Moritz: Sebastian and I have known each other for almost 25 years; we grew up together on the North Sea. Global warming is an important, existential issue there: my parents' house is one meter below sea level. The only thing that ensures that the sea doesn't come to the house is the dike. And it had to be built higher and higher because the storm surges were getting stronger and the sea level was rising. When you experience the effects of human actions up close, it's extreme. Sebastian and I found plastic waste and dead animals on the beach. That annoyed us and we asked ourselves two years ago: How can we help avoid plastic, at least in the bathroom? Because Sebastian is a chemist and I am a mechanical engineer, we were able to check the ingredients of the products and question concepts.

Sebastian: Exactly. We have found that liquid soap contains up to 96 percent water. Everyone has tap water at home. We thought to ourselves: Why should this water be transported around the world in trucks and emit a lot of CO2? Especially since every liquid soap needs plastic packaging, mostly disposable plastic.

Moritz: Sebastian has developed a recipe for a tablet. If you add water, liquid or foam soap is created. The advantage: You only have to transport small tablets and no large packs or dispensers - this saves a whopping 90 percent of CO2. In the first six months since we were founded alone, we were able to help our customers do without 360,000 disposable soap dispensers! By the way, we also sell soap dispensers and here too we are consistent when it comes to environmental considerations. Instead of plastic, we make these either from glass or recycled PET.

Moritz: From the beginning, we focused on building a community and this to take with us on our trip. And we are absolutely transparent – ​​for example when it comes to our ingredients. We are in the process of having our soap certified as natural cosmetics.

Sebastian: Of course, mishaps also happen along this path, which we can smile about today. For example, when I first tried it, a few soap dispensers exploded in my kitchen. (laughs)

Moritz: After we developed the product, we raised money with a crowdfunding campaign at Startnext - more like just for fun. But instead of the targeted 5,000 euros, we immediately received 14,000 euros and far exceeded our expectations! Suddenly there were 400 customers, so we had to deliver and start production.

Moritz: Yes, we were viewed very critically by many investors - no one took it seriously and we had to listen to the question: How do you want to set up your own production?

Moritz: We actually managed it very well! Today we produce 37,000 tablets per hour, up from 1,000 in the beginning. The tablets are now manufactured in Lambrecht. We started in Weidenthal, but then moved.

Moritz: The preparation was special: Because of Corona, the hardware stores were closed, so we had to improvise with the stage design and looted our parents' cellars. With a full car we drove from the North Sea to Cologne, where we got up at 4 a.m. on the day of filming. We were already on set at 5:15 to prepare everything. We were really happy to see Judith there!

Moritz: Absolutely, her background in cosmetics development was a perfect fit for us. I immediately thought: It would be nice if we got together.

Sebastian: We were surprised that we received three offers. But we really wanted to see Judith.

Moritz: It's not just about the pure investment, but also about what network a lion brings with him in order to build a sustainable brand. How can you place the brand in stores? How are you perceived? We see ourselves as a premium product and manufacturer.

Sebastian: Judith's network, her sustainable brand building and the success of her start-ups speak for themselves.

Moritz: That's right: it's crazy what he's achieved in sales. But Judith has the bonus of cosmetics development in-house: we can consult with her and her team and every step is scrutinized in a qualified manner. We benefit greatly from this.

Moritz: Our marketing is completely digital. We are represented online at Douglas and HSE and want to enter brick-and-mortar stores soon - but then with different products. We can't really imagine foam soap on the market. And that's why we have already developed a lot of new product ideas.

Sebastian: Yes, exactly. The logo is intended to show: We want to ensure that less plastic ends up in the sea. After all, birds should eat fish and not our garbage.