KAEX reload is a patented dietary supplement for improved regeneration after intensive sports or after a night of partying. In only 4 years, the complete mixture KAEX® reload has established itself as a top 10 nutritional supplement in Switzerland. The success of the top seller and official partner of 7 Bundesliga clubs and more than 100 professional athletes now continues.
- Top 10 best-selling nutritional supplements in Switzerland, available at Coop, Migros, Coop pronto, in all pharmacies, etc.
- Successful launch in Germany with exponential quarterly growth of 938% Q3 2021 (vs Q2 2021) and 694% Q4 2021 (vs Q3 2021)
- Official partner of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, 1. FC Union Berlin, Mainz 05, FC Zürich, Hannover 96, SC Paderborn, Holstein Kiel and over 100 professional athletes
- Kölner Liste® certified for more transparency and safety in sports
- Patented with further worldwide approvals in 2022
- Goal: Tenfold increase in company valuation (and participation certificate) by the end of 2023 through international scaling and exit
Dr. Karl Heinrich Dittmar, Team-Arzt, Bayer 04 Leverkusen
"After each training session and after the matches, the players took KAEX reload. The players felt good, both physically and mentally. They felt agile and active. They also said that they liked the taste of taking KAEX reload."
Tobias Reichmuth, Unternehmer und Investor „Höhle der Löwen“
"I was very pleased that I was able to invest in the "Höhle der Löwen" programme, and I think it was a very good investment. So I am looking forward to further cooperation with KAEX."
Eiserner Sponsor 1. FC Union Berlin
Like the best stories, the KAEX story begins with a good celebration. When our founder and CEO Pedro Schmidt felt the effects after a debauched party, he wanted to get fit again as soon as possible. But nothing he found got him anywhere. There were only painkillers that fought his symptoms, but did not support the actual causes of his physical condition in a natural way. As a student of pharmaceutical sciences at ETH Zurich, he couldn't just let this gap in the market go. After five years of research and product development, the KAEX formula was ready: a complete mixture of 25 natural ingredients that specifically stimulates the bioprocesses in the body that are needed for regeneration. In 2016, ph AG was founded and the scientific innovation was filed for a worldwide patent.
Drugstore and pharmacy favourite
Since the launch of the brand in 2017, KAEX has quickly become a drugstore and pharmacy favourite in Switzerland. A remedy to get fit again faster after partying - that has never existed before! In just 4 years, our drink powder established itself as the top 10 nutritional supplement in Switzerland. From coop to Migros to all the usual pharmacies and online, we are now available in Switzerland. The interest in internationalisation, especially entry into the German market, was obvious and in 2020 the time had come. All doors were open for the launch in Germany, until the Covid pandemic seemed to put a big fat spoke in the wheel. There were no more celebrations and parties.
Official product partner in the Bundesliga and Swiss Super League
Partner in the Bayer 04 Leverkusen Business Club
But even this crisis couldn't stop us from being successful, because KAEX reload not only helps after the party, but also after the sport. Competitive athletes and professional football clubs in particular discovered KAEX during the lockdown. We signed our first supplier contract with FC Zurich and this was followed by Bundesliga clubs, first and foremost Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Various clubs approached us and tested KAEX reload first and after exclusively positive results we are now the proud official product sponsors of 7 Bundesliga clubs. This is also reflected in the turnover and in Q3 2021 KAEX grew by 938% in Germany, and then again by almost 700% in Q4 2021.
KAEX's success and growth to date has been made possible by the support and funding of professional and institutional investors, such as ProSiebenSat.1 Accelerator and Tobias Reichmuth. Now we also want to offer small investors the opportunity to acquire shares in the company with smaller investments. Not only production, but also the distribution network need financial resources, and our crowdinvesting campaign should help us with this. Expanding the distribution network in Germany is still our most important task, but at the same time other countries have shown interest in KAEX, especially the USA. Through the crowdfunding campaign, we would first like to use the liquidity for the development and expansion of the market in the USA. This primarily includes production and building up the warehouse for direct sales.
