Vennie.tech: How Leon Jungleisch built an AI chatbot for Shopify Shops after his e-commerce exit
Volume #13 of "Happy Bootstrapping" Newsletter
Leon Jungleisch from Heidelberg successfully sold his first company at just 22 years old. After exiting his vintage e-commerce startup "Peeces", the now 26-year-old took his next step and founded Vennie - an AI-powered chatbot specifically designed for e-commerce companies. Within twelve months, the bootstrap startup acquired 13-14 active customers and is close to reaching break-even.
This is a summary of Episode 124 of the “Happy Bootstrapping” Podcast (German).
From vintage trader to AI pioneer: The founding story
Leon's entrepreneurial journey began during high school. Together with his school friend Moritz, he founded "Peeces" in 2018 - an online shop for vintage clothing that grew to become Germany's largest vintage retailer. After five successful years, they sold the company at the end of 2022.
The transition to Vennie emerged from Leon's drive to learn something new. "For me, after Peeces, the most important thing was that I wanted to learn something new. I wanted to have a practical project for it, not learn theoretically," Leon explains his motivation. When ChatGPT triggered the AI hype in October 2022, he recognized the potential for e-commerce companies. He worked alone on the idea for a year and a half before co-founder Janis from Berlin contributed the technical expertise.
The product: More than just a chatbot
Vennie fundamentally differs from conventional chatbots. "I always describe it as a chatbot on steroids - it can not only provide information but also execute things in ERP systems, inventory management systems, and Shopify," Leon describes the unique selling proposition. The bot can independently make address changes, process returns, or update order statuses.
What's special: Vennie doesn't replace existing systems but integrates seamlessly into established ticket systems like Zendesk or Gorgias. Initially, the bot only makes suggestions that support agents can accept or reject. Only after trust is built do customers switch to full automation of certain categories like delivery times or general product questions.
Business model and numbers
The pricing model starts at €99 monthly for 400 interactions. The middle plan costs €499, the premium plan €1,499. Leon emphasizes the cost benefits: "It's cheaper than anything you could hire in Germany for this purpose." Additionally, Vennie offers 24/7 availability without sick leave or complaints.
After one year of operation, Vennie has 13-14 active customers and is moving from the originally dominant €99 plans toward the more expensive tiers. Leon describes the current situation: "It's definitely not yet sufficient to operate sustainably long-term, but we're right at the tipping point where it becomes self-sustaining."
Marketing and bootstrapping challenges
Leon's marketing strategy is based 70-80% on active outreach and only 20-30% on inbound inquiries. Through his e-commerce background, he has a strong network that laid the foundation for the first customers. "I'm very well connected from back then," Leon explains the advantage of his industry experience.
On LinkedIn, he practices "building in public" and deliberately shares negative experiences too. This authenticity distinguishes him from the often polished presentations of other founders. The team consciously doesn't use performance marketing: "For me, with bootstrapping, it's not the best case to spend money on marketing as well."
Leon sees the biggest challenge in bootstrapping as the balance between growth and sustainability. Instead of quick scaling, he focuses on organic growth through personal relationships and quality. The team finances itself in parallel through e-commerce consulting, which reduces time pressure.
"The biggest problem would be if the bot says things that aren't true. Every AI model takes the most likely case, even though that might not be correct," Leon describes a central technical challenge. Vennie's "Trust Shield" solves this problem through confidence scores that forward unreliable answers to human agents.
Learnings of a serial entrepreneur
Leon's most important insights from his entrepreneurial journey:
Practice over theory: Real projects accelerate learning more than theoretical knowledge
Network is crucial: Industry experience opens doors to first customers
Authenticity pays off: Honest communication about challenges builds trust
Bootstrapping enables flexibility: Without investor pressure, long-term, sustainable decisions can be made
Customer feedback is gold: Intensive collaboration with early adopters shapes the product
Leon plans to run Vennie for the next 30 years - a sign of sustainable entrepreneurship in a startup world dominated by quick exits.
Happy Bootstrapping is a German podcast where I interview bootstrapped founders, indie hackers, and solopreneurs about their startup journeys. Over the years, I've connected with many successful entrepreneurs who have built e-commerce shops, SaaS platforms, mobile apps, content businesses, or hybrid models.
Furthermore I am a bootstrapper myself and growing my DevOps-as-a-Sercice and Web Operations Company “We Manage”.