Eco toilet paper - a £25m business - Julie Chen, The Cheeky Panda

Fundraising Stories with Female Founders

Fundraising expert Julia Elliott Brown, the CEO of Enter The Arena talks with Julie Chen, The Cheeky Panda.

Julie Chen, The Cheeky Panda, thought of using bamboo as an eco alternative to using paper for creating toilet tissue. Why cut down trees when bamboo is sustainable and grows back every year? Julie went to her home country of China, where bamboo is in abundance and mapped out how to logistically turn bamboo into toilet paper to be shipped to the UK market.

Julie’s first crowdfund was a rewards-based campaign for £12K and enabled her to get the business off the ground and start selling online. After some initial success and interest from traditional retailers, Julie raised a significant £500K through equity crowdfunding and carried on taking the business from strength to strength as the world’s interest in being eco-friendly developed.

Julie’s last investment round was a whopping £1.5m, with The Cheeky Panda valued at £25m! The success of the business proves that products - even as simple as toilet paper - can be innovative and highly valuable businesses.

In this episode you’ll discover…

• Why crowdfunding is also a marketing tool
• How hiring others to help grow the business also helps you grow yourself
• How product businesses can be just as appealing to investors as tech is

For the full video interview, go to http://www.enterthearena.co.uk/Fundraising-Stories/