Image: Christoph Maleh
Actually, it all started with a bad purchase. During the corona pandemic, medical device consultant Niklas Al-Deek ordered a shower adapter to save water. However, he was anything but satisfied with the product, which is why he began to use the lockdown time and tinker with it himself. Today, the 29-year-old sells patented water-saving nozzles for showers and sinks with his company Greenjet. His customers include renowned hotels, fitness studios, companies and private individuals. It is a success story with an interesting career behind it. Niklas Al-Deek actually took his first professional steps in a completely different area.
What training did you originally complete?
I dropped out of high school after the ninth grade and began an apprenticeship as an interior design consultant at XXXLutz. I came to this by chance. Back then I was allowed to set up a new teenager’s room and went shopping with my father at XXXLutz.
The friendly department head had a very nice conversation with us and told us that they were looking for apprentices. This came at a good time for me, as I was a little frustrated with school and was thinking about pursuing an apprenticeship anyway. So I started my apprenticeship and lo and behold: I had a lot of fun! I learned a lot and the apprenticeship was an important foundation for my future professional life. I was good at what I did and was hired after my apprenticeship. At the age of 20, I was asked if I wanted to become a department head.
What happened next?
I declined the offer because I was headhunted by a Viennese medical technology company. They were looking for someone for field sales for the areas of Salzburg, Upper and Lower Austria. I took advantage of this opportunity that arose by chance. I then had a one-year induction phase with the company and passed the state-certified medical device consultant. At the age of 21 I was finally allowed “into the area”.
It was a very exciting and independent job, I had a lot to do with people, from the ward management to the nursing staff to the primary doctors. I worked for this company for six years.
But then the idea for something new emerged…
Exactly! At the beginning of 2020, during the Corona pandemic, I got an adapter for the shower to save water. But I was very disappointed with the product. The water pressure was bad and you just had the feeling that there wasn’t enough water coming out of the shower head. Since I had a little more time available during lockdown, I started researching and tinkering.
A good friend who studied mechanical engineering supported me. At some point the first prototypes were created using a 3D printer. I wrote to over 100 companies to find someone who could produce it, preferably regionally of course. And I was lucky: a Salzburg company supported me. It took 20 prototypes to create the optimal, final model. The next step was becoming self-employed.
What was this founding phase like for you?
She robbed me of many sleepless nights. Of course, things don’t always go as expected straight away. There were already a few stones in the way. But last year in May we were able to start sales. The product was certified by TÜV Austria last October. We have great partners and our technology is now patented. Today our customers include large hotels, fitness studios and, among others, voestalpine.
Private individuals can also purchase the saving nozzles and order them via our online shop greenjet.at. There’s a lot going on with us. The three of us have been in the team since September, we will soon be moving into a new office in Vienna and we are planning to take our product abroad.
How do the water saving nozzles work?
Air is added to the water jet via nine air channels. The jet is essentially surrounded by air, which replaces the missing water. You hardly notice any difference in terms of water pressure. This can reduce water and energy costs by up to 66 percent.
Looking back, would you do anything differently?
I’m very happy that everything turned out this way and I would do it the same way again. The most important milestone for me was teaching. I was a teenager frustrated with school and suddenly there was something I was good at. That strengthened me and gave me a lot for my future path.
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