Bring Back the Spark - Couples One-of-a-Kind ChispaBox Getaway Kit

ChispaBox is fast becoming one of the best value couples favorite love kits. A fun, accessible, enticing way to rekindle the spark and reconnect, design your very own luxury retreats with your significant other and keeping the love alive. Thinking about heading to Bali? Check out Andrea’s kit instead. She is a dynamic, bold young woman who managed to set up her own business focusing on a simple, yet ambitious approach; to Andrea Peris the honeymoon stage in any relationship is just a state of mind but feeling you've been with someone forever is a common red flag for many couples. Trust Andrea’s clever insight and hacks to finding those silver linings in your relationship. Create adventure!

Meet ChispaBox and its CEO

Q: Tell us your elevator pitch
Chispabox designs couples home-experience kits, featuring activities and products. Andrea’s originally fresh idea for a startup, that has been endorsed by the Espill Institute of Psychology and Sexology, centers on helping couples devise and enjoy their very own romantic getaways. Building back intimacy, escaping the routine and strengthening the connection are the major reasons why Andrea and her team created this solution.

Q: Tell us about yourself and your background
My background is somehow linked to the startup world.

I studied Political Science but I ended up working at I2 Social Impact Investing, an investment fund and consulting startup."   During the time I spent there I realized that I liked the startup world. In my next job, I worked for NGOs and Foundations and started expanding my expertise, gaining experience in sales, human resources, marketing and partnerships.

There came a point when I was the one making the decisions and it was then that I thought to myself I want to start my own business from scratch, and feel what an experience like that would be like.

I discovered Demium in March 2019 and in  summer I decided to join their incubation program. I didn't have high hopes back then because of my background and previous experience, but at the very least I wanted to give it a shot.

The road of starting your own business

Q: What’s been the most rewarding or best part of your startup journey so far?
I'd say the most rewarding part comes after a tough time, which was when my previous co-founder left the project owing to covid lockdown rules and restrictions. As challenging as it has been to have carried out a project on my own, it also helped me to be positive and move on... I remember back in June, sales soared to 100 orders a month when I was running the whole thing by myself. It felt so rewarding! Another positive aspect to highlight would be the traction we got on the project, it’s been practically effortless.

Q: What is the biggest challenge you've faced in your startup?
To start with, realistic goal setting. Seeing it through, pacing yourself and setting the next goal. 

Right now our biggest challenge is the financing round. Get people to trust us and our project, and put their money on Chispabox.

There are many ups and downs, and at times you even wonder if what you are doing makes sense. The important thing is to get out of that loop and look forward. In the end, we have sold our kits to more than 500 couples, which means that Chispabox works and continues to grow.

Q: What’s the biggest success you’ve had so far?
Everything that happened in June 2020 was very intense and I had to work a lot. But all that paid off, and sales doubled compared to the previous month, reaching 100 orders. In early July 2020, Geraldyn, who has worked in accounting and operations, joined Chispabox as a co-founder and COO and later on Carolina, with more than 15 years of experience in communication, as a CMO; this was a threshold moment for us.

Q: What’s next for your startup? What are you focused on or working on now?
Right now we are in a moment in which we are trying to figure out what does the trick. Right now, we have expanded the sales channels of Chispabox, selling in stores both online and offline (gift / souvenir shops or even erotic shops). In addition, we are also selling to Grutinet, the leading distributor in Spain, and some hotel chains in the country.

Entrepreneurial takeaways

Q: What advice would you offer other entrepreneurs looking for first round funding?
Make sure you keep your ducks in row. It can get and will get very chaotic.. Make a record or a register of the people you're contacting and of your pending tasks.. In this way you can measure results, assay data and plan your next steps ahead.

Q: Are there any specific skills or qualifications you had attained prior to becoming an entrepreneur that you believe helped you make the transition to being an entrepreneur?
Totally. Resilience is one of them. It’s an essential skill for any entrepreneur. I think it is very important to understand that the act of creating a company is a process that takes time, but in the end it prospers and thrives,  so stay motivated and keep moving forward. motional intelligence plays a key role, intrapersonal skills like reflecting on why you feel the way you do, and  be aware that this is part of the path of launching your own business, will propel you forward.

Q: Think about where you were before you started with Demium, and tell us your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs or someone considering starting their own thing.
First, be like a little child. Stay curious and never stop learning. I think it is very important to be open to suggestions and advice from people. Be willing to learn. We all have something to share and even more things to learn.

Second,  emotional intelligence, knowing how you relate with people, meeting new people and being able to tell them why you do what you do. Step out of your comfort zone and welcome others into your vision and mission 

Finally, start with an idea  you are passionate about, something that matches your strengths and your assets. . Then, make sure you set an attainable goal, a project outline and a market study. Above all though, you should love the idea you chose to work on.

ChispaBox & Demium

Q: What role did Demium play in your first investment round?
They have helped us a lot by introducing us to potential investors / mentors, no doubt, although we are quite focused on FFF. Demium helped us a lot by giving us advice and motivating us to move forward. In more than one way, they have prepared us to take a bold step ahead and be ready to meet potential investors. They have even helped us with the entire financial plan; designing this plan was a huge challenge for us, we just couldn't have done it ourselves. We are currently relying on FFF funding raising investment from angel investors

Q: Can you describe what Demium has done for (or helped) you?
They have guided me in doing the right thing at the right time. They’ve been the beacon all the way.  

Right before applying for the Demium Incubation Program I had a few things in the works. With time, I realized that becoming  an entrepreneur is not an easy thing and that many times you need all the advice and help you can get, which Demium gave me from the beginning. I think Demium has helped me to make sure I am on the right track, avoiding doing things that didn't make sense and that would have caused me to fail; in other words, Demium has speed up the whole process for me.

They have an outstanding mentoring team, well aware of the does and don'ts, when presenting a project to a potential investor.

Demium has also carved the way for me to meet people in the startup world. I have a sense of belonging in their big family,  a place where everyone is willing to help and go the extra mile. 

https://www.chispabox.com/