Dennis Gerdts “Belief and hard work - a key from successful startup”

From the very childhood, we are passionate about many different things. Somebody admires drawing, somebody likes to build and construct. Quite often this passion disappears as childhood passes into teenage. However, in rare cases, this passion is so strong that it determines our future and sets goals we are ready to chase a whole life.

Today’s story we would like to dedicate exactly to this case and shed the light on Dennis Gerdt’s journey from wondering the nature of things to his own innovation and startup CuCase.

From the very childhood, Dennis was interested in how different things are built and why they have exactly such a form and functionality. Already at a very young age, he was able to disassemble many mechanic appliances, understand their structure, and even make some improvements. Throughout school time, Dennis was spending the majority of his free time on building and improving mechanical items. The more he did it, the more he wanted to create his own product which would improve people’s lives.

His passion to innovate and desire to improve the given state of art shaped his decision to pursue his future in the field of mechanical and electrical engineering.

Before graduating from high school, I set a goal for myself to have my own business by the age of 21 with a focus on inventing things that can improve people’s lives. Back then, I was certain that I don’t want to be employed and spend my time realizing ideas that belong to someone else. I decided to dedicate my time to following my passion and making my dreams come true.

Aiming to come up with a product concept that can fight a problem people face on a daily basis, Dennis bumped into the article about hygiene. The article stated that up to 80% of infectious diseases are spread by touching contaminated surfaces. Smartphones were acknowledged as the most contaminated surfaces people daily touch. This gave him an idea to develop a smartphone case that embeds the quality of self-disinfection. In 2017, Dennis developed the first prototype of a self-disinfecting smartphone case that got the name AntiCase. Copper was used as an essential material for making the prototype since from ancient times this metal is known for its quality to neutralize bacteria, viruses, and microbes.

The first try to kick off a startup based on the AntiCase was made in 2017 while publishing this idea on Kickstarter.com, the website for engaging donations and financial support for creative projects. However, the first try is not necessarily meant to be successful but certainly is essential to learn from your mistakes. This was the case for Dennis and his AntiCase.

One year later, while pursuing a Bachelor's degree in mechatronics at Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Dennis still kept motivated to start his own business and bring his project to life.

In university environment, I deepened my knowledge about startups. Essential prerequisites for a promising startup are an innovative idea and a strong team of like-minded partners. An effective startup team should cover three essential business areas as product development; business management; and marketing. By having this, you can proceed further to launching a startup.

Since Dennis already had a prototype of the product, the next step for him was to build a team for the future startup. In 2018, Dennis partnered with his school friend Marco Juelke who took over business management responsibilities for the future startup. Together, guys started preparing the ground for startup launch and gave a new name to the antimicrobial case – CuCase (Cu- stands for Copper). Dennis’s university mate, Anton Dobler became the third partner and took over marketing responsibilities in the team. Thus, the founding team was completed and responsibilities were distributed among partners. With the support of Deggendorf Institute of Technology, Dennis and the team made further steps towards the foundation of the company.

It was very difficult and stressful to make all the necessary steps towards the foundation of our company since nobody in the team had any specialized experience connected to startups. Each step forward took a lot of tries and energy. We made a lot of mistakes on the way to our goal what made us down dozens of times. But belief in our product and support of each other kept us strong and motivated all the way up.

In January 2020, CuConcepts was founded as a company specialized in the development and production of new antimicrobial products. Nowadays, to the portfolio of the company belong the next products: 1) CuCase, 2) CuCover, 3) CuClear and 4) CuConact. Check out CuConcepts website and find out more about the company and its products.

There are still a lot of difficulties Dennis and his partners face on a daily basis while running the business. The company gets bigger what adds more complexity and new responsibilities that guys never dealt with. However, Dennis says that this is the best learning pattern you can choose. Everything is up to you, and your actions determine the success of the company. Thus, there is no time to wait or hesitate. Getting things done is the only way to go.

Dennis gives the following advice to everyone who would like to pursue own business ideas:

If you have a goal or dream you want to achieve, listen to yourself, and don’t get distracted by criticism. Believe in yourself and your idea. Learn by doing and you will find the way to make your idea come true!

This is the time to believe in yourself and give a try to ideas you are passionate about. Do not be afraid of mistakes, they are an important part of getting better!!!

Stay motivated and hungry for success!

Yours,

Bonis Rebus team!