Hello Lukas!
We hope you and KEEGO have had a good start to the new year!
Thank you, the breather was very short this time.
We are noticing that there is no longer a classic off-season in the cycling sector. Many people keep fit on the turbo trainer or at training camps. The rush to the fitness studios is also noticeable for us, and KEEGO is becoming increasingly present in the gym. Particular emphasis is placed on proper nutrition here, and there is no room for microplastics in the water.
As a highlight, we were able to present our new Limited Edition called “Iron Berry” at a community event last week.
The incredibly positive feedback gives us momentum and motivation for a good 2024!
Let's briefly stay with 2023. What is your review like?
Last year, we really arrived in the sports world. Especially in the cycling sector, you can't get past us anymore!
A year earlier, we still had to explain our product a hundred times, but now almost everyone knows about it. KEEGO has gained many new fans and multipliers, and has thus reached further target groups.
As the topics of microplastics and nanoplastics in sports bottles or reusable bottles are also receiving more and more public attention, awareness of pollutant-free hydration has increased.
What will you remember most?
The encounters and feedback from enthusiastic KEEGO users at trade fairs and events.
Also, the product launch of our 500ml bottle, which is very well received both for smaller adventures and by children.
But at the very top is the birth of my son Oskar. He has put a lot of things in a different light again and has maximally increased my motivation - to do something meaningful for future generations.
KEEGO has experienced remarkable growth in recent years. How do you plan to maintain this momentum in the coming year?
We assume that everything will accelerate all the more now.
While the cycling industry is struggling with stagnation and bankruptcies in certain areas, we are only just getting started.
Once you've used the KEEGO, you'll never go back to plastic.
Likewise, almost all users recommend KEEGO to their sports colleagues and their environment, as can be seen in the results of our customer survey below.
The biggest challenge for us right now is therefore to always be available and to further develop our production.
Can you tell us more about KEEGO's goals and visions for the coming years?
It's time to replace the short-lived and bad-tasting plastic bottles. And not just in the DACH region and in cycling, but in all sports.
So much for the short-term goals. 😊
In the long term, I also see the KEEGO in space and on Mars.
How important is participation in events and trade fairs for KEEGO? What is planned for 2024?
We want to remain present and approachable. Trade fairs are a good opportunity to be there in person for customers and fans. For many, it is also important to be able to hold the KEEGO in their hands and try it out.
We are currently finalizing our calendar, which will kick off again this year with Cyclingworld in Düsseldorf. The exact plan will be available online soon!
In the summer, we will also be celebrating 5 years of KEEGO and will be coming up with a few ideas for this! I am particularly pleased that 75% of the bottles from the first series in 2019 will still be in use at this time.
KEEGO has now built up a strong presence in the cycling community.
In which other sports and areas of application is KEEGO already being used?
At the top of the list are team sports and use in hiking.
This is followed by the fitness and children's sectors.
More and more people are using the KEEGO as an everyday bottle: next to the bed, on the way to work, at university or in the car. The lightness and safe one-handed drinking are clear advantages here.
Are there any special highlights apart from the norm?
I found it exciting that some top alpinists in Switzerland rely on KEEGO. For them, it is simply the lightest metal bottle on the market.
However, the list is very long:
The KEEGO flies through the air with paragliders, is squeezed by American football players, crosses continents on bikepacking adventures, is used in maternity wards, and is recommended by midwives.
One user, in turn, consciously uses it in the sauna: as a drinking bottle AND for the perfectly dosed infusion!
Are there already well-known athletes who use KEEGO drinking bottles out of conviction?
The most famous is certainly Manuel Neuer, who enjoys road cycling in his free time and relies on the KEEGO.
This winter, we are also represented in the Alpine Ski World Cup, where multiple world champion Sebastian Foss Solevåg will be competing with our bottle.
Many professional athletes, whom I cannot mention here, are currently still tied to much more financially powerful sponsors and their PR bottles.
However, some riders from World Tour teams also use the KEEGO in training to drink cleanly. This will change in the medium term, as top athletes pay meticulous attention to their bodies.
There are always reports about the unequal treatment of genders in sports. To what extent does KEEGO support female athletes or clubs? What is your position on this topic?
Our possibilities to financially support athletes are still limited. If we do, it certainly won't be decisive based on gender. We celebrate every individual achievement and the stories that only sport can write.
The next generation is particularly important to us. However, we also support senior citizens, an LGBTQIA+ cycling club, and everything in between.
We are currently particularly proud to facilitate the start of the first women's elite team from our hometown of Vienna.
As the founder of an up-and-coming start-up, you've certainly experienced highs and lows. What essential lessons have you learned on your journey with KEEGO and how have they shaped you?
It's good to just start with things. It often takes longer, but you learn something with every step.
Whether it's worth sticking with it will then be decided by the customers or users. It's really important not to just ask people who like you.
As an athlete, I found it relatively easy to see it from a sporting perspective, because defeats are part of it. In addition, a new door always opens when one closes. For KEEGO, the feedback was simply too good to stop. But it took a lot of perseverance.
Today I know: Hardware development takes much longer than you think. The KEEGO with its new material combination, special process and new production facilities is certainly special.
To what extent has participation in "Die Höhle der Löwen" influenced the brand and its growth? What advice would you give to other start-ups who want to use similar platforms?
No question, it certainly contributed to our recognition.
At the same time, it took a lot of focus and blocked us in several ways. I think we would have progressed faster without the show. But that's different for every startup. Our recording was postponed twice by a year due to the pandemic, and the broadcast was over a year later.
My advice to other start-ups: Do it, prepare well, and stay true to yourselves and your environment.
