WooX

Meet Guillermo & Federico

After identifying a gap in laptop accessories, long-time friends Guillermo Gette and Federico Grinblat became co-founders of WooX. Now, they’re expanding their brand from Latin America to the United States.

The inspiration came in 2017 as Guillermo and Federico found themselves traveling more and needing an easier way to work on the go.

“I used to work as a management consultant, and I had to work in planes, coffee shops, cafeterias, and in my clients’ rooms,” Federico said. “I always found myself needing a way to work more comfortably.”

The Origin Story

The co-founders came up with the idea to create a simple, wooden laptop stand. Made out of two wooden pieces that fit together, the stand is designed to be easy to assemble and travel-friendly.

“Once we came up with the idea, Federico looked into different suppliers and how we could manufacture these,” Guillermo said. “He set up shop in Argentina and looked for new partners that could help us bring this product to life. Meanwhile, I was in L.A. taking care of the technical aspects like the e-commerce website.”

How WooX Works

From there, WooX was born. The laptop stand is designed to improve sitting posture and to protect computers against liquid spills and overheating.

WooX also has the environment in mind. The laptop stand is packaged in a cloth bag and is also made out of guatambu wood.

“Guatambu is a reforestation wood,” Federico said. “You plant that tree in order to use it, and then plant another tree in its place.”

After launching in 2017, WooX quickly gained popularity on Mercado Libre, also known as the Amazon of Latin America.

“We were one of the first markets in Argentina to sell this kind of product,” Guillermo said. “We started advertising WooX on Mercado Libre, and then we started growing and selling more and more. Over the past three years, we've improved the processes and also added laser engraving, allowing customers to personalize their WooX.”

When it comes to customer feedback, Guillermo and Federico say that their product reception has been very positive.

“Many people don't know that they needed this until they try it, and then once they do, they’ll say, ‘I can't use my laptop anymore if I don't have my WooX down,’” Guillermo said. “We also have a lot of businesses that use the WooX as a company-wide gift. They also have the opportunity to have us custom engrave the stands with their company logo.”

The Future of WooX

As more and more people started working from home due to COVID-19, the need for laptop stands exploded. Federico and Guillermo took this as a sign to begin expanding their business from Latin America to the United States.

“We found that, similar to the Latin American market, there wasn’t anything exactly like our product in the U.S.,’ Guillermo said. “And the benefit is that we’re not starting from scratch, we have the experience from Argentina. We have a proven track record of sales, product, customer success, and customer service.”

On their Latin American store, WooX also offers a number of other office tools. These include a WooX Mini for cellphones, A Lumbar Support add-on for chairs, and a Tiny Desk that can be folded.

The WooX Mini launched recently in the United States. In the future, Guillermo and Federico hope to incorporate additional Latin American items in their U.S. store as well.

Click here to check out the WooX website.