The Berlin bike brand Propheus, which specializes primarily in MTB gravity clothing for men, women and children, wants to continue growing and is looking for investors.
Propheus was founded by Knut Matthes in 2009, but at that time more as a general fun sports brand. Propheus only got the full focus on the bike and especially on Gravity MTB around ten years later, when Martin Otto officially joined the company. So two long-time MTB enthusiasts were at work who wanted to develop products for a growing community that not only look good, but are also useful and functional. The range now includes performance-oriented MTB clothing for men, women and children. “We see that good designs for women and high-quality products for children are well received. The latter target group is still very small, but it is also loyal and grateful,” explains Martin Otto.
A Berlin grassroots brand
Until 2019, the products were mainly sold at events. This is how the brand has been able to make a name for itself among its target group. “Thanks to the events, we have a very good standing with the core target group and are, so to speak, a Berlin grassroots brand,” explains Martin Otto. Nothing should change with the start of your own web shop. “In order to maintain the image in online trading, we put a lot of effort into customer service,” the co-owner continues.
Today, Propheus is mainly sold in the DACH region, “but we actually ship regularly internationally, for example to the USA, Iran or Singapore,” explains Otto. The most important sales channels are our own online shop, including the Connection to the Amazon Brand Store, Meta-Commerce, Google Shopping and further DACH-wide industry events. Although there are also a few dealers in Germany and abroad who sell the brand, Propheus’ focus for the time being is still solely on direct sales. Martin Otto: “We can still grow a lot in the D2C area before we need the dealers and they want us too. The dealers have always turned to us without any sales effort on our part. That works for us.”
So far exclusively grown organically
Up to now, the brand has grown solely on the basis of sales and managed without outside capital. As the next growth step, Propheus intends to advance the business model further by expanding performance marketing and internationalization with a focus on Europe. The sourcing area is also to be further expanded. The target is annual sales of around ten million euros in 2025. Strategic investors are being sought for this who, ideally, can contribute skills and networks in the areas of international sales development, international marketing and fulfillment in addition to financial support.