Episode 20: Alina Bassi - How Kleiderly creates sustainable plastics made from textile waste

Alina Bassi (@alinabassi1) is the founder and CEO of Kleiderly. Originally from London, she founded Kleiderly in 2019 in Berlin with the goal of solving the problem of fashion industry waste. She has developed a patent-pending technology to recycle waste clothing into a new and sustainable material, diverting clothing waste away from landfills and incinerators. Her mission is to lower the carbon footprint of fashion and eliminate tons of CO2 emissions.

Alina is a Google for Startups Female Founder alumna and a member of the Forbes 30 under 30 class of 2020.

In this episode you will learn about:

• Kleiderly and how they are trying to solve the problem of fashion industry waste
• The Berlin startup scene and accelerators
• How to build up confidence as a founder
• Supporting minority founders
• And much more…!

Show notes:

• 01:45 -- Intro of Alina Bassi
• 02:04 -- Alina’s background before she launched her own startup
• 03:13 -- Gaining first startup experience at bio-bean
• 04:28 -- How Alina found a startup to work for and gather relevant experience
• 05:07 -- The origin story of Kleiderly
• 08:04 -- Kleiderly’s value proposition
• 09:48 -- The first steps of entrepreneurship. How do you start your own company
• 13:19 -- Alina’s experience with Accelerator programs
• 16:42 -- Current stage and facts about Kleiderly
• 19:10 -- Lessons learnt from an early-stage startup
• 23:27 -- Mistakes to avoid as a founder
• 24:38 -- Tips and insights into the Berlin startup scene
• 26:33 -- Initiatives that Alina is involved in to support minority founders
• 30:17 -- Alina’s favorite book she would recommend to fellow startup founders
• 30:50 -- Alina’s best personal investment
• 31:25 -- Alina’s favorite SaaS tool to help her as a founder
• 32:29 -- Advice to your younger self
• 33:32 -- How to build up confidence as a founder
• 34:45 -- What courage means to Alina

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Special Guest: Alina Bassi.

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Links:

• Kleiderly Website — Sustainable Plastic Made from Textile Waste
• Kleiderly (@kleiderlyberlin) - Instagram
• Kleiderly (@kleiderlyberlin) - Twitter
• bio-bean | The world’s largest recycler of coffee grounds.
• High-Tech SeedLab - Accelerator
• The Berlin Founders Fund from Silicon Allee
• Silicon Allee
• Lafayette Plug and Play - Retail Business Accelerator in Paris
• Factory Berlin - The Community of Innovators and Creators