Grow out of the community and understand what benefits you can create there. Don't spend too much time at the drawing board, but talk to as many people as possible and constantly test different things.
Expanding into new markets is an important milestone for growing companies. What strategies or considerations does KEEGO pursue in this regard?
So far, we have focused on the DACH region and the bicycle sector. Each market has its own rules and multipliers. When we expand into new markets, we want to stay true to our values and grow healthily. Growth at any cost is not sustainable, and we don't want that.
Where does most of the demand currently come from?
Clearly from Germany and the bicycle sector.
However, we currently sell to all European countries. We also receive daily inquiries from all over the world, which we cannot yet serve.
Demand in the Arab region is also very high. We are proud to be available there recently in the best bike shop in the world, at Wolfi’s Bike Shop.
How important is the team for the success of KEEGO and what qualities or characteristics do you look for when expanding the team?
I have always been a team player and know that this is the most successful way. Everyone should know how enriching it is to take on different and completely new roles and tasks. The basis for this is a high willingness to learn and independence. We currently have vacancies mainly on the production and procurement side.
Applications can be sent to team@keego.at.
What makes KEEGO attractive as an employer, and what special incentives or benefits does the company offer its employees?
Our flexible working hours and our great office in Vienna are attractive.
The variety and current dynamics make the work exciting. Since we are a small team, you have a good insight into what is happening in marketing, product development, operations and sales.
I also really appreciate the sports industry with its many great events and the healthy and optimistic people we deal with.
What role does financing and the search for investors play in KEEGO's future growth plans?
KEEGO is a bottle for every sport and is also ideal for children.
This means that the potential is very large and our development in recent years speaks for itself. In order to make KEEGO available to everyone, however, there will always be moments when we have to invest. Especially in new machines, product developments and bottle stocks. Then it can make sense to bring an investor on board.
What tips do you have for other start-up founders who are looking for investment?
Try to build a rapport with potential investors and ask if you can keep them briefly updated on your development on a quarterly basis. If that works, you'll have an ideal starting position in a financing round.
What role do customer feedback and returns play in product improvements or iterations, and how do you integrate them into the KEEGO product development process?
Our customers' feedback inspires us and influences our decisions. Of course, the frequency of individual requests or ideas is also important. We greatly appreciate having such an active community that is also willing to provide information. We see this in our annual customer survey.
We have a lot on the product roadmap and are developing various products in parallel. Some of this has come about due to suggestions from customers. However, we also had repeated problems with availability last year because the production of the current bottles was not fast enough. Therefore, we unfortunately had to postpone the development of new products several times.
What is the product testing process at KEEGO, especially with regard to quality assurance?
Over the years, we have developed a 10-page catalog of controls and tests that are carried out between and after the manufacturing steps. Samples are taken, and many controls and tests are also carried out on each individual bottle.
Our promise is to deliver a bottle free of harmful substances with an interior made of pure titanium.
We want to stand out from cheap plastic bottles. To ensure we don't make any mistakes, we conduct ongoing checks.
The titanium, in turn, makes many things easier for us, as it has been researched and tested for biocompatibility for many years.
What innovations does KEEGO plan to further improve the products or their sustainability and performance?
We know from numerous studies that the lifespan of a product has the greatest impact on its sustainability. We want to make the KEEGO even more durable and increase the proportion of recycled materials in the bottle. In the long term, we aim to use bio-based plastics. However, this is currently not possible without sacrificing function or durability.
How do you assess KEEGO's influence on awareness of sustainability and environmentally friendly alternatives in society?
I am realistic about this. Many are clamoring for sustainability.
But as soon as this puts even a slight strain on price or function, it becomes difficult. For a more sustainable product to replace another, it must provide additional benefits. For us, these are taste, purity and durability.
That's why customers are willing to pay the higher price and switch. Sustainability is now an important factor for more than half of the users, but for many it is currently still a nice add-on.
To what extent has the partnership with other companies such as Fidlock contributed to expanding KEEGO's product range? Are further cooperations in prospect or what is the focus?
The cooperation with Fidlock was obvious from the start, and we are pleased that Fidlock saw it that way too. The bottle holder of the future and the bottle of the future. The best of both worlds combined.
And that is also appreciated: The Twist is currently so in demand that it will not be restocked until April.
Two to three other collaborations are in progress or in the pipeline.
I think we will see some of it this year.
However, there could be a few more, such as filter bottles or backpacks, where it would make sense. But it always takes two companies that operate on an equal footing and pull in the same direction.
What challenges do you anticipate in the area of production and logistics and how do you want to address them?
Increasing production is currently our biggest issue.
Thanks to production in Europe, logistics are fortunately uncomplicated.
When we want to produce a larger number of bottles, there is automatically a greater probability that things will not work. In addition, we now have to switch to a multi-shift operation, which increases the risks somewhat. But all of this is nothing new and it is also the development we were hoping for. It is important to use the time now at the beginning of the year to set the course.
Can you tell us more about the KEEGO Refresh Program. How exactly does it work?
Since we can use the material from old KEEGO bottles, we would like to have them back at the end of their life. In return, customers will receive a voucher for a new bottle. It is another important contribution to making the KEEGO more sustainable and to give food for thought on the waste of resources.
How can you support KEEGO in its vision?
By telling your friends and family about it!
The findings on plastic in water are just as alarming as the amount of waste we cause here.
Finally, what would you like to share with our readers?
Consume consciously, enjoy the wonderful nature & KEEP GOING!
PS: If you've made it this far: THANK YOU!
With the code Lukas10 you get 10% discount on your entire order!
