brainstormers GmbH

What brainstormers GmbH does

brainstormers GmbH is a privately held Swiss custom card design and printing company founded in 2004 and headquartered in Unteriberg (CHE-111.777.949 MWST). The company specializes in individually designed occasion cards (birth announcements, wedding invitations, wedding and birth thank-you cards, invitation cards, Christmas cards, memorial cards, and divorce announcements) as well as broader print design services (flyers, brochures, letterheads, business cards, logo design, and printed envelopes). Production is conducted entirely in-house, with professional photo retouching, text proofreading, a 1:1 advance print proof, free packaging, addressing, and dispatch under a personalized postmark, yielding a 1-2 business day delivery window after approval. The team comprises founders Felix and Katja Bruhin, a prepress lead and one additional prepress operator, accounting, print finishing, online shop order processing, and shipping staff, with stated headcount of 1-10.

Beyond custom cards, the company distributes a broader specialty print and event product catalog: custom printed table sets, napkins, coasters, and cutlery bags for gastronomy; mirror foils and plates as well as hologram foils; party-effect glasses; reusable wine drip catchers; and Swiss-made FSC-certified Pingo ecological baby diapers sold via a dedicated online shop (pingo-windeln.ch). Distribution is direct-to-consumer: customers contact the company by email or phone, send photos and preferences, receive a design proposal for approval, and receive finished products by Swiss post. Pricing is quote-based for custom cards (with a 50-copy minimum for thank-you cards and a 24-hour express option), unit-based for gastronomy supplies, and pay-as-you-go across catalog items; pricing is not publicly disclosed on the website.

The customer base is predominantly Swiss private individuals celebrating life events (births, weddings, milestones, bereavements), supplemented by small gastronomy businesses ordering branded service materials and a small set of SMB business print customers. Acquisition channels center on the company's SEO-positioned website portfolio, a 20 CHF customer referral program, word-of-mouth via a testimonials page, and party-supply partnerships such as festa.ch. The company is also the main sponsor of the Ashia charity supporting children in Cameroon, a positioning used to differentiate its wedding thank-you cards. The operating footprint is essentially Switzerland, with limited broader European reach and no external investors, parent company, or capital markets activity indicated.

Name

brainstormers GmbH

Legal name

brainstormers GmbH

Website

https://brainstormers.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

brainstormers GmbH is a Swiss print design company that designs and produces individually customized occasion cards (birth, wedding, thank you, memorial, Christmas) and related specialty print products, serving private individuals and small businesses across Switzerland through in-house production and direct postal delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Print and Design Services

NAICS

Greeting Card Publishers (513191), Printing (32311), Stationery Product Manufacturing (322230)

SIC

Greeting Cards (2771), Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Variable Data & Personalized Print (ID Cards, Mailers, Certificates, Labels) (EDAEAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Greeting Cards, Gift Wrap & Party Paper Goods Distribution (CRAOALAJ), Prepress, Plate-Making & Artwork Services (IMALAKAM), Paper Tableware (Plates, Cups, Bowls) (CRAJAFAE)

Keywords

• Custom card printing
• Occasion card design
• Wedding invitation cards
• Birth announcement printing
• Personalized stationery

Headquarters

HQ city

Unteriberg

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Card Design and Printing: Individual design and printing of occasion cards (birth announcements, wedding invitations, thank you cards, Christmas cards, etc.) with full service including design, printing, free packaging, addressing, and postage with personalized stamps
2. Pingo Diapers E-commerce: Swiss distribution of ecological Pingo baby diapers through online shop, with free postal delivery
3. Gastronomy Supplies: Sale of printed paper products for gastronomy: napkins, table sets, coasters, cutlery bags, service blocks

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

brainstormers GmbH designs and prints personalized occasion cards (birth, wedding, thank you, Christmas, funeral, divorce, communion, and miscellaneous life-event cards) and produces related printed products such as mirror foils, hologram foils, napkins, table sets, party glasses, drip catchers, Pingo diapers, and business print materials. The studio offers full in-house service from individual design through printing, free packaging, addressing, and postal dispatch with personalized stamps, typically delivered in 1–2 days.

