At a special ceremony on Jan 19 2023 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Davos the finalists of the Founders Games Winter Challenge were announced. 6 impact growth companies creating social and environmental change alongside had the opportunity to present their solutions to a curated audience of investors, enterprise leaders and media.
We’ve presented one of the finalists in the previous post. Let’s continue with the sustainably wrapped up Elephant in a Box.
Elephant in a Box is a material innovation company on a mission to disrupt the furniture and construction industries. Founded in 2020 by Daniela Terminel and Reham Khalifa, the women-led US company is bringing honeycomb structures from aircraft and race cars to furniture, sofas, and sectionals by developing the HoneyComb Support Technology (HoST).
Daniela Terminel, HoneyComb Support Technology of Elephant in a Box
Materials used in furniture have not evolved much through time. They continue to be wood, steel, coils. At the same time, companies worldwide are more pressured to be aligned with ESG goals and need to be more efficient throughout the chain, from manufacturing to storage and shipping. This results in the need to be more efficient also throughout their manufacturing, storage and shipping. How can Elephant in a Box help in that?
The company’s patented HoST (HoneyComb Support Technology) allows all this to happen. Made from paper, the material is 100% biodegradable and recyclable. It takes a fraction of the space of shipping and storage when compressed (200+ sofas VS 60) and the significantly less components number on the manufacturing process makes it simpler and faster. From a customer perspective, the product is stronger, easy to move (a 3 person sofa fits in a regular car trunk) and also kind to the environment.
Their technology has been used in furniture through the brand Elephant in a Box for 3 years and is to be adopted by major furniture brands such IKEA and Tempur Sealy International. With their innovative product they can hit major goals - from performance to ESG alignment, to simplifying logistics and customer satisfaction.
Special shout out to the investors who have witnessed Elephant in a Box present and evaluated their solution: Kurt Kaltenegger from ABB Technology Ventures, Arne Morteani from Kiko Ventures, Milena Nikolova from Aera Ventures, Marcel Kloosterman from Brightlands Venture Partners, Robert Grygorowicz from SpeedUp Venture Capital, Milena Nikolova - Aera Ventures, Philipp Thurn und Taxis from CNB Capital, Roel Callebaut from Finindus, Sarah Chen- Spellings from Beyond the Billion, Anthony Scaramucci from Skybridge, Adam Niewinski from OTB Ventures, Nimrod Gerber from Vital Capital, Ajay Ramachandran from Webit Capital Partners, Omar Al Yawer from Ruya Partners, Alexander Galitsky from Almaz Capital Partners, David Gorodyansky from Impact Future
More impact companies are joining in the next Founders Games edition. Join as a jury and receive limited access to a premium dealflow and opportunity to be part of the decision makers in the FG history here: https://www.foundersgames.org/2023/jury.php