#34: Out of natural habitat as a founder - Alina Bassi
How do you launch an innovative business in uncharted territories? Alina Bassi realised she could apply principles of coffee waste management to recycle textiles into… plastics. A chemical engineer, she launched Kleiderly in a foreign country, with no language skills, and out of network. She masterfully addresses the challenges of two industries simultaneously: cloth waste management and manufacturing plastics.
Tackling the textile problem: from realization to resolution
Alina, an engineer immersed in the waste industry, had a first-hand encounter with the intricacies of waste management. Two factors played a decisive role in her interest in the issue of textile waste. First, it was Alina’s personal reflections on fast fashion during her teenage years. Second, she witnessed an overwhelming volume of disposed-off clothing at Tanzanian markets.
To address this alarming problem, Alina delved into the fundamentals of circular economy focusing on creating products with multiple lifecycles. However, she recognised that simply converting clothing back into clothing was not a sustainable solution. Instead, she pondered the possibility of transforming discarded garments into alternative materials. Thus, the concept of Kleiderly was born — a venture dedicated to recycling textile waste and repurposing it into durable plastic pellets.
“I figured if I can marry a waste stream with an input stream, then we can solve these two big problems at the same time.”
First steps to her own venture
The seed of this business idea took root in Alina's mind, nurtured by her prior work in coffee waste management. She dared to believe that a similar approach could be applied to the clothing industry. Alina embarked on a test & learn process, constructing the building blocks and seeking out the necessary equipment for each crucial step. The initial stages of her journey were far from smooth sailing. Confronted by doubt and scepticism, Alina faced an uphill battle. To shift her fortunes, she needed small wins - phone conversations with technical experts. Once she got their attention, they would recognise her expertise and get curious about her pursuits.
Starting business in Germany as a foreigner
For Alina, everything was new in relocating from the UK to Germany: from the language barrier to lack of network and intricacies of the bureaucratic systems. She started with an accelerator programme where she encountered like-minded individuals. Alina reflects on her journey and events that helped her to move forward.
In the early stages, Alina found solace and guidance in a supportive founder community. Surrounding herself with individuals who had successfully embarked on similar journeys provided invaluable insights and inspiration. Furthermore, Alina recognized the significance of being an active participant in relevant events and communities.
Crucially, Alina embraced the reality that as a founder, one does not need to possess all the answers from the outset. Instead, she learned that the journey of entrepreneurship is about continuously figuring things out.
“A founder is not someone who’s figured it all out. You are founding your business, you’re trying to figure it out.”
About Alina Bassi:
Alina Bassi is a chemical engineer turned impact entrepreneur, with a passion for creating a more sustainable and equitable future. After 7 years in the biofuels and waste recycling space, she co-founded Kleiderly, a textile recycling startup. She is an impact investor and the co-founder of Founderland - a non-profit that supports women of colour to raise investment. She was on the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2020, and has been featured in Vogue, Wired, and Germany’s Shark Tank. She is an Obama Leader, TEDx speaker and advisor to over 50+ women-led startups.