This sustainability start-up was financed via Startnext

Leef Point, a manufacturer of biodegradable tableware, was looking for money and launched a campaign on Startnext. It has now exceeded its first funding target.

Leef Point is a socially oriented start-up from Göttingen. Together with 22 volunteer students, founder Krishna Pantakani is working on biodegradable tableware made from the leaves of the siali plant. The company was founded in 2019 together with Enactus, a student initiative. To start production, the team looked for donors on Startbase.

Leef Point was able to raise a total of 8,014 euros via Startnext. The first funding target of 5,000 euros was thus reached. This will be used to cover costs, pay employees and ensure delivery. Leef Point operates a factory in Andhra Pradesh in India, where it employs twelve people. They are responsible for the sustainable harvesting of the leaves and are paid fairly, according to the company. "By paying fairly for the raw material, we also create an economic interest in protecting the rainforest and thus protect it from deforestation or exploitation, for example," says project manager Antonia Sophie Gedig to the online magazine Vegconomist.

The plates and bowls from Leef Point are vegan, stable and have a water-repellent surface and are therefore also suitable for liquid food, the start-up advertises. According to the young company, the disposable tableware is biodegradable within a very short time. The disposable tableware is intended to be a better alternative to plastic, which will be banned throughout the EU from the middle of the year.