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Alina Bassi is Founder and CEO of Kleiderly, a Berlin-based startup that aims to reduce the fashion footprint and the usage of oil based plastic by replacing it with its patent-pending sustainable plastic alternative.
A Google for Startups Female Founder alumni, Alina recently joined the Forbes 30 under 30 class of 2020 in the Manufacturing and Industry category. Originally from London, she earned a Masters in Chemical Engineering before working in energy consulting firms and in the design of industrial factories that convert waste into fuels at bio-bean, the world's largest recycler of spent coffee grounds.
She has developed her own technology to recycle waste clothing into a new and sustainable material. She’s already used that material to develop sustainable clothing hangers that can be recycled several times.
In our chat, we talk about Kleiderly’s business model, her approach to prioritization and time management, what kind of metrics she tracks to measure Kleiderly’s progress, and what’s going in the fashion industry.
“Plastic hangers are now seen as the plastic straw of the fashion industry. And as you probably remember when plastic straws got suddenly a lot of media attention, and suddenly started being thrown out of every bar and restaurant you can imagine. That turning point could very well happen for fashion brands again.”
Enjoy the show!
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Why Alina decided to launch Kleiderly and what it’s all about – [01:17]
How Kleiderly’s supply chain is set and who can use her end product – [03:11]
Keiderly’s customer acquisition strategy – [05:05]
The power of the circular economy story and its impact on fashion brands – [05:56]
The sword of Damocles hanging over the fashion brands – [07:47]
Kleiderly’s current production operations and future plans – [08:48]
Alina’s funding strategy and the challenges she’s faced – [09:50]
Alina’s experience in going from zero to 7 employees – [11:59]
How putting your team members in the deep end can be a great path to growth – [13:03]
What characteristics Alina looks for in team members – [13:51]
How Alina prioritizes and set goals to align her team and drive progress – [15:41]
What metrics she uses to measure success – [17:35]
Alina’s view on what is missing for us to accelerate the change towards a more sustainable world – [20:24]
Alina’s experience as a female founder and how the Google Female Founder Program helped her – [26:40]
What is Tech in Color and why she decided to launch it- [28:32]
What’s next for Kleiderly – [30:24]
Kleiderly on LinkedIn
If you're feeling generous why not spread the words on Twitter.
🎤 #GrowthLeap new episode is live!Check out our new #founderstory. @alinabassi1 Founder & CEO of @kleiderlyberlin , a startup that aims to reduce the fashion footprint and the usage of oil based plastic by replacing it with its patent-pending #sustainableplasticTHREAD ...
— stunandawe (@stunandawe) November 5, 2020
Have a good one!
