Amsterdam-based Makus Kitchen, a company developing ‘uniquely’ designed induction cooktops, announced on Wednesday, December 14, that it has raised €250K in a fresh round of funding from Horizon Flevoland.
Typical cooktops are frequently plain, black, and unattractive. Makus says it wishes for the kitchen to become a stylish addition to the living area. Thus, they began creating cooktops in a variety of forms and designs.
Founded in 2018, Makus was bootstrapped for a while, but had to raise money to grow. Founder Merel Philippart in an interview with Golden Egg Check, says, “I want to go fast, yet I also want to take enough care for Makus.” She further adds, “When we started in 2018, we still had to seduce people to switch to induction cooktops, but not anymore. Many are already switching.”
How did StartupRoulette help Makus in raising money?
Phillipart says, “I heard about StartupRoulette at the end of 2021 from Sandra van Beest, founder of The Social Handshake. At the time we met I had mixed feelings about the offer we didn’t go for. But, bottom line I was happy that we did not proceed with it. I wanted to see if StartupRoulette could help me find the right partner(s). I didn’t have to pay anything upfront, so I could just see what investors Golden Egg Check could find for me.”
StartupRoulette makes it simple to locate and get in touch with possible investors outside of your network, who you would not otherwise be able to reach. Every month, chosen companies and appropriate VC investors (VCs & angels) participate in StartupRoulette, an online speed-dating event. Each startup will have three meaningful speed dates (20 minutes) with investors that are relevant and properly matched, and vice versa.
In the edition Makus took part in, they were paired with Horizon Flevoland and clicked right away. The session only took 20 minutes and afterwards they both felt that they should continue the conversation. Merel says, “It went pretty quickly and it felt very comfortable, honest and professional from the beginning.”
Under time pressure
In the interview, founder Merel Philippart mentions that she was pregnant during the investment process and that the deal may not have been completed due to her ‘due’ date. And even if they had succeeded, it seemed weird to sign the agreement and then leave for four months.
After discussion, Thomas Mensink (a startup & investment analyst at StartupRoulette), helped create a term sheet before summer. And when Merel returned from her maternity leave in November, the deal was completed and the investment was made official.
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