The Munich-based startup Carryyygum has invented the "world's smallest luggage carrier." Founder Carl Heinze financed the first batch of the rubber band for transporting (relatively) small items by bike through a crowdfunding campaign. The project was supported by the City of Munich. In our interview, Carl shares his learnings, shares what he's most proud of, and discusses the challenges of the campaign.
In many crowdfunding campaigns, market testing or marketing are the primary focus, in addition to funding. What was that like with Carryyygum?
The main focus was on financing the first batch of products. The successful crowdfunding significantly reduced the risk for us. In retrospect, however, it's clear that the marketing effect of the successful crowdfunding campaign is truly enormous: Project starters receive a kind of seal of approval that their idea is good—and this facilitates many discussions and collaborations.
How did you prepare for the campaign and where did you find support?
I found the topics of production costs, fees, taxes, customs duties, international deliveries, etc. quite complex at the beginning. Several conversations with others who had already run a crowdfunding campaign with similar ideas were very helpful, for example at a crowdfunding breakfast or simply by writing to a founder.
“For us, success did not come by itself”
What advice would you give to other founders who are considering launching a crowdfunding campaign?
At least for us, success didn't just happen. It takes a lot of work: press work, paid marketing, canvassing at bike shops, attending trade shows, distributing flyers, contacting bloggers. Maybe there's an idea you can put on Kickstarter that will attract more and more backers all by itself—but for us, it didn't happen entirely on its own.
“Municipal crowdfunding: a good trust element”
How did you benefit from the crowdfunding support from the City of Munich?
A good campaign involves quite a lot of initial expenses—for example, for video production or a graphic design agency. The €3,000 from the city came at just the right time for us. Furthermore, the reference to the city's crowdfunding support is also a good trust element on the crowdfunding page.
What are you most proud of about the campaign? What experiences did you have during the campaign? What surprised you, positively or negatively?
I really enjoyed communicating with the backers. And I always found them to be very friendly, supportive, and understanding. And helpful! For example, I asked our Kickstarter backers if they could translate our safety instructions into their local language. That was truly fantastic; within five days, the backers had translated the text into twelve languages!
What lasting effects did the campaign have? And what's next for you?
Because our product is totally visible on the front of our customers’ bikes and so people can easily notice us, the business is done through our own Webshop Not bad at all. Beyond that, of course, we still need to find distribution partners.
We already have the first ones, but establishing further distribution partnerships—both in retail and online—remains our task for the near future. So if you have or know of a store or online shop and want to sell the world's smallest bike rack, please contact us. report by email!
Thank you for the interview!
