancement. Already today, companies such as Personio, Vattenfall, and Raiffeisen Bank International use the platform.
nnnnBreathwork instead of classic wellbeing apps
nnnnThe market for employee wellbeing has grown significantly in recent years. However, many offerings struggle with low usage in everyday work. This is exactly where Regulate comes in: instead of general meditation or mindfulness offerings, the startup wants to integrate concrete breathing exercises situationally into the work routine.
nnnnThe platform suggests focus exercises before important meetings, regeneration sessions after stressful conversations, or group team exercises before workshops, for example. The content is integrated into wearables and existing work systems.
nnnnPeter van Woerkum, co-founder and CEO of Regulate, says:
nnnnnnnnn“Breathwork works immediately, can be applied anywhere, and builds long-term resilience. That’s exactly what people need today: a tool that actually becomes part of the work routine, not a wellness app that gathers dust unused in the HR portal.”
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According to the company, more than 50,000 sessions have been completed since launch in less than twelve months.
nnnnPersonio CEO Hanno Renner invests in Regulate
nnnnThe seed round is led by Dutch impact investor 4impact.vc. Additionally, several prominent business angels from the German-speaking startup ecosystem are participating:
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- Hanno Renner (co-founder & CEO of Personio) nnnn
- Mike Wax (co-founder of Forto, partner at Blueyard) nnnn
- Marlena Hien (co-founder of Bears with Benefits) n
For Regulate, the participation of Personio founder Hanno Renner is likely to be strategically relevant. Personio is already among the Munich startup’s enterprise customers.
nnnnHanno Renner says:
nnnnnnnnn“What convinced me is the scientific foundation. Breathwork demonstrably has a positive effect on decision-making ability, stress resilience, and personal well-being. That’s why I introduced Regulate at Personio, because I know it works.”
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Regulate addresses growing pressure on companies
nnnnThe timing of the funding is no coincidence. Companies are currently under growing pressure from economic uncertainty, geopolitical crises, and the increasing integration of AI into work processes.
nnnnRegulate argues that classic wellbeing offerings often fail to meet these requirements. Instead, resilience, concentration ability, and stress regulation are increasingly coming into focus.
nnnnAccording to Gallup, only about one-third of workers worldwide feel engaged at work. The World Health Organization estimates the economic consequences of psychological stress in the workplace at around one trillion US dollars annually.
nnnnAt the same time, regulatory developments such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) are tightening requirements for companies in the area of employee health and organizational development.
nnnnScientific approach with focus on performance
nnnnRegulate explicitly positions breathwork not as a wellness product, but as a performance tool. The exercises were developed in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Hottenroth from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, an expert in heart rate variability and performance optimization.
nnnnAccording to the company, the content is also based on scientific findings from Harvard Medical School and Stanford Medicine.
nnnnThe app includes more than 60 breathing protocols with durations ranging from 90 seconds to 60 minutes.
nnnnFor HR and management teams, Regulate also offers aggregated usage and impact analytics at the team level, according to the company in a GDPR-compliant manner and without access to individual data. With this, the platform wants to position itself more strongly as a strategic tool for organizational development.
nnnnUlrike Potocki, Head of People Development & Learning at Raiffeisen Bank International, says:
nnnnnnnnn“We have been working with Peter van Woerkum since 2023 and have established breathwork as a practical self-management tool in our organization. Since 2025, we are scaling this via the Regulate app across our company, with the clear approach of strengthening resilience, performance, and well-being across the team.”
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ARR potential of over nine million euros
nnnnIn addition to usage figures, Regulate also points to a growing enterprise pipeline. This currently corresponds to an ARR potential of over nine million euros.
nnnnThe fresh capital is to flow primarily into three areas: further development of the platform, expansion of live offerings, and expansion into additional European markets.
nnnnCurrently, Regulate is already active in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Portugal.
nnnnVictor Straatman, partner at 4impact.vc, explains:
nnnnnnnnn“We invest where economic success and social benefit go hand in hand. Regulate demonstrably improves how people work under pressure and how they feel doing it. User data shows that the market is looking for exactly that right now.”
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Corporate stress management market continues to grow
nnnnAccording to the company, the global market for corporate stress management was around 10.6 billion US dollars in 2023 and is growing at an annual rate of 7.7 percent. Resilience training accounts for the largest share.
nnnnFor Regulate, this creates a market environment in which companies are increasingly looking for measurable solutions for mental resilience and productivity — especially in the context of AI-driven work environments.
nnnnWith the prominent investor round and first major customers, the Munich startup is positioning itself early in a segment that is currently shifting from classic wellbeing offerings to data-driven performance and resilience solutions.
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