Order, power and a bit of traction in the lion's den, episode 6/5

"KIANI - Sustainable sportswear" - The St. Gallen sports brand Kiani, founded by Kira Fässler, sees itself as a pioneer in sustainable sportswear. With the motto "Sustainable sportswear for you and me", Kiani focuses on the development and production of sports basics that are both environmentally friendly and fashionable. These products are made in Europe from recycled plastic and biodegradable material, which significantly reduces their ecological footprint.

The founder of Kiani launched the brand while she was completing her master's degree and working full-time. Her vision for Kiani came from a personal question: why can't sportswear be sustainable? With no previous experience in the sportswear industry, she began creating her own designs and educating herself on recycling and sustainable materials. Kiani's products, which have up to 90% less impact on global warming compared to conventional products, are a testament to Kira's commitment to sustainability. The materials used come from collected, melted and processed plastic waste from the sea, industrial productions and private households.

The Kiani range, which includes sizes from XS to XXL, is designed to be accessible to everyone. The collection deliberately avoids prints and patterns in order to offer timeless pieces that can always be combined. Current top sellers include leggings and T-shirts, with the leggings being produced for 23.95 francs and sold for 89 francs. Despite the challenges in the initial phase, in which Kira managed everything from home, Kiani has achieved considerable sales since its launch in summer 2021. In the first eight months, turnover amounted to 20,000 francs, without any major investments in marketing. After reinvesting the profit in product development and content production, total sales rose to 30,000 francs.

In search of further financial support and expertise, Kira now presented her business to investors in the Swiss Lion's Den. She offered 12.5% of the company shares for 60,000 Swiss francs to further expand Kiani and conduct professional marketing. Bettina Hein and Nicole Büttner were impressed by Kira's commitment and vision, especially with regard to the needs of women in the fashion industry, and offered her 60,000 Swiss francs for 20% of the company shares. Kira accepted this offer, hoping to grow Kiani further with strong partners at her side. Kiani not only stands for sustainability and fairness, but also for the conviction that fashion should be accessible to everyone. With the new investment and support, Kira is one step closer to realizing her dream of one day making a full living from Kiani and establishing her brand as a sustainable, timeless and accessible option for everyone in the sportswear market.

"storabble - Platform for storage space" - Storabble was founded on the idea of revolutionizing the concept of storage space. The founders Alessio Sposato, Oliver Meyer, Jan Enderli and David Frehner recognized the growing demand for storage space, driven by urbanization, consumer society and population growth. Their solution: a central platform for the procurement of storage space in Switzerland. The idea for storabble was born during their full-time studies. Originally conceived as a sharing platform for storage space, they quickly realized that there were already various solutions on the market, but they were scattered and confusing. The solution was to bundle these offers on one platform. Since focusing on existing storage solutions at the beginning of 2023, storabble has made considerable progress and now offers 30% of all self-storage boxes in Switzerland. The platform is aimed at both private individuals and SMEs and enables them to compare different storage solutions and book the right storage unit. For storage providers, storabble is an attractive way to reach their target group directly. They pay a monthly fee for advertising and a brokerage fee.

The young company has ambitious goals. By the end of 2023, they are aiming to establish themselves in Switzerland and generate sales of 480,000 francs. The long-term vision includes expansion into the entire DACH region with a target turnover of 2.5 million francs by the end of 2024. Did the founders have enough new ideas in store or not? When looking for investment, the founders presented their business concept and were looking for an investment of 200,000 Swiss francs in return for 10% of the company shares. After an intensive discussion with and also between the potential investors Lukas Speiser and Roland Brack, Speiser decided against an investment as he considered the Swiss market to be too small and was unsure whether the concept would also be successful in Germany. Roland Brack, on the other hand, saw the potential of storabble and the young entrepreneurs and offered 200,000 Swiss francs for 12% of the company shares, an offer that the founders happily accepted. This investment marks an important milestone for storabble, which is looking forward to realizing its vision of a central, efficient and user-friendly platform for storage solutions in Switzerland and beyond, as the four happy founders concluded.

