On January 19, 2026, Martin Weber and Claire Hae-Min Gusko, the co-founders of the Hamburg-based startup one.five, achieved a major milestone by successfully closing a €14 million ($16 million) Series A funding round.
This achievement solidified their position as leaders in the sustainable packaging sector, specifically focusing on using AI to solve the "product-market-fit" problem that plagues the industry.
💰 Strategic Funding Milestone
Successful Capital Raise: The €14 million round was led by Dr. Hans Riegel Holding (the investment arm of the Haribo family), with participation from high-profile backers including 212 NexT, Symbia VC, Btomorrow Ventures, and KIMPA Impact, along with existing investors like Speedinvest and Planet A.
Capital Utility: Weber and Gusko announced that the funds would be used to scale their proprietary AI platform and expand their data foundation through further material experiments and commercial deployments.
🚀 Platform & Product Achievements
Scale of the "Product Market Fit Compass": On this day, the founders highlighted the success of their flagship tool, which helps manufacturers benchmark their product portfolios against real-world brand requirements. The tool aims to reduce the industry's 60% R&D failure rate.
Validated ROI: Claire Hae-Min Gusko reported that early pilot projects demonstrated a significant return on investment, with customers expecting an ROI of approximately five times their initial capital within the first year due to shortened time-to-market and reduced development waste.
Client Portfolio Expansion: They confirmed ongoing successful collaborations with major industry players such as Starkraft (a unit of Zellstoff Pöls AG) and Grünperga Papier.
🌍 Visionary Leadership
Commitment to the 1.5°C Goal: The founders reiterated their mission to align global packaging innovation with the 1.5°C climate goal by replacing non-recyclable plastics with sustainable biomaterials.
Operational Expansion: Martin Weber noted that the new funding allows the company to expand its AI-powered "Co-Pilot" and prepare for a broader launch targeting brand owners and packaging converters in the second half of 2026.