Pedro began five years of product development at KAEX while studying pharmaceutical sciences at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. In the years following his Master's degree, Pedro worked for two international pharmaceutical companies, where he was responsible for the launch and marketing of various pharmaceutical and medical products, until January 2016, when he founded ph. AG.
David has 20 years of experience in some of the most renowned advertising and creative agencies in Switzerland, and has been involved in the creation of advertising material for Suzuki, Mazda, Heineken, Biotta, Schützengarten, and many more. In 2016, David founded his own agency and realised web projects and e-marketing strategies for large Swiss companies such as SBB, before joining KAEX full-time as Co-Founder.
William is CEO of MAREIN AG, a distribution company with 80 employees, 30,000 different items and 40 years of business. William joined ph. as Co-Founder in November 2016. As a significant investor, MAREIN is responsible for all logistics and distribution of KAEX in Switzerland and the EU, providing ph. with a fully scalable distribution network at low cost.
Professional experience in marketing and communication, focus on Europe & Asia // Team and division management at renowned MNC companies (WPP Group - Ogilvy PR, Diageo, TOMS, etc.) // Several years of successful experience in new market development, product and category innovations in the FMCG and retail sector // B.A and M.A. Ewha Women's University (Seoul, Korea)
Swiss Certified Accountant // Executive MBA from IMD // 20 years of international professional experience at PwC and DKSH // Group Head of Finance at Vifor Pharma // Experienced startup investor and board member // Experienced startup CFO and advisor
Former Director at Cargill // International start-up investor with focus on CH, USA and Bulgaria // Member of BAS and SICTIC // Member of the Board of Directors in start-up companies
Jonny Schmidt
VR
Former Chief Operating Officer Jacobs Holding AG // Former CFO of Jacobs Holding AG // Member of the Board of Directors Trihow AG // Member of the Board of Directors Larema AG // Independent advisor to Family Offices
13 years Chief Financial Officer at Givaudan // Divisional CFO Roche Vitamins during the acquisition by DSM // Start-up investor and jury member at the "Masschallenge" start-up accelerator // Member of the Board of Directors of SIG Combibloc // Member of the Board of Directors of Ketoswiss AG
Head of Private Markets at Woodman Asset Management // Experienced entrepreneur in consumer goods // Consumer goods experience at Nestlé // Master of Finance from the University of St. Gallen (HSG)
Brand Manager for Confectionary Brands (KitKat, Smarties, Cailler, etc.) // Senior Recruitment Consultant at Michael Page // Business Analyst in Management Consulting at Accenture // MSc International Management HEC Lausanne // B.A. Economics University of St. Gallen (HSG)
Professional experience in marketing for fashion retail, luxury goods and beauty (DACH, South America, North America) // M.A. International Marketing and Sales (FH Münster) // B.Sc. European Business Studies (Novancia Business School Paris)
B.A. Business Administration of Applied Science Lucerne University of Applied Sciences (HSLU) // Event/Marketing Manager, Leancom GmbH (Consulting Lean Management) // Apprenticeship in Hotel, Catering and Tourism Management (HGT), Zurich Marriott Hotel.
Currently studying for an MBA at UNILU (market-oriented business management) // Assistant Credit Manager in Argentina // Tango dancer and yoga teacher in Argentina // B.A. Journalism and Communication Studies (UZH)
Many years of experience as Office Manager and Personal Assistant for the Executive Board (CFO financial sector) in Zurich // Private butler for the government of Qatar during stays in Switzerland // Professional butler on private yachts and luxury cruise ships // Graduate of "The International Butler Academy" in the Netherlands.
Graphic artist & designer at Andreas Messerli AG // Apprenticeship as EFZ graphic artist at Metzger Rottmann Bürge // Preliminary design course BFGZ