We work with passionate founders
of incredible companies

Philipp Schrempp is the co-founder of the premium fitness food and sports nutrition company foodspring. Together with Tobias Schüle and a big international team, they want to bring sports nutrition to the next level. In June 2019, Mars Edge announced to acquire a significant majority stake in foodspring.

David: What has inspired you to found foodspring?
Philipp: foodspring was born out of our own needs. Tobi and I worked out together, but there was no fitness food alternative out there that offered the quality, transparency and support that we were looking for.

David: How do you manage the duality between driving new business and overseeing daily operations?
Philipp: The focus changed over time for us. In the early days, we were very involved in the day-to-day operations. With the growth, we steadily shifted our focus to more long-term projects and put the daily operations in the hands of our great team.

David: What would you tell somebody who just started his/her first company?
Philipp: Old but gold: the quality of the team is the single most important denominator for success after the business is launched.

David: What do you expect from an investor?
Philipp: For us, it was always key to have blunt and open conversations around the difficult topics. As founders we are willing to share openly what’s going wrong rather than showcasing only the positive sides, so we expect investors, in turn, to focus their energy on supporting us in solving these issues instead of requesting additional reportings. In our experience this style of working maximizes output. For this to happen the relationship needs to be based on trust and a personal fit. Both are key elements for us in finding the right investor.

David: What comes to your mind when you think about our first encounter?
Philipp: We really liked the Ringier Digital Ventures team from the first encounter. Great, authentic and fun personalities that are super hands-on and go the extra mile to support you.

David: Thanks a lot, Philipp!

Dr. sc. ETH Matthias Standfest is the founder of the ETH-spinoff Archilyse. By creating feature-rich multi-dimensional representations of spatial scenarios, processes in architecture and construction can be optimized. Additionally, building qualities can be evaluated based on scientific algorithms.

Tom, Partner of Marcau Partners, asked Matthias some questions.

Tom: Why is now the time for Archilyse to exist?
Matthias: After years of little economic pressure on the real estate industry and therefore little incentive to adapt existing practices, processes, and business models, the realisation has grown that the various macro trends now need to be responded to. The benefits that digitization solutions offer in this regard have been recognized and the industry is aware of the growing pressure. This provides an ideal growth environment for companies like Archilyse.

Tom: What kind of person will succeed at your company?
Matthias: An open-minded team player that is willing to go the extra mile for the good course and the growth of the company, willing to accept accountability and take over growing responsibility.

Tom: What do you expect from an investor?
Matthias: Due to their activities, investors have insight into numerous companies. This experience of what works or does not work is of great importance to us. Accordingly, investors can offer input and coaching that, coupled with the specific characteristics of the company, helps to exploit the full potential and prevent unnecessary inefficiencies. In addition, an investor’s network offers further scaling and business opportunities – in a variety of ways.

Tom: Thanks a lot, Matthias!

Pamono is your go-to marketplace and magazine for design objects and the stories behind them. It was founded in 2013 by Oliver Weyergraf, Letizia Luperini and Christian Ahrendt.

Here’s what David, Partner of Marcau Partners, asked Letizia:

David: Why have you founded Pamono?
Letizia:

1. Because the world needs access to one of a kind design from all around Europe
2. Because our galleries and independent designers need help to survive in the Amazon era
3. Last but not least because we want to save the planet by encouraging buying vintage

David: What’s the biggest challenge in running a startup?
Letizia: Find the ultimate team that complements your skills and has the perseverance to walk with you through good and especially through bad times.

David: How would you describe the culture at Pamono?
Letizia: Creative, candid and completely ego-free.

David: What has been your experience with us as an investor?
Letizia: Besides the many valuable introductions and experienced-based advice, it goes back to what I see is the biggest challenge of running a startup. Ringier Digital Ventures has been an invaluable partner through this journey. Especially supportive in rough times.

David: Thanks a lot, Letizia!

CheckYeti is the leading online platform and mobile app to search, compare and book winter sports and outdoor activities – including ski lessons, snowboard lessons, rafting and canyoning tours. It was founded by Stefan Pinggera and Georg Reich in Austria and Switzerland in 2014.

Here’s what Benj, Partner of Marcau Partners, asked Stefan.

Benj: What has inspired you to found CheckYeti?
Stefan: A great founders fit, a cool industry and a clear gap in the market.

Benj: What keeps you up at night?
Stefan: Business is going well, so currently we are sound asleep at night.

Benj: What will you tell somebody who just started his/her first company?
Stefan: Find your USP and push it as hard as you can.

Benj: How often do you hold an office party? What do you celebrate?
Stefan: We have bigger/team events at least once a month to celebrate the achievement of a team milestone or a new record.

