We enable the future of reusability

Reusable cups are well known by now. But far too often, people don't bother to take the detour out of their comfort zone to actually use them (or bring them back!). The Swiss startup kooky provides an infrastructure to address this problem and will soon bring its innovative solution to Germany and Austria.?

Torge, with kooky you’re aiming to make reusable cup systems more successful. What is the vision that drives you???

We want to leave a lasting impact on the future by enabling reusability. That's the core that defines us. We don't necessarily focus on being a reusable cup provider. Rather, we want to bring about a change to the food system that has not yet been possible with the current state of technology and digitalization. With kooky, we are building an infrastructure that is much more than just a cup. It's about the future of circular economy.?

What does that mean for your business model???

Well, we have a range of business models. Our core business is based on a pay-per-use model. Our partner obtains the cups from us and pays a usage fee for them. The user receives a deposit credited to her/his app when he/she returns the cup and only pays a service fee when the deposit is paid into the bank account. If he/she leaves the money in her/his app wallet and uses it for other things, such as specific donations, then we don't charge a fee. The other business model is focused on the B2B space. We are working with closed office buildings/spaces with a licensing model.

Sustainability is a huge topic in society. But many good ideas fail because people are not willing to break their behavioral patterns. How do you tackle this problem?

Yes, the social trend always goes only so far, until you feel resistance or a perceived extra effort. With kooky, we meet people within their natural behavior. We've built an infrastructure where you can go anywhere with your reusable cup and return it to one of the return stations along the way as soon as you’re done. There's no hurdle. You can use your to-go cup as if you were using a disposable. You don't have to change your behavior and can integrate sustainability into your daily life. That's the reason why kooky is so widely accepted.

What is it that differentiates you from the competition?

We believe that every reusable solution is good in principle, as it leads to the reduction of disposables. But we see kooky as a complete and holistic system - for both our business partners and the consumers. Let me explain what that means: The way we see it, changing a behavior pattern either takes a lot of effort for convincing people with monetary resources and an uncertain outcome. Or it takes decades to implement change in society. We have neither the resources nor the time for any of the two options. That’s why we did it this way: When you order your coffee, you get your kooky cup and scan it briefly with your phone. After drinking, you can drop the cup off at the nearest kooky box. They are easy to find, usually next to recycling stations at train stops or other waste infrastructure hubs. You can also take a quick look at our app. The entire process is anonymous, clean, and intuitive.

You want to expand into Germany and Austria. What are the challenges you are facing?

Actually, we expect fewer challenges than in the Swiss market. Take for instance the deposit system: in Switzerland, it is not very well known at all. We basically had to newly implement the deposit system here. In Germany, the deposit system is well known and accepted. You can see that just by looking at the lines in front of return machines in supermarkets. Thus, we see many more opportunities than hurdles in the German market.

Still, the markets are different. Which hurdles do you expect in the German market compared to the Swiss one?

We have an infrastructure set up that we have to establish in every city. But every city is different. That’s why we’ve been in conversations with partners in various cities for quite some time now. We are getting a lot of inquiries, but one thing is a top priority for us: we want to build a sustainable business and not scale at any price. So, we only move to places where we find the right market. We are looking closely at each location beforehand in order to identify opportunities and potential profitability. The first thing we do when we enter a new market is to make sure that we have the right infrastructural partners.?

Lastly, why did you choose UVC Partners as an investor?

We don’t think we chose UVC Partners and UVC Partners didn’t choose us. We just found each other. From the first time we met, we saw that UVC Partners is all about entrepreneurship. All conversations are at eye level. They asked the right questions, and they showed us the right opportunities. It was important to us that we find a partner who does not only understand business but with whom we can also exchange ideas on a personal level. We quickly had the feeling that with UVC Partners we can achieve the goals we defined for ourselves.