People’s Champion Finalist: Lost My Name

Start-up name: Lost My Name
Founders: Assaf Sharabi, Tal Tzvi Oron, Pedro Serapicos and David Cadji-Newby
Started in: 2012
Based in: London
Business description: Personalised children’s books

The Lost My Name story:

Lost My Name’s founders (three dads and an uncle) set out “to make the best personalised book in the world”, an ambitious claim they admit but as they say on their website “if you’re not going to be ambitious, what’s the point?”

Frustrated by the lack of innovative technology being used to enhance quality storytelling, they have since created 250 stories and illustrations which, using a unique algorithm, can then be matched to a child’s name and gender to create their own personal story – with the child’s name forming the basis of the tale. 

Operating via print-on-demand, the business is able to work to an impressive margin – and books are sold via the Lost My Name website for £18.99. With over 100,000 books sold to over 100 countries around the world to-date – the founders’ DIY project has quickly turned into a viable business.

In July this year, the start-up appeared on Dragons’ Den, a risky move for any young business as the Dragons are notorious for demanding high equity stakes but Lost My Name made history in the best equity deal ever seen on the den, taking £100,000 for just 4% (the deal was part of a larger £500,000 seed round).

Claiming to want to be “the Pixar of books”, the business is certainly ambitious with plans to “not only re-define a category and a market but to create a new category and a market” – a dream which is quickly coming to fruition.

Why Lost My Name made our 50:

Tapping into the increasingly lucrative personalisation space, Lost My Name has created a personalised book for children with a magical feel and a sound business model and as they say “the market for great products for kids is infinite…”

Where to find out more about Lost My Name:

Website: https://www.lostmy.name/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lostmynamebook
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lostmynamebook