Koorvi, known as Numi before the rebranding, is a SaaS solution for consumer goods brands that enables intelligent and user-friendly take-back of used products. This way, Koorvi helps brands track and manage return flows and currently automates manual processes such as shipping label creation, pre-sorting, and customer payouts. The startup’s plugin can be integrated into all existing shop systems and customized individually. Product take-back enables brands to become more sustainable and generate revenue through recommerce and parts refurbishment. In this way, the impact startup aims to make a significant contribution to the circular economy.
Munich Startup: What prompted you to rebrand? Why are you now Koorvi and not Numi anymore?
Andrea Schneller, Koorvi: There were a few reasons for that. We chose the name Numi in a very early phase when we only had the initial idea. At the time, we looked at what we found exciting as a brand name and what domains were even available. In the circular economy, we faced the major challenge that everyone already has “circle” in their name and in the end nobody knows who does what. That’s why we wanted to choose something that is a proper name. So we came up with Numi and the domain numi.circular. But then we had to learn that we didn’t do ourselves any favors with the name and domain. Because there are many other companies with the same name: yoga studios, a cosmetics brand, everything you can imagine. That made it difficult for us to be found on Google, especially since we had Numi as a brand name but numi.circular as a domain.
Coincidence: a second startup with the name Numi emerged at the same time in Munich
In this early phase, we were already aware that we would need to revisit the issue. After the first proof of concept, we wanted to move forward and also protect the brand. In the beginning, however, it was also an economic consideration for us: it doesn’t make sense to protect a brand first of all if we don’t even know what the product will look like in the end. During this time, coincidence struck, because at the same time another startup was founded in Munich that was also called Numi: they had secured the domain numi.digital. The other team had protected the name for themselves and it was clear to us that it would probably be difficult to protect it in parallel.
For us, that was okay because we were aware from the outset that we might need to find a new name. That’s why we gave our company a name independent of the brand: Circular Systems.
Munich Startup: What are the first steps in a rebranding?
Andrea Schneller: The biggest issue, which we also had great respect for, was of course the question of what is an alternative? At first, we couldn’t imagine finding another name that fit us as well as Numi. Accordingly, brainstorming was one of the first steps. And that’s exactly what kept us busy for quite a while. We went through many rounds where, based on what we do, we combined terms, tried portmanteaus, and thought in other languages.
“We got support from a trademark lawyer”
At the same time, of course, we also made sure we didn’t decide on a brand again that someone else might protect or that is already protected in some form. For this, we got support from a trademark lawyer. On the one hand, he checked Numi again and finally told us that the name wouldn’t work anymore. The law firm also checked our options from the brainstorming directly before we decided on a new name.
In hindsight, I have to say we could have done the research ourselves. The lawyers didn’t do anything other than use the free search function in the trademark register at the DPMA. Sure, you do have to familiarize yourself a bit with what word marks, figurative marks, and so on are. But such an initial search for an overview can also be done by yourself. They really made good money off us there.
Munich Startup: And how did things proceed once you found your new name?
Andrea Schneller: Once it was clear that Koorvi would be our new name and we also got a domain for it, we started preparing for the rebranding itself. For us, that went hand in hand with a complete redesign of the website. Of course, that’s not a must, but it’s a good time to do it. We teased the upcoming changes a bit on LinkedIn because we also wanted to prepare our followers a bit.
Koorvi organized the rebranding with a six-week plan
Then came the rebranding period: we created a six-week plan that included specific rebranding activities for each week. During that time, we launched information, had podcasts and articles in the pipeline, sent emails, informed contacts, and did much more. Our goal was for everyone in our network to see the new name at least six times during these six weeks. So that it sticks.
You can easily underestimate some things: because of the rebranding and the new domain, all our email addresses changed. So we had to adjust all accounts accordingly and inform all contacts that they had new email addresses.
Munich Startup: Are you happy with how it went?
Andrea Schneller: Yes, we’re really happy, especially with the new name. We had some concerns at the beginning about whether we could even say goodbye to the old one, and it took a while to get used to it. But we got a lot of good feedback that the logo is cool, that the name is well received, and that the new website was a successful step. And of course, the advantage that with the name Koorvi we have no competition whatsoever. When you type Koorvi into Google, only we come up.