"skimover.ch - Ski transportation" - Skimover.ch, an innovative ski transport system from Rheinau, founded by Jörg and Franziska Mostert, is revolutionizing the transport of ski equipment. Jörg Mostert, the inventor and developer of the product, has found a solution to the common problem of the cumbersome transportation of ski equipment. skimover makes it much easier for skiers to transport their equipment, especially if they use public transport. "With public transport from the front door directly to the ski resort" - skimover wanted to convince people with this motto.

The company offers three models: Speed, Easy and Traveler. The Speed and Easy models are small and handy, designed so that skiers can simply roll their skis. These models are so compact that they can be carried in a jacket pocket while skiing. The Traveller model, on the other hand, is specially designed for transportation on public transport, where the skis can stand upright.

Since its foundation in September 2019, skimover has made some progress. Within 11 months from the initial idea to the first series of finished parts, skimover has already sold over 2,300 units and achieved a turnover of over 130,000 francs. These successes are also reflected in the recognition the product received at a presentation in Lyon. The prices for the skimover models vary: The smaller model costs 69 francs, the medium 79 francs and the larger model between 119 and 159 francs. The skimover scooters are magnetic, which makes them easier to handle.

The aim of skimover has always been to make something simple even better. So far, the product has been advertised with a small marketing budget. By seeking investors, specifically 100,000 Swiss francs for 10% of the company shares, the Mosterts aim to expand their marketing activities and accelerate the company's growth, particularly in the European market. Despite interest from some investors, such as Nicole Büttner, who found the product impressive but thought the market was too small, and Roland Brack, who declined as an investor but offered a distribution channel via Brack.ch, no investment deal materialized. However, the Mosterts accepted Roland Brack's offer and were delighted with this new distribution opportunity. skimover.ch is therefore at a crucial point, ready to revolutionize skiing by simplifying the transport of equipment and at the same time expanding its market presence, particularly in Europe.

"SimpleTrain - Booking platform for international train journeys" - SimpleTrain, a booking platform for international train travel founded by Marius Portmann and Saskia Bilang in Wallisellen, aims to simplify rail travel and make it more accessible. Under the motto "The smart travel in the train", the founders want to make it easier to book international train tickets from Switzerland to other countries. The SimpleTrain platform should make it possible to order train tickets to any train station in Europe. The special feature of SimpleTrain is the ability to book even complicated journeys, such as those with bicycles or dogs, which is often not possible online. In the last two years, the platform has booked over 5,000 trips to 40 different countries in Europe, Africa and Asia, which underlines the clear need for such a service, as the two founders explained.

SimpleTrain offers a user-friendly solution: bookings are made via a smartphone or the internet, whereby various connections can be displayed and the most suitable option selected. An additional advantage is the chat function on the platform, which enables personal advice and individual offers. The tickets are delivered digitally after booking.

The founders have so far built up their platform with their own financing and are now looking for further funding. They are offering 10% company shares for 300,000 francs. The business model is based on commissions from partner railroads and a processing fee for customers. In 2022, SimpleTrain achieved a turnover of 1.3 million francs, with the processing fee amounting to around 105,000 francs, which is approximately 8% per booking. SimpleTrain's main goal is to further automate the platform. The founders have already connected five major railroad companies, including SBB, ÖBB, DB, Trenitalia and French Railways. Despite the challenges of scalability and automation, especially in countries that are not yet automated themselves, SimpleTrain remains optimistic and plans to move forward with further development and automation.

Unfortunately, no deal was made in the "Swiss Lion's Den" and SimpleTrain's journey continues without the lions and lionesses. In particular, this platform lacked anything fundamentally new - some lions referred to other, already existing platforms. The proud company valuation of CHF 3 million was also cited as a reason for not wanting to invest. However, the company is at a promising point in making rail travel easier and more accessible, which is an attractive option for environmentally conscious travelers in particular.

