I pitched my startup idea in kindergarten – real investors are now giving me 2.8 million

What happens when you explain a business management software to 5-year-olds? Founder Dana Aleff tried it out and learned valuable lessons for good sales pitches.

After a test pitch at a kindergarten, the Cologne-based startup Circonomit has now proven itself to real investors. Founder Dana Aleff and co-founder Erik Müller raised over €2.8 million in a seed funding round.

The round was led by Vorwerk Ventures, the Berlin-based VC that emerged from the household appliance manufacturer of the same name. Also participating are the Vienna-based early-stage fund Fund F, which specifically supports diverse startup teams, and Push VC – another investor based in the Austrian capital. With the new capital, Circonomit aims to expand its product team and accelerate market development in German-speaking countries.

The complexity of a startup's technologies only becomes apparent when it comes to explaining them. Founder Dana Aleff took an unusual approach and tested her pitch directly in a kindergarten.

"I woke up in the morning and said to my partner: I'm going to kindergarten now," she recalls. Without an appointment, without an educational concept—but in a floral dress and with the firm conviction that complexity is only truly reduced when even a preschooler understands what you're doing.

Circonomit develops a management system for companies that makes the ecological, economic, and social impacts of decisions understandable – in real time. Or as Dana puts it:

“We’re building the brain of the company – only smarter.”

The problem: The pitch requires a lot of explanation. And because, according to Dana, the technical solution is no longer the problem, but rather the fact that people are overwhelmed , she wanted to find out if the whole thing could be put more simply . Much more simply.

So Dana suddenly found herself at kindergarten – without an invitation, but with a mission. "I just thought: I hope they don't think I'm a creep." Luckily, they didn't. The teacher was confused but curious. "Come with me to the preschool group," she said – and Dana found herself sitting on the floor with 15 children for two hours, playing cars.

"At first, they completely ignored me. Children are mercilessly honest."

So Dana observed, ate breakfast with us, sat on mini stools, and noticed: The speech here is mindful . No buzzwords. No PowerPoint. Simple and clear. And then – storytelling lesson 1: If you don't grab attention in the first two sentences, you'll lose your audience. Immediately.

"Many children have an attention span of exactly two sentences, which means they have to remember every word," Dana explains. Suddenly, she became very excited. "Well, I've given speeches in front of hundreds of people. But this was definitely the most exciting speech moment I've ever had."

In the relaxation room, she then began to tell the children about her company. And learned in real time:

• Children do not understand the “economic value chain”.
• But children understand very well that companies either emit gases into the air – or plant trees.
• And: "You don't give a child a sales pitch. You tell them your reason for being." But that also means: "You potentially leave with a crisis of meaning or existence . "

"Afterward, I canceled all my appointments. I was sweating, totally exhausted—but also so grateful. It was the most honest moment I've ever had."

And the effect? ​​Dana changed her entire communication strategy. Not just in LinkedIn posts or sales conversations, but fundamentally:

• Don't speak from the first-person perspective , but rather from the context of the other person. "I think that sometimes in sales, we forget to take a genuine interest in the other person, to truly understand their background."
• Adapt concepts : One person thinks in terms of machines, the other in terms of cost centers.
• Listen before you speak : Not a one-size-fits-all pitch, but real communication.

The team? Is on board and already planning their next steps. With a new employee, Dana wants to visit a retirement home, for example. Or chat up people on the street and ask if they can pitch their startup. "I think you just have to start doing things like that. The more often you do it, the more you lose your fear of it."

1. Don't just test your idea in your bubble. Whether it's a kindergarten, bus shelter, or retirement home—if you can only pitch to investors, you don't yet have true product-market fit.

2. Clarity is a virtue. When you force yourself to explain complex ideas in a child-friendly way, you gain clarity – even for your pitch to investors.

3. Storytelling is not fluff, it is craftsmanship.

"You have exactly two sentences. They have to be perfect." And ideally, without a pitch deck.

4. Real feedback doesn't come from feedback forms. It comes from looks, body language, and honest reactions. And these rarely come as unfiltered as from children.

Circonomit wants to continue growing – the team is growing, the software is evolving. They are currently looking for a mathematician, data engineer, founding engineer, and AI engineer.

And who knows: Maybe the next product will be tested in the sandbox or in a senior group. Because one thing is clear to Dana: "Innovations without barriers are born in kindergarten."