Up2u GmbH
Our goal is to build an ecosystem consisting of sustainable products, smartphone applications and a deposit system to reduce the usage of disposable products.
Achievements
Team
Prototype
Users
Partners
Revenue
Investors
What we offer
Our main focus is on reducing disposable products along the food value chain by providing innovative and sustainable solutions with a clear benefit to the end customer. Our goal is to build an ecosystem consisting of sustainable products, smartphone applications and a deposit system.
Our first product is the MuC My useful Cup®, the foldable and sustainable reusable cup. The product clearly stands out from existing solutions on the market in terms of function and design. It is protected by extensive property rights (patent, trademark, design protection). The cup has a unique folding mechanism derived from the art of origami folding. This allows the cup to unfold by itself and, despite being foldable, it has a particularly high degree of stability. The folding mechanism is protected by a patent. The design of the cup is also characterized by the folding mechanism, which is a clear unique selling point and clearly sets it apart from competitor products. The design is protected by a registered design. In addition, the CO2- and climate-neutral production rounds off the sustainable concept.
Target group
The MuC My useful Cup® represents an offer for end consumers. Typical customers are end consumers who are often on the go and want to avoid disposable cups for coffee or tea. Many customers can mostly identify with themes such as outdoor, travel, commuting, coffee / tea lovers and sustainability. The product is often used by Coffee2go lovers, highly mobile people, hikers and families.
Challenges
Our next step is the development of more products in the to-go-market. Furthermore we want to develop a smartphone application that allows customers to profit from sustainable behaviour. Lastly, we aim to launch a customizable deposit system with our products.
For these projects we are looking for a strong partner with an experienced network that shares our philosophy and vision of a more sustainable future with less waste of resources.
Our Story
As environmentally conscious parents, we look with great concern at these dramatically advancing environmental problems. With the belief in a greener future, we are consciously facing a challenge: fewer disposable products, specifically in the booming Coffee2go sector. There have been countless attempts at solutions in the market, but as the waste bins of this world prove, no product has been able to meet the versatile demands of on the go coffee and tea drinkers over the long term.
In order for a resource-saving solution to be accepted, it is essential that uncompromising functionality and conscious aesthetics have to go hand in hand. In other words, an elegant drinking cup that meets the requirements of environmental protection, practicality and the aesthetic demands of modern society. Inspired by this vision, we are determined to tackle the seemingly impossible.
With the awareness of having to create functional as well as emotional added value for the successful protection of the environment, we set out in search of companions. Already at our first meeting with Mareike and Oliver from hochE, a spark was immediately ignited. Our idea spoke directly to the hearts of the industrial designers and their team.
Driven by the mission to make the world a little bit better, we tread some truly unusual paths over a period of months. Experiments in folding techniques, as well as excursions into urban subcultures and the Japanese art of origami, culminate in a variety of prototypes and practical tests. We tried a lot, discarded many a thing and polished the relevant to perfection.
In three years of development work, together with the hochE team, we succeeded in creating a product with all the advantages of a compressible cup – but without its unwanted disadvantages. No leakage, no awkward handling, no accordion look.
Our essence: a foldable cup that embodies flexibility and comfort as well as functionality and elegant design. A daily companion for all connoisseurs of drinking pleasure on the go that combines price-performance, resource conservation, fair production and quality made in Germany. After all the ups and downs, which lie behind us today, we are proud to share our heart project with you. It’s now up to you to make a statement together for a better tomorrow.
Headquarters
More Startups
These Startup Projects could also be interesting for you!
