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Michel Juhasz, you are calling for people to buy Transalpes shares. What's behind this?

We are breaking new ground to finance our growth. With a crowdfunding campaign, we want to finance our new mountain bikes with and without motors, such as the Transalpes E3, the lightest full power E-MTB from 15.5 kg. And to offer mountain bikers and investors the opportunity to benefit from the potential of the growing E-MTB market with even small amounts.

So it's not about a capital increase per se, but about financing the new bikes?

The capital increase is firstly about strengthening our balance sheet and secondly about financing the new bikes. As a first step, our principal bank has contributed to the financing of the development costs. In a second step, employees and private investors financed the costs for the first series of 50 e-mountainbikes. With the crowdfunding campaign, we can order the frames and motors for series production at attractive conditions and finance sustainable growth.

How did you finance the development and series production of your bikes in the past?

Before corona, we were able to cover the development costs from our own resources. When purchasing bike parts, we were often granted generous payment terms by manufacturers and importers in the past.

And how does it work today?

Development and production have become more complex and more expensive, partly due to the electrification and motorization of mountain bikes. Due to competitor insolvencies, manufacturers such as Shimano only produce against prepayment and many importers only deliver against prepayment.

Many companies take out a loan to produce something.

On the contrary, most companies in our industry have had their credit limits slashed due to the last few years of losses. For the remaining loans, banks are demanding very high interest rates on loans, even with the current low interest rates for savings deposits.

The campaign description states that you expect a 5 percent dividend for shareholders. That's a big statement given the state of the bike industry.

In the fall of 2024, interest in our bikes increased noticeably. The reasons for this are firstly our consistent focus on lightweight construction - my Bike to Work E-MTB weighs just 14.3 kg - and secondly our individual configuration options. 90 percent of all Transalpes are built to customer specifications. With Transalpes, our 3500 or so sporty customers are investing in durable sports equipment handmade in Switzerland.

You also promise your investors that they will be able to sell their shares at a profit in a few years' time. A succession solution will then be in place. What is this all about?

In fact, there is an attractive exit strategy. I am 55 years young and would like to hand over the management of Bike Manufaktur in the next few years as part of a succession plan and sell the majority of Transalpes. The first step in the succession plan is the financing round and the expansion of the shareholder base as part of the crowdfunding campaign.

The capital increase is also about making the company an attractive takeover target?

The capital increase is also good advertising for the Transalpes brand and the company. Basically, however, the capital increase gives us more entrepreneurial leeway and is intended to finance perhaps the best mountain bikes and the lightest e-MTB from Switzerland.

And why do you think the shares will be worth more in three to five years than they are today?

As part of the crowdfunding, a company valuation was carried out by our fiduciary company and validated by an independent company. The pre-money valuation of CHF 3 million is deliberately conservative for an established company with a 23-year history, a loyal customer base and the strong Transalpes brand. In combination with forecast industry growth and the high demand for our lightweight e-MTBs, there is attractive price potential for investors.

However, the company and therefore the shares could also lose value if things go badly.

This is exactly what has happened to practically all manufacturers over the last three years due to the malaise in our industry. Two years ago, the value of our company was still estimated at a good 4.5 million francs.

Other manufacturers are sliding into insolvency one after the other. What do you do better?

I've been an entrepreneur for 25 years. As a business economist, I can calculate and keep a clear head even in hectic times - Corona sends its regards. At our bike manufactory, we have been developing mountain bikes and e-MTBs exclusively for athletes who value individuality and Swiss craftsmanship since 2002. In June 2025, we presented the lightest full-power e-MTB at Eurobike. We sold the first 50 Transalpes E3s even before the official launch.

One special feature of your new model range is that the same frame platform can be ridden with and without a motor. Which has been ordered more?

80 percent of our customers are now opting for an e-mountainbike. That's the new reality and reflects the official Velosuisse figures pretty accurately. Bike brands that don't offer e-bikes will only have a chance in the future if they focus on innovative product niches or clear target group clusters.

You mentioned it, you also felt the effects of the crisis. Are you sleeping better now that you know that the capital increase will succeed and you can have the new bikes produced?

In fact, the malaise in the industry has also given us sleepless nights. I am overwhelmed that customers and friends of Transalpes have placed so much trust in us: In less than 3 weeks, we have reached the campaign minimum target of 460,000 francs. If you hurry, you can still buy the last available shares at oomnium.ch with an investment starting at CHF 1,300!

In the near future, it should be possible to trade digital shares like yours online permanently - just like those of listed companies. Are you looking forward to seeing Transalpes' share price every day?

The new share law offers more scope for the use of digital technologies. We deliberately opted for digital shares for the capital increase. The shares will be delivered directly to the wallet addresses provided by the investors. So it's only a matter of time before our shares can also be traded in Switzerland.

This doesn't answer our question, but the future of Transalpes will be interesting, with or without a real-time share price.

Click here for the crowdinvesting campaign (registration required). You trade at your own risk.