Reusable system kooky secures over six million euros in financing for expansion into Germany and Austria
Zurich, April 6, 2022 – In addition to the main shareholder UVC Partners, well-known business angels such as Delivery Hero CFO Emmanuel Thomassin or venture partner Alois Flatz, the only member of kooky’s supervisory board, are investing in the start-up. kooky focuses on replacing single-use products with reusable products. The Swiss company developed the first intelligent reusable cup system with its own digital return infrastructure. It cooperates with the Schweizerische Bundesbahnen AG SBB, among others.
The reusable system kooky collected six million euros in another round of financing. The company now wants to use the money to expand into Germany and Austria.
The main investor is the venture capital fund UVC Partners based in Berlin and Munich. "We looked at a few reusable start-ups in Germany," says Johannes von Borries, Managing Partner at UVC Partners. "But only kooky offers an open system in which returns and cleaning are also automated, meaning that consumers and restaurateurs won’t have to change their habits."
Other investors include Delivery Hero CFO Emmanuel Thomassin and venture partner Alois Flatz, the only member of kooky’s supervisory board. "We are very pleased that we were able to win the trust of our investors," says kooky founder and CEO Torge Barkholtz. "Following the successful launch in Switzerland in 2021, we now also want to start in Germany and Austria this coming May 2022."
"Our task is to provide a leading infrastructure for the circular economy to enable waste-free consumption," adds co-founder and COO Maximilian Zott. "The rapid growth since our foundation as well as the trust and satisfaction of our numerous partners confirm that we are up-to-date and successful with the first intuitive reusable system on the market and are growing."
Since it was founded in 2021, kooky has already gained more than 60 well-known partners with associated outlets in Switzerland. Among them is the Schweizerische Bundesbahnen AG SBB as well as the confectionery brand Sprüngli and the retailer Coop.
And this is how the digital reusable system works: The customer directly purchases a drink in a kooky cup from one of the partner companies and pays a refundable deposit for the container. The cup is then placed in a kooky drop-off box after scanning the QR code printed on it. The deposit is credited to consumers in an app after the return. kooky retains a service fee for its service. The company collects the cups from the boxes, has them professionally cleaned and then redistributes them to the partner companies.
About kooky
kooky, a brand of Zurich-based CEBS AG, focuses on developing alternative solutions for disposable tableware. The start-up from Switzerland developed the first intelligent reusable cup system with its own digital return infrastructure. It was founded in 2021 by Torge Barkholtz, Maximilian Zott and Dmytro Boguslavskyy.
About UVC Partners
UVC Partners is a Munich- and Berlin-based early-stage venture capital firm that invests in European B2B startups in the areas of enterprise software, industrial technologies, and mobility. The fund typically invests between € 0.5m - 10m initially and up to € 30m in total per company. Portfolio companies benefit from the extensive investment and exit experience of the management team as well as from the close cooperation with UnternehmerTUM, Europe’s leading innovation, and business creation center. With over 300 employees and more than 100 industry partners, UnternehmerTUM can draw from many years of experience in establishing young companies. This cooperation enables UVC Partners to offer startups unique access to talent, industry customers, and other financial partners.
