You don't need millions from investors to turn an idea into a company worth acquiring. Ever since entrepreneurs started being called "startuppers", it has seemed that no idea can become a business without a funding round. Michele Boschetti, founder of Miss Grape, proves the opposite.

Miss Grape has been designing technical bikepacking bags and accessories in Italy since 2012. It grew without outside investors and, at the end of 2025, was acquired by Elite, a leader in indoor training. In this episode of From Bike to Business, our series on the bikenomics hosted by CEO Paolo Pinzuti, Boschetti explains how he did it.

Two sets of books

Boschetti's method for growing on a small budget was to keep two parallel sets of accounts. The first was imaginary: everything he would have done with unlimited money. The second was real: how to get similar results with the means he actually had, often handmade and improvised.

The gap between the two was not a source of frustration but a brief: every line in the dream budget became a question about how to reach a similar result with far less money.

Miss Grape
A strong brand in a small niche

Bikepacking is a small niche, and Miss Grape chose to build a strong, recognisable brand inside it rather than chase a mass market. In the episode Boschetti talks about what that takes, what not to do when money is short, which sacrifices really matter, and the one mistake he would not make again.

What made the difference

Asked what led Miss Grape from a simple idea to an acquisition, Boschetti points to three things:

  • Not giving up, even when growth was slow and resources were tight.
  • Not saying yes to every investment offer. Money that comes with the wrong conditions can cost more than it brings.
  • A clear vision of the goals, which made it possible to choose what to do and, above all, what not to do.

The bikenomics lesson

The bike industry has been going through a tough phase, and it is tempting to blame the market, the economy or bad luck. The Miss Grape story points somewhere else: what is often missing is an authentic vision that shows the direction to follow. With that vision, even a small brand in a small niche can grow, stay independent and end up attracting a major industry player.

Watch the full episode of From Bike to Business with Michele Boschetti on YouTube, and read the Italian recap on Bikeitalia.