With eco:fibr, Michelle, Merit, Julian and the entire team are ensuring greater sustainability in the paper industry: the start-up has developed a resource-saving process for producing pulp from pineapple waste. With the support of startup.niedersachsen and several start-up grants, they were able to get one step closer to their dream of a sustainable world.
Michelle
Co-Founder eco:fibr
Sometimes it's good not to think too much about what might happen beforehand. Instead, just do it.
From the weekly marketto the world market
What does pineapple have to do with paper? Quite a lot, eco:fibr thinks. The young startup and its founders produce pulp for the paper industry from pineapple waste.
What began as a university project is now a successful startup. Merit, Michelle and Julian came together at university as part of a university initiative project. Although the three of them are not united by their degree course, they could not be more alike in their environmentally conscious and justice-seeking mindset. And that counts for a lot more. They have set themselves the task of developing a resource-saving and sustainable process for industry. And to establish it on the market. No sooner said than done. eco:fibr is therefore more than just a profitable business model. It is a further step towards a sustainable future that benefits people, the climate and the environment.
3 questions?3 answers!
What do you wish you had known about founding a company before you started?
Michelle: I’m honestly glad I went into it naive. It was good not to know what might happen. That way I, or rather we, could just go for it.
Julian: I would have liked to have been more aware of how long such processes take – especially the financing rounds. I would have prepared myself differently.
Describe your founding period in 3 words!
Merit: Development
Michelle: Challenging (also in a positive sense, of course)
Julian: Rollercoaster
Your tips for anyone who wants to start their own business?
Merit: Try to take everything in. Apply for every scholarship, go to every event to get inspiration and talk to people. And trust in your idea and use it to inspire and convince others.
Michelle: Above all, take advantage of Lower Saxony’s startup ecosystem. Network, stay in constant contact and look for mentors. Don’t stay in your little room until you think your idea is perfect. Talk about it right from the start. And then do it!
Startups from Lower Saxony.
Get to know our founders and their successful startups.
We want to make things easy for you. Take a look at the first five steps to your own startup here with Startup Go.