Benj: What comes to your mind when you think about our first encounter?
Stefan: Our first impression (that has been confirmed over and over) was: these guys are team players in every sense.

Benj: Cheers, Stefan!

Andrin von Rechenberg is the founder of AirConsole. AirConsole transforms any Laptop or AndroidTV into a video game console. Smartphones are used as gamepads, without the need of downloading any software or the use of additional hardware. AirConsole built up a community of 5 million players over the past 4 years, and is widely considered the «Netflix of games».

Here’s what Tom, Partner of Marcau Partners, asked Andrin:

Tom: What has inspired you to found AirCsonsole?
Andrin: True social gaming. The feeling I had with my brothers playing together in front of the Nintendo NES in the 80s.

Tom: What’s the biggest challenge in running a startup?
Andrin: Innovative startups must be at the very forefront of their respective market developments. No one else should have been there before. You have to extrapolate the right future from a progressive position at top speed.

Tom: Why have you decided to take us on as an investor?
Andrin: We realized early on how eager Ringier Digital Ventures was in gaining an incredibly deep understanding of our current position and vision. They wanted to be able to see our startup through the eyes of the founder. And once they could, they automatically became part of the team. This deep understanding of our vision and their vast experience allows Ringier Digital Ventures to provide us with highly qualified inputs.

Tom: How would you describe the culture at AirConsole?
Andrin: We want to win the market as a team. Each team member has a lot of responsibility, which makes hierarchy almost obsolete. Everyone plays a vital role and has a great influence on success. So a lot of heart and soul flows from each of us in AirConsole. We all pull together in the same direction. We are a true team.

Tom: Thanks, Andrin!

Rudi Skogman is the co-founder and CEO at Blok and former Chief of Investor Operations at Slush. Blok «helps to smooth the rigmarole of selling your home by using AI to take away many of the complications – including pesky real estate brokers» (according to WIRED magazine in their article about the hottest startups in Helsinki 2018.

David, Partner of Marcau Partners, asked Rudi some questions.

David: What has inspired you to found Blok?
Rudi: The idea for Blok came from my own frustration towards the real estate market. A few years ago I sold an apartment and bought another one in Helsinki and had a real estate agent on both deals. The customer experience was seriously lacking and it was ridiculously expensive (commission ~4%). I figured that we have self-driving cars on the streets of San Francisco, rockets flying through the air and these supercomputers in our hands, so there surely has to be a way to make the real estate industry better as well. That’s what we’ve built at Blok, the best possible customer experience when selling your home, which in our case from a perfect combination of humans and technology. Technology does all the heavy lifting and humans make sure that customers are happy. We’re currently the biggest digital brokerage in the Nordics and have the world’s happiest customers.

David: What would you tell somebody who just started his/her first company?
Rudi: You’re in for a hell of a ride. Be kind to yourself and make sure that you have great people around you both inside the company and in personal life. At Blok we’ve always known that we’re in for a marathon, not a sprint and that’s why we’ve (almost) never worked on weekends. Make sure to listen to your gut when choosing investors and other people to work with. Prefer working with people that you know from before and trust. Try to keep your head above all the shit and make sure you have a clear picture of the future even when the waters are murky (you achieve this by staying positive and concentrated on problem-solving).

David: What comes to your mind when you think about our first encounter?
Rudi: I remember David and the whole Ringier team as always being excited and trusting. They’re the ones that stayed positive even when everybody else was a naysayer around them.

David: What do you expect from an investor?
Rudi: I expect investors to support entrepreneurs when needed and to stay on the sidelines when needed. They should trust the entrepreneurs that they choose to back and not impose their own ideas on them too much (at least not when not asked). The good investors really stand out when things get tough, anyone can be good when it’s all smooth sailing but when the storms hit (and they will!), you have to hope that your investors stay cool and help you navigate to safer waters. I expect investors to always have the entrepreneurs’ backs covered and to think of the best for the entrepreneurs even when it’s hard.

David: Kiitos Rudi!

Ordering incontinence products online in a transparent and discrete way? This is made possible by Insenio, an incontinence e-commerce startup founded by Jonas Schmieder in 2014.

Benj, Partner of Marcau Partners, asked Jonas some questions.

Benj: Incontinence is not exactly a super sexy topic. Yet you have started an incontinence e-commerce business. What was your motivation? What keeps you up at night?
Jonas: My customers are my biggest motivation. Before starting my incontinence e-commerce business I ran a small geriatric care consulting service. We answered clients’ and their family members’ questions around benefits, insurances and of course products. Particularly incontinence products seemed to be a big issue and difficult for them to handle. By the way, the cost recognition process for incontinence products at health insurance companies is quite complex here in Germany. That is why patients complain about red tape and little support from their insurance providers. Of course, their situation and unhappiness kept me busy so that I decided to help them. In the end, I developed an idea and founded Insenio.

