Boep founder Michaela Hagemann was presented with her prize by Camilla Sievers, Head of Unit 5, IP ... [+]
Organic baby skincare company Boep won a $55,000 (€50,000 prize) for a television advertising campaign after winning the female founders pitch competition at the Forbes Under 30 Europe Summit.
Berlin-based startup Boep was founded by 30-year-old doctor Michaela Hagemann who was inspired to create a line of natural cosmetics for babies after struggling to find suitable skincare products after the birth of her first daughter. Boep’s cosmetics are now competing with Swiss brand Weleda for an audience of skincare shoppers who are seeking to avoid the mineral oils, parabens and silicones found in many traditional beauty products.
Hagemann told Forbes after collecting her prize: “This will really help us to scale and increase our market awareness, and just become more known to the people that we want to sell the products to.”
The prize, in partnership with RTL Group, will help Boep build its marketing campaign with TV advertising previously out of the reach of the four-year-old startup. “I think it’s just the right next step, because we’ve been growing very nicely up until now with just our own money, our own media budget, and right now, I think this is the right next step to become more known and just reach the next step. This is amazing,” said Hagemann.
Camilla Sievers, head of IP Austria’s Unit 5, announces the winner of the pitch competition Forbes ... [+]
The founders were pitching to a panel of judges that included Camilla Sievers, head of IP Austria’s Unit 5, and Patrick Prokesch, a senior director at i5invest, and Forbes assistant editor Sofia Lotto Persio.
“We looked at all kinds of factors regarding growth, regarding target group, regarding the status quo of your company, and also regarding impact on the environment,” Sievers said. “We had two very, very close competitors, but at the end of the day, we went for Boep.”
The judges also heard Gitti founder Jennifer Baum’s pitch for her brand of vegan, water-based nail polish which offers a healthier alternative to traditional solvent-based lacquers.
“The majority of nail polishes in the market contain ingredients that are expected to cause serious health issues...at the same time, the number one factor impacting the global cosmetics market, is the use of natural ingredients. This leads to an increasing demand for natural nail polish solutions, in a market that is worth more than $10 billion,” Baum said.
Invisibobble cofounder Sophie Trelles-Tvede also shared her pitch for her brand of tangle-free hair ties. The Invisibobble is stocked with retailers Ulta, Nordstrom, and Boots and has been bought by one in nine German women, according to Trelles-Tvede.
The Forbes Under 30 Europe Summit audience also heard from Stefanie Peckmann, of Dr Smile, a company that creates individualized, removable plastic braces, and Etienne Koo of Show My Size, who has developed an app to help shoppers find the right sized clothing in a bid to reduce the environmental impact of online shopping.