"kaffiabo - coffee subscription" - Kaffiabo, founded in 2021 by Claudio Sousa and Yanapi Senaud in Stein, is a coffee subscription startup dedicated to the variety and quality of coffee. Together with their friend and co-founder Justin, an experienced barista and online retail expert from South Africa, the three young entrepreneurs have developed a unique business model that is already proving popular in Switzerland.

Roland Brack can't do anything with coffee, Felix Bertram can't do anything without it - but can the lions do anything with the subscription idea? Well then: The kaffiabo concept is based on the monthly delivery of coffee, carefully selected by experts. Customers can specify their preferred and desired quantity on the website. Thanks to the subscription model, kaffiabo guarantees that the beans always arrive freshly roasted. By November 2021, the company had already generated over 25,000 francs in sales and supplies over 60 households.

The focus of kaffiabo is not only on selling coffee, but also on sharing the knowledge and stories behind the drink. The founders are motivated to raise awareness of coffee in Switzerland and perhaps soon throughout Europe. They offer various subscription options, including one-, six- and twelve-month subscriptions, with prices varying depending on the type of coffee. kaffiabo has networked with over 25 roasters and places great emphasis on sustainability, both in their own operations and with the roasters they source the coffee from. The company distinguishes itself through two main features: the guarantee of freshness and the strong network of roasters.

In search of further investment, Sousa and Senaud presented their business in the Lion's Den. They offered 18% of the company shares for 50,000 francs. Felix Bertram showed interest in the company and believed that with the right approach, particularly through storytelling and emotional customer loyalty, the business model could be successful. He made an offer of 50,000 francs, but for 25 percent of the company shares. After some negotiation, Felix Bertram and kaffiabo agreed on 50,000 francs for 20% of the company shares. With this new partnership and the additional capital, kaffiabo plans to invest primarily in marketing to expand their reach and achieve their goal of growing as a company and fully dedicating themselves to their dream. This deal marks an important step for kaffiabo to establish itself in a growing niche and spread the love for coffee in Switzerland and beyond.

"tweaq - self-disinfecting door handles" - A start-up from French-speaking Switzerland, founded by Vincent Gauye, Baptiste Danichert and Giovanni Barilla, has developed an interesting solution to an everyday hygiene problem: self-disinfecting door handles. Their product aims to reduce the spread of germs and viruses via door handles, a problem that is particularly relevant in public and high-traffic areas.

The door handle from tweaq is the first of its kind on the market that is self-disinfecting and networked. The operating principle is simple but effective: every time someone opens the door, a liquid is pumped onto a ring on the door handle, which then moves back and forth to disinfect the surface. Laboratory tests confirm the system's effectiveness against germs and viruses. At the heart of the system is a cartridge that contains both the disinfectant and the battery. Tweaq also offers an environmentally friendly service by returning the cartridges free of charge, which should minimize waste. The business model is based on a subscription that includes the hardware, unlimited cartridges and data analysis. Currently, tweaq covers Switzerland and the Benelux countries and is conducting pilot tests in the UK and the USA.

The founders of tweaq, who are not engineers themselves, have added a CTO to their team to ensure technical expertise. The product is available for 35 francs per month per door, which includes two door handles. The production costs for a door handle are 100 francs, and 200 francs for a complete door. Customers who want to buy the door handle pay 450 francs as a one-off price plus 25 francs per month for the subscription. tweaq already has around 35 customers in Switzerland, mainly from office buildings, hospitals, the healthcare industry and the education sector. Although they do not have a patent for the product, they use a "unique number" to differentiate themselves on the gray market.

When looking for investment, tweaq offered 6.5 percent of the company shares for 500,000 Swiss francs. Despite the innovative approach and the obvious market opportunity for the healthcare sector, the potential investors were concerned about the lack of a patent and the high company valuation. Felix Bertram, one of the investors, said that although the healthcare sector could benefit from the idea, it would probably not have the financial resources to do so. Ultimately, no deal was made for the young company. Despite these challenges, tweaq faces a promising future as awareness of hygiene and health remains a key issue in public spaces and beyond.

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