Joy_ Brings In Lena Gercke as Investor for Zugutschein Voucher

Berlin startup Joy_ has gained a high-profile backer: model and entrepreneur Lena Gercke has invested in the company and will front a nationwide TV campaign that is now starting. The product at the center is the "Zugutschein", a gift voucher that lets recipients freely choose what to buy with the money.

From TV deal to retail shelves

Founders Titus Hüsken and Franz Koller appeared on the German show "Die Höhle der Löwen" in 2025. Investor Janna Ensthaler offered 350,000 euros for 15 percent of the company. Since then, what began as an online voucher has become a product that is also sold in retail chains.

According to Hüsken, the show's attention helped the startup get noticed by large retailers. The Zugutschein is now available at MediaMarkt, Saturn, Müller, Thalia, Edeka and Deutsche Post, as well as online via the company's own website and partner platforms. The founder says more than 70,000 vouchers have been sold so far.

Recipients can personalize the voucher with their own photos and videos via a QR code, which is meant to make the typical last-minute gift in an envelope feel more personal.

Why a new name, and why Gercke

Hüsken says the concept was not immediately clear to everyone, so the founders asked whether they had created a new product category rather than just another voucher. Hence the name: Joy_ remains the brand, the Zugutschein is the product. The name is a wink, he says, since the product is "ZU GUT" to be true.

Gercke's first reaction was reportedly to ask what she had to do with a voucher. Once the founders explained the idea, she came on board. Joy_ expects her to bring reach and a "young, fresh" image that vouchers do not usually have. Hüsken described the shoot as "super relaxed".

What comes next

The company is targeting 5 million euros in revenue for 2026. Hüsken says he is very confident of reaching it, and extrapolating current sales, the company is already on track. Next, the founders want to place the Zugutschein in as many large retail chains as possible, with the aim of changing how people think about gift vouchers.