Our appearance on 2 Minutes 2 Million
We had been thinking for some time about whether we should apply for 2 Minutes 2 Million, but there were also some doubts. After all, there had been companies where this plan backfired – that’s why we hesitated.
But in 2018 we decided that we would give it a try. After all, we were and are completely convinced about our product and wanted to present it to as many people as possible. So, we sent off our application documents and it didn’t take long before we were invited to a pre-casting. After that, there was a telephone casting before we learned that we were one of the 96 start-ups (out of over 700 applicants) that had made it onto this season! That was already a huge success!
Soon after that we also found out about our recording date.
Now it was time to prepare! After all, 2 minutes is a rather short time to present a product that – like ours – is something completely new and really needs to be explained. Besides, the investors in this show are waiting to be inspired, and the audience shouldn`t get bored either. So, we wrote the pitch and did our best to include all the relevant information into the required time frame of 2 minutes. It wasn’t easy, but ultimately, we think we did quite well.
We also had to think about which props to carry to the studio. There we were free to decide.
When asked how we prepared for the recording all we say is: not at all. Knowing and loving our product, we were completely aware of the questions that might come up and how to answer them.
In October 2018 it was time to go to Vienna for the recording session. We were really nervous because we had no idea what to expect.
We arrived at Puls4 at half past ten and the thrill began. Getting things ready, make-up, interviews… Besides us, there were more than 10 candidates for the recording that day – so there was quite a hustle and bustle. But the vibes were really good!
Finally, at half past six in the evening it was time for us to deliver our pitch and to answer the investors’ questions. Maybe you can roughly imagine what we felt as we stood behind the door waiting for it to open and with no way of turning back. Our nerves were on edge. You really only get one chance to deliver the pitch and even the investors don’t know what to expect. So, we went in, presented the Powerinsole and for over half an hour the investors asked us everything they wanted to know about the product and our company. We also had a lot of fun and felt very comfortable, because everybody was very nice.
We were offered 2 investments and had to reject the proposal of Mr. Haselsteiner because his value appraisal was not high enough for us and we did not want to give up so many shares in the business. We accepted the offer by Katharina Schneider. In a nutshell, the investment was never realized, but we are still cooperating with Katharina Schneider via Mediashop.
We rode back home that evening in the best mood because the whole day had been just great!
Finally, at half past six in the evening it was time for us to deliver our pitch and to answer the investors’ questions. Maybe you can roughly imagine what we felt as we stood behind the door waiting for it to open and with no way of turning back. Our nerves were on edge. You really only get one chance to deliver the pitch and even the investors don’t know what to expect. So, we went in, presented the Powerinsole and for over half an hour the investors asked us everything they wanted to know about the product and our company. We also had a lot of fun and felt very comfortable, because everybody was very nice.
We were offered 2 investments and had to reject the proposal of Mr. Haselsteiner because his value appraisal was not high enough for us and we did not want to give up so many shares in the business. We accepted the offer by Katharina Schneider. In a nutshell, the investment was never realized, but we are still cooperating with Katharina Schneider via Mediashop.
We rode back home that evening in the best mood because the whole day had been just great!
The broadcast of the season started in February 2019 and we didn’t know for a long time when our episode would air, and above all we weren’t allowed to tell anybody anything. About one month before we were told the day of our broadcast – it was May 7, 2019.
Slowly we could start advertising and prepared for the impact on the day after the show. This included not only preparatory stuff like making sure there was enough merchandise and shipping material, but also measures like increasing server performance and so much more.
We sat down in front of the TV on Tuesday, May 7th and, again, were very nervous. We didn’t know what the editing would be like, because we saw it for the first time on the day of the broadcast, and we were especially curious how we and our product would be received by the viewers.
By the way, we still had no idea at that time when exactly would be our turn, and we ended up being the last start-up that evening.
At about 9:45 pm it was time for our contribution. And what happened next was madness! To be honest, we didn’t really get to see the show that evening because so many people called and wrote that we couldn’t even keep up with the answers. It is truly unbelievable how many people watch this show! Everyone congratulated us on our great performance – it was really amazing how much positive feedback we got. We had hoped that our participation in the show would be profitable for us, but we really didn’t expect what happened afterwards.
The next day work really got going and we almost didn’t manage all those emails, phone calls, the printing of shipping labels and the packing of parcels. As it was just the two of us doing everything from home, our living room was a mess and even our children had to help us handle the rush.
This first hype has of course subsided a bit, but things are still going very well. We were able to reach so many people with our performance, and this would never have been possible in any other way since we were just a start-up. But what makes us happiest is all that positive customer feedback we receive daily. So many people feel better with the Powerinsole! This is really the most beautiful thing and shows us that it was definitely worth the effort choosing that, at times difficult, path.
All in all, we say: It was the right decision for us to be a part of 2 Minutes 2 Million!
