This Teacher Raised €2.75 Million for Her Startup - with Lisa Rosa Bräutigam from nuwo

About this episode

Lisa Rosa Bräutigam took a path that few dare to follow: from teacher and deputy school principal to successful startup founder. With nuwo, she built a company that provides flexible office furniture solutions to businesses - and has already raised €2.75 million in funding.

But the road to success was anything but straightforward. Lisa had to make difficult decisions that affected the very foundation of her company.

From the Security of Civil Service to Startup Life

The transition from school operations to the startup world brought both differences and surprising similarities for Lisa. While civil service offers security and structured processes, entrepreneurship requires flexibility and the willingness to constantly take on new challenges.

Lisa sees an important parallel in developing competencies and potential - whether with students or employees, it's about bringing out the best in people and supporting them in their development.

Stress Management as Key to Success

With the transition from school to entrepreneurship, Lisa had to develop new strategies for dealing with stress. The mechanisms she has acquired help her maintain composure even in challenging situations - an ability that would prove crucial to her success.

nuwo: Flexible Office Furniture for Modern Workplaces

nuwo positions itself as a provider of flexible office furniture solutions, serving a growing market. The company helps businesses equip their employees and offices with furniture according to their needs. However, this specialized solution also brings specific challenges that the team must continuously master.

Conquering new market segments as additional verticals offers the startup particular advantages for further growth.

The Difficult Path: Founder Team Change and Cap Table Restructuring

One of the most critical moments in nuwo's history was Lisa's decision to separate from her original founding team. She reclaimed 100% of the shares and subsequently brought a new founding team into the company.

This radical restructuring of the cap table proved to be a necessary measure to save the company. Although such decisions are emotionally challenging, they can sometimes be the only way to get a startup back on track.

In negotiations and collaboration with the new founding team, various factors were crucial that Lisa found particularly important based on her experience.

Learnings from the Funding Round

With €2.75 million in funding and a team of 14 employees, nuwo has reached important milestones. Lisa's biggest learnings from the funding round show how strongly the cap table can influence the success prospects of a funding round.

The experiences from this time gave her valuable insights into when it makes sense to adjust the business model and how timing plays a crucial role in hiring.

Growth and Team Building: From 1 to 14 Employees

Building a team of 14 people brought its own challenges. Lisa's learnings from hiring, growth, and team building show when the right time has come to create new jobs and expand.

AI as Game-Changer for Efficiency

Like many modern startups, nuwo also uses artificial intelligence to increase efficiency and optimize company building. These technological tools have a measurable impact on how the company works and grows.

Lisa Rosa Bräutigam's story impressively shows that even supposedly secure career paths can be left behind to build something of your own. With courage, the willingness to make difficult decisions, and the right learnings, a successful startup can be developed even from unconventional starting positions.