EcoStoof at Dragon's Den
EcoStoof participated in the Dragons' Den program on March 25, 2021. There they found investor Michel Perridon willing to invest an amount of €200,000. With this amount, the startup can accelerate the supply of EcoCookers to the European market. Based on an EU market forecast, the use of the EcoCooker can save 828,000 tons of CO2 annually (for comparison: a household emits an average of 7.5 tons of CO2 directly per year, according to Milieu Centraal).
About the Dragon’s Den broadcast
"As an architect, I was always busy insulating houses. Then I discovered an ancient cooking technique that uses insulation materials. One plus one equals two, and I made this ecological slow cooker," Caro Niestijl begins her pitch. Together with Iris van de Graaf, she has been selling EcoCookers for about two years now. And it's on an upward trend. In January 2020, they had a turnover of €2,000/month. By December, they were already at €15,000/month. So, an upward trend.
What is the advantage of the EcoCooker? "In the EcoCooker, your food cooks itself, stays hot for hours, and you save 30% energy. No more rush hour cooking, because the meal is ready." Chef Klaas van Winsen served delicious samples from the EcoCooker during the pitch. Dragon Den Won Yip was impressed "You're doing so well, you don't need me at all!" Dragon Michel Perridon was interested in investing in EcoCooker: "I always hate it when the hostess is in the kitchen." Perridon offered 200,000 euros for 25 percent of the company, to which Caro and Iris enthusiastically said yes.