Long timelines and small surprises
Munich Startup: How long did the rebranding take you from the decision to the final go-live of the new brand?
Andrea Schneller: The pure process, during which we actively dealt with it, took about half a year. In September 2023, we started dealing with it acutely. That began with the brainstorming and the register inquiries. In October, the actual trademark applications followed. Those always take a few months, and we got feedback from the European Register in January. However, after the first registration, there’s still a three-month opposition period during which a similar mark could file notice. From mid-January we started with our communication plan and in February we finally switched the website. So overall it was about half a year, but as I said, we had a possible rebranding on our radar when we founded the company.
Munich Startup: Did anything happen during this half year that you didn’t expect at all?
Andrea Schneller: One thing that definitely surprised us was where we actually appear, i.e., where you as a startup are listed without doing anything yourself. Through the rebranding, we had to deal with that and now have a proper overview. And of course we also claimed the accounts and cleaned up the content.
6 concrete tips for rebranding
Munich Startup: What concrete tips can you give other founders based on your experience for a rebranding?
Andrea Schneller: 1. While we were looking for our new name, we also applied for a grant. From the European Union via EUIPO, which is basically the trademark office of the European Union, there is a grant for SMEs for trademark registration both in the German and European registers. You get up to 1,000 euros reimbursed. To do this, you must apply in advance and once you have approval, you can start the trademark registration.
2. Another major learning beforehand was that it can be a disadvantage if the domain name doesn’t match the brand name. We had Numi as a brand name and numi.circular as a domain. And that makes it much harder to be found in search engines, especially if there are other companies with a similar name.
3. Consistency is very important in a rebranding. You should think very carefully in advance about where and in what order you make changes. For us, for example, there was a small delay when we had already launched the official rebranding and wanted the new website to follow immediately. But the relaunch was delayed by a week, which caused confusion in the meantime because we had communicated the rebranding but the website was still the old one. We solved that with a note at the top of the page.
Communication and repetition are the key
4. We already informed our direct contacts by email in advance that we were changing our name. This wasn’t just about “we want to tell you first”, but also about using them as multipliers. We told them what day we would launch the rebranding and asked for their support on social media. We also shared our new email addresses and asked them to save them and use only those going forward. This is also important so they don’t end up in spam. But this is also related to the new domain and you need to pay attention to a few settings here.
5. Plan transition periods. We will keep the old email addresses running in parallel for a long time, at least a year, for anyone who missed the rebranding. The same applies to the old domain. If you currently enter numi.circle, you’ll be redirected to Koorvi – and that will continue to happen for a while. You definitely need at least a year for that as well.
6. And of course you have to place the rebranding as often as possible so that people hear about it more than just once. On LinkedIn, for example, we currently do it so that we already appear as Koorvi, but we still have “former Numi.circular” in parentheses in the name. And we also have it in the header of our website so far so that we don’t lose anyone.
Here’s what comes next for Koorvi after the rebranding
Munich Startup: What comes next for you after the rebranding?
Andrea Schneller: The topic of circular economy is getting a lot of attention right now and more and more companies are slowly feeling regulatory pressure, for example in the textile sector, also through decisions at EU level. We’re noticing that we’re having completely different kinds of conversations than might have been the case a year or two ago. So this year is all about implementing first customers and at the same time expanding our outreach to go from first movers to a broader target customer base.
In parallel, we’re expanding our partner network. We ourselves have a software solution, which is why we rely on a network of partners in our core industries – consumer goods, textiles, outdoor, sports, children – who resell, refurbish, recycle, and offer other circular services for us. In autumn we want to start a financing round, and I’m currently in the early preparations for that. And of course we’re always still developing, such a product is never finished.
Munich Startup: And finally: what’s behind your new name “Koorvi”?
Andrea Schneller: We said we wanted the new name to be a proper name again, but it should also contain the essence of what we do. And we managed that, which is why we’re so happy with the name. “Koorvi” is actually a portmanteau, it contains “kör” on the one hand, which means circle in Hungarian. So we actually have the “circle” in the name without being called anything with “circle”. And the second syllable, “vi”, stands for life. This way our name represents the product lifecycle that we extend with our solution. We came up with the idea to use Hungarian through a tip from our network. Using other languages for a brand name is not unusual, and we were suggested to take a look at Hungarian, since there are many beautiful words there that only exist there.