In this episode of The Future of Consumer Marketing, host Roman Kirsch interviews Malte Häusler, Founder and CEO of Timeless Investments. Initially backed by Porsche for a blockchain-based car documentation platform, Timeless pivoted to become an alternative investment marketplace that has raised over €30 million. Their platform enables fractional ownership of high-value collectibles starting at just €50, making previously inaccessible asset classes like rare watches, classic cars, iconic sneakers, and vintage whiskeys available to retail investors. Throughout the conversation, Malte breaks down their journey from initial product-market misalignment to creating a marketplace that consistently delivers 30% annualized returns while utilizing blockchain as backend infrastructure rather than consumer-facing technology.
Topics Discussed:
- The Knight Frank Collectible Luxury Index showing 136% 10-year returns vs. MSCI World's 93%
- Whiskey's exceptional performance at 260% profit over a decade as the top-performing collectible asset
- Evolution from a Porsche-backed blockchain car documentation platform to investment marketplace
- Supply-demand balancing strategies during different growth phases
- The costly failure of mass-market influencer campaigns vs. niche influencer success (40% investor conversion)
- Secondary marketplace development to connect private collectors with retail investors
- WhatsApp-based community engagement strategies and €5,000 minimum Collectors Club model
- The monetization stack: sourcing arbitrage, tokenization fees, asset management fees, and trading commissions
- Category-specific investment criteria for sneakers (vintage, deceased athletes) vs. whiskey (closed distilleries)
- Blockchain implementation as infrastructure efficiency tool rather than consumer value proposition
