Hey Nicholas, Hand honestly what were your expectations for crowdfunding before you started?
Nicholas: "We wanted to raise one to two million and were also quite confident that we could do it. But I wouldn't have thought that we would reach the maximum target before the end of the campaign period."
How do you look back on the crowdfunding experience?
Nicholas: "Before the start, I was quite nervous. I knew that with over 200,000 customers in Switzerland, we had a good chance of a successful campaign. However, the start of the pre-funding phase was very successful and from then on I knew that one to two million was possible. Shortly before the public campaign started on December 9, 2022, investments dropped quite a bit again, and I became restless again."
Image: Nicholas, Robin and Jeffrey (from left to right)
What was the biggest learning for NIKIN?
Nicholas: "We can rely on our community and have an enormous number of customers who believe in NIKIN and want to support us. I also believe that this enormously strengthens us as a brand. We bind some of our best customers closer to NIKIN, letting them participate in our success. That brings us together!"
Did anything else surprise you?
Nicholas: "Yes, we created different reward packages, where, for certain amounts, you receive, for example, a NIKIN goodie bag. For investments of CHF 50,000 or more, we decided that Robin and I, as founders, would personally visit and plant a tree in the garden. We planned this because we found the idea amusing, but we didn't think anyone would invest such a high amount. Ultimately, three people invested at least CHF 50,000, and now we will actually visit three different gardens and plant a tree."
Why did NIKIN choose the platform Conda ?
Nicholas: "We wanted a platform that works well and isn't too complicated. There are other great platforms, but for example, you need to have a crypto-wallet, and we didn't want that."
The crowdfunding phase is complete - will there be further opportunities?
Nicholas: "Another crowdfunding round is not planned as of today. However, it's quite possible that we will do another funding round with our community in the future. The great experiences we've had have certainly motivated us."
Image: "tree by tree".
Five million is a lot of money - what happens next?
Nicholas: "The five million will primarily be used to finance our growth plans and important projects. The areas into which the money will flow include: retail, B2B, product development, purchasing, and sustainability. In addition, the money helps us to plan long-term and make larger investments. In the past, this was not always easy as a self-financed company."
What can investors expect?
Nicholas: "Everyone who participated can expect special TreeSocks - only for co-owners. In addition, some will receive goodie bags, and the first 1,000 investors will be invited to a forest-festival. This now needs to be organized. From the second quarter, investors will receive quarterly updates on the most important developments at NIKIN. We also plan to send out surveys regularly, where people can give their opinion and thus influence the future of NIKIN . We are very much looking forward to the coming years with over 4,000 new co-owners!"
