Munich Startup: How did you prepare for the campaign and where did Akjumii find good support?
Akjumii: To prepare for the campaign, the tutorials on the Startnext platform as well as the video support provided by Startnext were extremely helpful. In financial terms, a crowdfunding campaign is also a big investment before an idea can hopefully be funded. That’s why without support from the City of Munich, it would have been very difficult for us to even start the campaign.
Munich Startup: In many crowdfunding campaigns, the focus is not only on financing, but also on market validation or marketing. How was it for you?
Akjumii: Marketing was also one of the main focuses for us. We realized that we had the opportunity to present our product, the 3in1 coat, to the crowd. Of course the crowd includes people who already know us, but also has new people who have gotten to know Akjumii through the relevant platforms and publications. Because we were introducing a brand new product and used the crowdfunding campaign to enter the market, we were obviously quite pleased about the additional market validation.
Munich Startup: What was the most useful tip you received while preparing your campaign?
Akjumii: To be aware that a crowdfunding campaign is first and foremost a marketing measure. And that the existing crowd has to take the important first step! In other words, we needed to be ready to get our entire social network involved.
Akjumii: “The existing crowd has to take the important first step”
Munich Startup: What recommendation do you have for other founders who are thinking about starting a crowdfunding campaign?
Akjumii: Everyone should ask themselves the following questions:
- Do you have a clear concept and a clear goal? From our experience, a crowdfunding campaign needs to be concisely and clearly communicated.
- Have you already built a crowd or a strong social network that will support you? In our opinion, crowdfunding almost only works – and the exception proves the rule – when you already have a network.
- Do you want to use the campaign for pre-orders, market validation and marketing or to make major money? Our recommendation for everyone is to be aware that a crowdfunding campaign takes a lot of time and/or money upfront.
Munich Startup: How did you benefit from the crowdfunding support from the City of Munich?
Akjumii: We used the support to create pictures and video material. We were able to hire Munich creatives, who did an amazing job turning our ideas into images. Creating photos and videos can be particularly expensive, which is why the support from the City of Munich was extremely helpful for us.
Munich Startup: What lasting impact has come from the campaign? And what’s next for you?
Akjumii: On the one hand, a campaign is great for clearly and precisely articulating your vision, mission and own goals, which means you also have them clearly in your mind. Distinctly articulating these aspects for yourself is of constant help when growing and making decisions. Thanks to the campaign, we sold our first 3in1 coat and had the opportunity to produce a small ‘stock’ of 3in1 coats. That made it possible for us to stock our online store and to now establish further growth of our label online and with appointments in our showroom in Glockenbachviertel.