Tinus wanted to provide relief to the approximately four million tinnitus sufferers in Germany. The smart pillow developed by the company plays music via Bluetooth. The sound is only audible during physical contact; the partner in the same bed cannot hear it. The pillow is designed to detect when users have reached the deep sleep phase and gradually fade the sounds away. To establish their product on the market, founders Jaqueline Schaupp and Simon Greschl are asking investors for 350,000 euros and are offering a ten percent stake in the company in return.
Carsten Maschmeyer and Ralf Dümmel then offered the founding couple the desired amount for 25 percent of the company. Ultimately, the TV investors and founders agreed on a 20 percent share of the company and a 2 percent share of revenue until the investment was repaid.
Tinus at the end before TV broadcast
So far, so good. However, according to the commercial register, Tinus was liquidated in November 2022, five months before the TV show aired. The website is no longer accessible.
Tinus had to file for insolvency in September 2022. startup scene The then insolvency administrator, Philip Heinke, announced that the previously agreed sales targets had been missed. The company had sold fewer than 100 pillows by the end of August 2022. Investors had demanded this milestone for further financing.
The two founders Jaqueline Schaupp and Simon Greschl have already found new jobs: Schaupp heads innovation management at the petrol station operator Allguth, Greschl is at MTZ-Startup Pioneering power worked as CTO.
