bottleplus: The bottle of the future

1. Christian and Linus, together you run the startup bottleplus. On your website, you describe the beginning of your idea as a kind of inspiration. Can you describe this moment?
Christian: (laughs) It really was quite an epiphany, like a lightning bolt of inspiration. I had a student job in an office during my Master's degree. As I like to drink sparkling water, I always went to the sparkling water tap before my train journey home to fill up my reusable drinking bottle. Then, one day when I was on the train and opened the bottle, I suddenly perceived the "fizzing" sound differently. At that moment I thought to myself: how cool would it be if you could not only fizz your water at home, but also on the go? And from then on, I couldn't let go of the idea.

2. What happened next?
Christian: After the initial idea, I first had to think about whether it was technically and conceptually feasible to develop a bottle like this. You have to take a number of factors into account, such as the size and the material. But I did some calculations, and according to them, my idea seemed to work. A year later, when I was in my last master's semester in the spring of 2020, I attended the "Lean Startup Academy" course, which is where I also presented my idea with the bottle for the first time. I found this course very helpful, as I was able to get positive feedback and validation for the product from others. Shortly afterwards, I shared the idea of the sparkling water bottle with Linus. He was impressed! We have been a team ever since.

3. You have been friends since your youth. Your paths didn't just cross while playing handball, but also while studying at at ETH Zurich. Did you already have the idea of founding a start-up together as students?
Linus: Although we've known each other since we were 16, we never talked about founding a company together when we were younger. In fact, I only first became interested in entrepreneurship during my Bachelor's degree after I attended a course on start-ups. It was then that I also talked to Christian about entrepreneurial ideas.
Christian: Similar to Linus, I really only became interested in entrepreneurship during my early adult years; after my Bachelor's degree, to be precise. And I got more curious about becoming an entrepreneur when Linus started talking to me about what he had learned in his course about start-ups.

4. You have now even produced several prototypes of your bottle. What is bottleplus and what is your goal?
Linus: The basic idea behind bottleplus is to use a reusable drinking bottle that allows you to produce sparkling water on the go. In the beginning, we had to refine this idea and design the bottle in such a modular way that we could also bring several adapters onto the market. Depending on the adapter, the bottle has a different function: in addition to sparkling water, you can also add different flavours and additives to the water; even purify it. In short: we want to bring a sustainable drinking bottle onto the market that covers all customer needs.
Christian: Our USP (=Unique Selling Point), i.e. what sets us apart from existing solutions, is the mobility of our product. The other products can only produce sparkling water from tap water on a stationary basis. Thanks to our adapter with an integrated carbonizer, our bottle can produce sparkling water on the go, which allows our customers to take our bottle with them wherever they go for them to drink more than just still water. The gas tank adapter at the bottom of the bottle lasts for approximately 2-3 days, depending on how much sparkling water you drink, until you have to refill it in the refill station at home. By the way: our filling station is equipped with a normal CO2 cylinder, which is also needed for "Aarke" and "Sodastream" - so you don't necessarily have to buy a new one.

5. You were on the TV show "Höhle der Löwen" with your idea. What was your experience like?
Christian: It was a very good experience. It was also personally fulfilling for me, as I had been following the show for a long time and then suddenly had the chance to stand in front of the "Löwen" myself. We were also happy that after our intensive preparation and the nervousness that comes with a TV appearance, we ultimately received positive feedback from the "Löwen". I would really recommend other young entrepreneurs to take part in the show: not only is it a great advertising platform, but it also offers a good opportunity to reach potential investors for your product.
Linus: I can only agree with Christian. I would definitely take part again if I hadn't already done so, because I found the experience so valuable. Not only was it fun, but it was also authentic because the "Löwen" interrogated you for a whole hour with a range of questions about the product, some which you had never thought of before and therefore couldn't really prepare an answer for. The nervousness is also half so bad, because the pitch goes by so quickly - after all, you're talking about your product, a project which involved a lot of time and passion. Although I generally recommend other start-ups to take part in "Höhle der Löwen", you also have to bear in mind that certain products are easier to present on TV than on the screen.

6. What significance do your studies have in your current work?
Christian: During your studies, you are often confronted with problems that can only be solved after a thought-out strategy. It's this structured approach to challenges that the ETH instills in you that stays far with you forever: something I notice every day in my work. Because apart from 'Process Engineering', which notwithstanding was still valuable to understand at a conceptual level at the beginning, there was honestly relatively little that I applied directly from my studies to my current job, at least on a technical level.
Linus: Although my knowledge of ‘3D Design’ and ‘CAD’ was certainly helpful for developing a product from scratch, I also think that you the main take-home skill from your studies is how to approach and solve complex problems. And the network and infrastructure, such as access to ETH's Rockethub, are of course also great.


7. The idea of bottleplus already existed when you entered the workforce after your studies. How did you find starting your career?
Christian: I had a positive start to my career; I felt that I was in good hands with my former company and its employees. However, it was obviously challenging to work on bottleplus after work. But although it was intense, it was still do-able thanks to my understanding employer, who gave me a lot of free-room. In addition, it was good that I was able to gain the necessary work experience with customers in my jobs before bottleplus. Especially when it comes to my professional appearance, I still realize now how self-confidence and persuasiveness play an enormously important role in front of clients or business partners.
Linus: I have to admit that I was somewhat shocked when I tried to find my first job after graduating, as the search took longer than I had expected. But perhaps it also had something to do with the fact that I was too focused on one area (robotics). In the end, I ended up in software robotics, where I was also very happy. Because it was a young company, I was also able to benefit from their various workshops on company design, which I really enjoyed.

8. Now that you have the experience, what tips would you give for people who are still studying and about to start their careers?
Linus: The biggest lesson I learned from my job search is that you should be open-minded. Just because you focused on something during your studies doesn't necessarily mean that you have to work in the same field later on, because a lot of things are learning-by-doing. At the beginning, I often had the feeling that I wasn't suitable enough and therefore ignored many job advertisements. Now I realize how in doing so, I was actually only limiting myself. As long as you are willing to try new things and believe in yourself, you can apply to whatever sparks your interest with confidence. At the end of the day, you will be introduced to the job anyway. Don’t forget that you’ll also be able to have fun in more than just one job, so keep your horizons open. The team is also very important - after all, you often spend more time with them at work than with your loved ones.
Christian: I can only agree with this. Furthermore, I want to reassure upcoming/fresh graduates that the ETH prepares you pretty well for the workforce. After all, anyone who has graduated from ETH has demonstrated the following: comprehension, diligence and intelligence. And as Linus said, a lot of it is indeed learning on the job. That's why it would be wrong to think that you must start with your "dream job". You should be happy with just starting and then develop further if needed. Don't put too much pressure on yourself - just get started!

More about external page bottleplus