Product overview

brainstormers GmbH is a Swiss print design company offering individually customized cards for various life occasions and a range of promotional print products. The core offering consists of custom-designed cards including birth announcement cards (Geburtskarten), wedding cards (Hochzeitskarten), thank you cards (Dankeskarten), invitation cards (Einladungskarten), Christmas cards (Weihnachtskarten), memorial cards (Trauerkarten), and divorce announcement cards. These cards are produced in-house with Swiss quality and delivered within 1-2 business days. The product portfolio also includes specialized print products such as mirror foils/plates (Spiegelfolien/Spiegelplatten), hologram foils, custom printed table sets, coasters, napkins, cutlery bags, service blocks, party glasses, drip catchers, and Pingo ecological baby diapers. Additional services include business print materials, logo design, and printed envelopes. The company provides a complete service from design through to printing and shipping, including addressing, free packaging, and delivery with personalized postage stamps.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Napkin and Cutlery Bags (Serviettenbeutel/Besteckbeutel) Custom-printed napkin and cutlery bags for gastronomy businesses and events, produced in-house.
• Party Glasses Custom-printed party glasses supplied for personal events and gastronomy use, produced in-house.
• Drip Catchers (Tropfenfänger) Custom-printed drip catchers supplied for gastronomy and event use, produced in-house.
• Printed Blocks Custom-printed blocks of various kinds supplied alongside the studio's stationery and party product offerings.
• Coasters (Untersetzer) Custom-printed paper coasters for gastronomy businesses and events, produced in-house.
• Napkins (Servietten) Custom-printed napkins for gastronomy businesses, events, and private occasions, produced in-house.
• Custom Birth Announcement Cards Individually designed and printed birth announcement cards for new parents and families, produced in-house with professional image editing and bundled packaging and postal dispatch.
• Custom Wedding Cards Individually designed and printed wedding invitation and announcement cards for engaged couples, produced in-house and shipped within 1–2 days.
• Custom Thank You Cards Individually designed and printed thank you cards for personal use, produced in-house with bundled postal dispatch.
• Custom Christmas Cards Individually designed and printed Christmas cards for personal holiday use, produced in-house and shipped with bundled packaging and addressing.
• Custom Funeral Cards Individually designed and printed funeral/obituary cards for bereaved families, produced in-house with fast turnaround and bundled postal dispatch.
• Custom Divorce Cards Individually designed and printed cards marking divorce or separation, produced in-house as a personalized non-template product.
• Custom Communion and Confirmation Cards Individually designed and printed first communion and confirmation cards, produced in-house for families observing these religious milestones.
• Miscellaneous Custom Occasion Cards Custom-designed cards for additional life events including moving announcements, baptism, congratulations, and birthdays, produced in-house as individually customized (non-template) cards.
• Printdesign (Business Print Materials) Custom-designed and printed business stationery and marketing materials including business cards, letterhead, flyers, brochures, and printed envelopes, produced in-house for small businesses and independent professionals.
• Logo Design Custom logo design service for small businesses and self-employed professionals, supporting their business stationery and marketing materials.
• Mirror Plates (Spiegelfolien) Printed mirror foil/plate products supplied alongside the studio's custom card and gastronomy offerings.
• Hologram Foils (Hologrammfolien) Printed hologram foil products supplied alongside the studio's custom card and gastronomy offerings.
• Table Sets (Tischsets) Custom-printed paper table sets for gastronomy businesses and events, produced in-house.
• Pingo Diapers (Pingo-Windeln) Branded Pingo diapers sold through a dedicated online shop run by brainstormers GmbH, marketed to families with young children.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivery within 1-2 business days after print approval
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• AshiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrainstormers GmbH is the main sponsor of the Ashia charity organization, which supports disadvantaged children in Cameroon. Each printed wedding thank-you card contributes to supporting children in Cameroon, creating a social impact connection with their products.
• Raiffeisenbank Einsiedeln-YbrigminorOthersSwiss banking partner for business transactions

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Minted: US-based premium marketplace for custom-designed stationery, photo cards, and wedding invitations sourced from independent designers. Closest conceptual analog to brainstormers' premium, photo-based, designer-touched custom cards.
• MOO: Premium custom print-on-demand brand for business cards, postcards, and marketing materials with design services. Comparable to brainstormers' business-print and custom card offerings with a similar quality-over-price positioning.
• Basic Invite: Online custom invitation and stationery company specializing in weddings, births, and life-event cards with free samples and personalization. Directly overlaps brainstormers' birth/wedding/thank-you card core.
• Papier: DTC premium custom stationery brand offering personalized cards, invitations, and notebooks via an online configurator. Comparable on product mix (custom occasion cards, premium positioning) but operates online-first rather than email-concierge.
• Zazzle: Custom print-on-demand marketplace allowing buyers to personalize greeting cards, invitations, napkins, and party supplies with uploaded designs. Directly comparable on the customizable print-product range, including napkins and party goods.

Broad incumbents

• Vistaprint (Cimpress): Mass-market print-on-demand platform under Cimpress serving small businesses and consumers with business cards, marketing materials, and stationery. Overlaps brainstormers' business-print side but at a much broader, lower-touch, lower-price positioning.
• Shutterfly: Large US photo-based stationery, greeting card, and photo-print platform with broad product portfolio. Comparable on the photo-card and custom-greeting-card category but operates at mass-market scale with online-only ordering.
• Hallmark: Largest greeting card company globally, with retail and online channels offering cards across all life occasions. Adjacent to brainstormers' greeting card core but mass-market and template-based rather than individually customized.

Regional players

• Card Factory: UK-based greeting card and gift retail chain focused on value-priced, high-volume card sales. Comparable product category but serves UK/Ireland and competes on price rather than customization, illustrating the alternative business model.
• Onlineprinters: Germany-based online print-on-demand provider (part of Printline Group) serving European SMBs with flyers, cards, and stationery. Regional competitor for brainstormers' business-print and party-supply lines in DACH.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about brainstormers GmbH