Berlin startup Vyld relies on an innovative financing instrument with the Future Profit Partnership Agreement (FPPA) and also receives funding from the BMBF and the EU.
Vyld, a profit-for-purpose company, has effectively developed renewable products and an innovative financing model. The company recently completed its seed funding round, securing a seven-figure sum. This funding includes contributions from the federal government and the EU, supplemented by their unique sustainable financing tool, the Future Profit Partnership Agreement (FPPA).
World’s first seaweed tampon
The current round of financing enables the market entry of the “Tangpon“, the world’s first tampon made from seaweed, as well as the further development of the Algaeverse portfolio for B2B and B2C.
Self-titled “ecopreneurs,” Ines Schiller and Melanie Schichan say they are committed to realising their vision for an Algaeverse, focusing on long-term, self-sustained development of circular products derived from seaweed. Diverging from the typical venture capital-driven startup model, Vyld positions itself as a responsibly owned company, prioritizing long-term economic sustainability over immediate exit strategies.
“A necessary question for me was and is how Vyld plays on the themes of ownership, power and financing. Business models create realities and extractive models not only threaten the environment and health, but also reproduce exploitative standards and anti-democratic tendencies. We want to counter this with a model that promotes creation instead of consumption, quality instead of quantity and triple top line instead of hypergrowth,” explains Vyld CEO Ines Schiller.
Leveraging her expertise as a distinguished film producer, Schiller has crafted a mezzanine financial instrument that merges the benefits of equity and debt, offering suitable investor returns while maintaining Vyld’s autonomy.
This model involves profit-sharing rather than conventional company ownership. Once the agreed return is achieved, the arrangement concludes. This ensures responsible ownership, autonomy, and purpose-driven operation. Vyld remains safeguarded against speculative trading, with voting rights retained by individuals closely aligned with the company’s mission. Profits are either reinvested, used to offset capital costs, or donated.
The Future Profit Partnership Agreement (FPPA) also allows investments beyond traditional rounds, enhancing Vyld’s financial independence. This model appeals particularly to investors interested in sustainable ventures and critical of maximalist economic principles.
This investment supports the advancement of Vyld’s seaweed-based products. Following the successful consumer trial of Tangpon with over 100 menstruating women in autumn 2023, Vyld has initiated the pilot phase of “Vyndel.” As part of the Diaper Forest collaboration with Goldeimer, Vyndel is a compostable diaper insert with an algae core, free from plastics and superabsorbents. Currently being tested in 50 households, it evaluates everyday usability and potential as a humus fertilizer. The used diapers are composted under controlled conditions for a small forest plantation – the diaper forest initiative.
Further information: vyldness.de
