Tencent and Tinder co-founders invest in a Swiss start-up

Since 2015, Pierre Bi and Constantin Overlack co-founders of Aeris Cleantec, have been on the mission to purify the air using their proprietary air purification technology. According to the World Health Organisation, air pollutants are responsible for an estimated seven million deaths worldwide every year resulting from heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections in children.

Air purifiers developed by Aeris can eliminate airborne viruses, bacteria, mould, mildew, odour, and other pollutants in spaces of up to 100 m². The devices use the company’s unique filtration material which guarantees high filtration efficiency without affecting the efficacy of the product and they use 40-50 per cent less energy. The company built the air purifiers with sensors and artificial intelligence to enable them to learn and adapt to each user’s habits and air quality alterations over time in homes, office spaces, medical settings and churches.

From China to the US and 800 per cent growth
Aeris first launched the products in China at the end of 2017 because its products were one of the few purifiers in the market that could deal with the heavy pollution in the country. Since then, the company has seen a surge in demand worldwide, resulting in 800 per cent growth year on year. Currently, Aeris purifiers are available in South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam as well as in the United States, Mexico, Benelux, Germany, France and Switzerland. By the end of 2020, the company plans to expand further into South America, Australia and South Africa.

“The quality of air has a significant impact on our sleep and the overall well-being. Our vision is to become the Dyson for health by providing purifiers that can remove a wide range of pollutants from the air, which existing devices have not been able to achieve. This is one of the main factors for the growing demand for our products. The current pandemic – which called for lockdowns and home office – has further accelerated our growth because more people are more informed about air quality and its impact on their health”, said Pierre Bi, CEO and Co-founder of Aeris.

Aeris air purifiers are available in over 400 stores across the US.
Aeris attributes its growth to the support provided by its distribution network. In addition to exiting partnerships, the company has entered a distribution partnership with Best Buy, a US-based multination consumer electronics retailer with more than 125000 employees and $42.88 billion in revenues (2019). As part of their partnership, Best Buy will distribute Aeris purifiers in more than 400 stores across the US. The company also added new distributors for Belgium, Germany, Austria, Dubai and Chile.

Series A funds to accelerate growth and expansion
The Zug based startup has completed its series A round raising USD 3.3 million with investments led by Tencent co-founder Vic Lee, Tinder co-founder Justin Mateen, PreAngel, Sarona Ventures, and ten new undisclosed investors. The funds will help the company to strengthen its position in the global market as it continues to expand further. Additionally, the company has expanded its product line with a new ventilation system that can be integrated into any installed system. The device will be launched later this year in the US.

Aeries has a team of 20 employees across three continents with 30 per cent based in Switzerland, including engineers, developers who are responsible for assembling and the final production of the devices.

(RAN)