xdeck Founder Stories:
Insights in Building Leading Tech Companies
1. Alena, with your impressive background at companies like Tom Tailor and Flink, can you tell us what inspired you to embark on your own entrepreneurial journey?
I have always been driven to innovate and act in an entrepreneurial way. After more than six years in the fashion industry and my experience with the fast-growing startup Flink, it felt like a natural next step to start my own venture and change the industry.
2. toern offers a unique solution for more sustainable returns processes in e-commerce. How does toern augment traditional returns processes?
We assess return quality directly at the customer's home through advanced data models and AI-powered image recognition. This allows us to send returns directly to the next customers and therefore reduce logistics and packaging waste significantly.
3. Black Friday is notoriously known as the peak time for returns, often leading to significant waste and logistical challenges for e-commerce retailers. How does toern’s solution specifically address the sustainability and operational challenges during this high-return period, and what strategies or technologies do you implement to mitigate the environmental impact?
Black Friday and the holiday season see a huge spike in shipments and returns. This often leads to inventory shortages or delayed restocking, creating future excess stock. With toern, we help alleviate these issues by making returned stock instantly available, reducing out-of-stock situations.
4. It is certainly not the easiest time for a startup in the online fashion industry. And still, toern keeps on growing! What are your key focus areas for expansion over the next year?
It’s been a challenging year for many startups, especially in e-commerce, where several brands have faced bankruptcy, acquisitions, or budget cuts on innovation. We’re now seeing growth returning, and there's immense potential. Our solution offers real cost and carbon emissions savings, making it particularly appealing to brands under financial pressure. Next year, our primary focus will be on onboarding more brands and optimizing our AI model.
5. In your experience, what are the key elements that helped you overcome skepticism from customers, especially when there was limited traction and/or highly financed competitors?
Building trust and demonstrating industry expertise are essential for early-stage companies. Being visible at key industry events and having experts endorse us have also been instrumental.
6. How do current regulations and policies support or hinder the adoption of circular logistics models like toern? Are there any upcoming regulatory changes that you are particularly excited or concerned about?
In the fashion sector, ecodesign regulations are noteworthy, as they prevent unsold textiles from being discarded. Additionally, with the Green Deal, reporting carbon emissions across supply chains is gaining prominence, which aligns well with our goal for transparency. However, I am concerned that while there’s a strong focus on production transparency and waste management, circular business models receive less attention when looking at current regulations.
7. On a more personal note, how has your entrepreneurial journey influenced your working style? What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned about balancing personal life with the demands of growing a young company with limited financial resources?
The entrepreneurial journey can be a mental rollercoaster, making it challenging to maintain a balance. I’ve learned the importance of fast decision-making, prioritizing my well-being, and surrounding myself with people who genuinely support and understand my goals. My favorite approach is to regularly ask myself, “What gives me energy, and what drains it?” This helps me make clearer choices about events, people, and tasks.
8. You often receive requests for student projects and thesis collaborations. Can you share more about how you evaluate these opportunities and what makes a student project stand out? How has collaborating with universities brought value to toern and your team’s strategic direction?
I enjoy supporting universities by providing practical insights, as I believe students benefit greatly from real-world examples. However, we can only take on projects that align with our current agenda and where students are committed to the work. A great example is our collaboration with TUHH, where we hired a key team member and partnered with a PhD student for in-depth market research.
9. You are currently hiring. What should your potential new hire know about toern and the team?
We have a strong sense of humor and love a good laugh, but we’re also highly ambitious and fast-paced. I think it’s a fantastic environment for someone looking to make an impact in an early-stage startup.
Thank you for sharing your founder journey with us! We wish you the best for entrepreneurial future with toern.