Benj: What was your biggest mistake so far as a founder?
Jonas: As a founder, you are always keen to make the right decisions – always. You are questioning yourself and others constantly where the largest chance lies and where the smallest risk is. But in my past as a founder, I had two or three situations were all the questioning and all the weighing up was actually counterproductive because it took too much time. In the end, I learned that sometimes reacting fast is better than trying to make everything right.

Benj: How would you describe the culture at Insenio?
Jonas: Culture is very important for us not to say it is even crucial. That is why we try to build a family-like culture where everybody is welcomed to be unique and where everyone gets support to reach his or her highest goals and performance. Moreover, we cultivate friendship-like relationships to add value to our daily work.

Benj: Why have you decided to take us on as an investor?
Jonas: There were three reasons. First Ringier is an experienced investor with a high-value network. Secondly, you know the Swiss market better than we do. Thirdly and that is the main reason for me, we share the same philosophy and mindset. In other words, I believed right from our first meeting that the trust and like-minded relationship between us will help us to tackle the future and everything that will come.

Benj: Thanks a lot, Jonas!

Tobias Gunzenhauser is revolutionizing baby food at yamo together with his co-founders José Amado-Blanco and Luca Michas. yamo stands for 100% natural and organic ingredients, a vitamin-preserving, cold-pressed production, and no additional sugar or salt. The yamo product range, as of January 2020, includes a variety of cups (118g & 200g) and pouches (120g) with funny names such as «Mango No. 5», «Broccoly Balboa», and «Cocohontas».

David: What has inspired you to found yamo?
Tobias: José, Luca and I love food. And as foodies we were delighted by the many positive changes in the past years in this industry. More organic and especially freshly prepared products saw the light of day. But what we did not understand: why would this progress make a halt for baby and children food? Why is baby food still older than the baby eating it?

David: Why is now the time for your company to exist?
Tobias: Parents don’t want to settle for «good enough» anymore. They demand the same level of freshness, quality, and product philosophy for their child’s food as they would for their own. And justifiably so. Additionally, with our direct to consumer approach, we establish a very different depth of relationship with our customers. We learn from them, we interact and adapt our offering to their feedback.

David: What was your biggest mistake so far as a founder?
Tobias: We more than once underestimated how long certain things take. As a startup with a smart and driven team, you’re used to moving fast. But as soon as external parties are involved, whatever they might be, it happens that the pace and outcome are not under your control anymore. We weren’t always best in predicting these dynamics.

David: How would you describe the culture at yamo?
Tobias: We are passionate team players. We have a clear vision of our goal and do our utmost to achieve it. We have a lot of fun along the way. We employ people from many different nations. Our different cultural and social backgrounds are enriching and broaden our horizons.

Often we do something new, which nobody has done before. This requires courage and the will to take risks. Together we learn both and also learn to swim in cold water. We learn from mistakes and always find a solution.

David: How would you describe your relationship with us?
Tobias: The relationship to you guys is characterized by mutual respect, open communication and the highest level of trust. Having investors on board that know when to push you, when to cheer you up and when to just leave you to work is invaluable. Continuous support and standing by us even when we sail against the wind (or into the storm) is what you promised and what you kept.

David: Thanks a lot, Tobias!

P.S. If you want to know even more about yamo, check out this podcast with Tobias in the Handelszeitung!

Laurent Decrue founded Movu in 2014 together with Nenad Nikolic and Nicolas Bürer. Three years later, the company was successfully sold to the Swiss insurance company Baloise Group. What does Movu do? It offers a relaxed relocation to its clients by not only suggesting suitable providers, but also by handing out vouchers and helping with the re-registration, the change of address etc. You get everything you need for your move from a single source.

Here’s what David, Partner of Marcau Partners, asked Laurent:

David: Why have you founded Movu?
Laurent: Because we made a bad moving experience ourselves and decided that this industry is ripe for a more digital and customer-centric solution!

David: What’s the biggest challenge in running a startup?
Laurent: I would say there are two very connected ones. Building a great team that is able to keep the momentum high, because you have to cover a lot of roads ahead compared to all the established industry solutions out there.

David: If you weren’t building your startup, what would you be doing?
Laurent: Probably building a company in the childcare or the senior citizen sector.

David: What comes to your mind when you think about our first encounter?
Laurent: I don‘t remember our first encounter, sorry. We‘ve had so many good meetings afterward in great and really tricky circumstances. What comes to my mind is the calmness and unstoppable support we‘ve always felt from you as investors and board members.

David: Thanks a lot, Laurent!