ParkHere

Why did you found your start-up, what problem are you addressing and how are you solving it?

Cities are growing and the resulting traffic problems are increasing. In Germany, over 8 million people commute to work by car every day. In fact, companies are the largest owners of parking spaces in the country. They own 12 times as many parking spaces as the three largest commercial parking providers combined! These companies need professional and innovative solutions to implement parking management and meet the challenges of the mobility transition. This is the solution we offer.

What is special about your business model, what do you do differently?

ParkHere develops and integrates innovative hardware and software solutions. Our goal is to improve, digitalize and optimize mobility in companies and commercial properties. Through smart technologies for sustainable mobility, we offer the best solutions for our customers. Our team does this in the most efficient, effective and innovative way while maintaining the highest quality standards. That's why we are faster than others when it comes to turning ideas into reality. This is how we meet the demands of our industry and create the highest value.

What were the biggest challenges you had to overcome at the beginning?

In the beginning, every start-up faces similar challenges. They all have to prove that their product is marketable and that they can win their first customers. After that, it is necessary to show that there is demand for the product and that exponential growth is possible.

What was the most valuable piece of advice someone gave you during your start-up phase?

There is an anecdote about a pilot who changed the calibration of his airplane by only one percent when taking off on his flight from L.A. to N.Y.C. During the trip, no one noticed any difference. During the trip, no one noticed a difference, neither the passengers nor the crew. But instead of arriving in NYC, the plane arrives in Washington DC. This is a perfect example of how the little things you do and the 1% improvement you make every day have a long-term impact on the outcome and success of your launch.

What are your milestones?

• 2015 Company foundation of ParkHere Development of prototypes, funding by CLIMATE KIC, Techfounders, EXIST and first customers, filing patents on hardware.
• 2017 Seed financing & start of series production Start of series production with software, seed financing with Family Office Quandt (UnternehmerTUM) & Gettylabs, Lion E-Mobility AG, TheHighground GmbH.
• 2017 Market entry into IoT parking hardware (from key term parking solutions for companies) Introduction of new cloud-based access management, reservation displays and registration of new patents.

• 2018 Series A growth financing for the EU market, strong expansion of sales, further development of the IoT platform, start of series production of access management.
• 2019 PwC Scale | Mobility Program To further improve its business and sales processes, ParkHere enlisted the experts from management consultancy PwC as mentors and took part in the Scale Mobility Program from September to November 2019. As a result, ParkHere will receive even more support for its business and sales processes in the future and thus gain a strong partner.
• Prop-Tech Innovation Award 2020 ParkHere receives the award as one of the 3 most innovative companies in the Prop-Tech Innovation Awards, an initiative of GERMANTECH and Union Investment. The high-tech company from Munich won the race out of 150 applicants in the "Smart & Sustainable Buildings" category worldwide.
• Finalist 2020 - The Spark - The German Digital Prize ParkHere is one of the top 10 finalists of The Spark - The German Digital Prize. Handelsblatt and McKinsey honor new thinkers in the smart mobility industry.

What have you learned so far?

Ultimately, investors and society measure the success of companies primarily by economic factors. In addition, a decisive factor for a successful company is the team and the team composition. On the one hand, the founders and the team must be able to bring a product to market, on the other hand, the company needs the ability to grow exponentially. This always requires a good mix of structures and an agile approach.

What advice do you have for other founders?

My advice to any founder is to choose his or her co-founders wisely. The process of founding your own company is not always easy. Therefore, the core team of founders and partners must be reliable and committed to your vision. To be successful in the long term, it is important to build a good network within the industry. An interest in the industry and its products is crucial for success.

Where did you get to know each other as a team?

The idea for ParkHere was born during the Manage & More consultancy at UnternehmerTUM's start-up center in 2015. We quickly became aware of the unsolved parking problems and realized that there are more efficient ways to improve the parking experience. We founded our startup and developed an innovative solution. The idea of a combination of hardware, software and mobile app solution was born.

Where do you see your startup in 3 years?

Our vision is to connect all company parking lots with mobility services to enable and accelerate seamless and sustainable mobility in cities. As experts in parking solutions, we are already linking our innovative parking system with other mobility solutions such as carpooling, micromobility and public transport. Together with our partners, we are creating innovative mobility solutions to accelerate the transformation of mobility.

Do you still have a real social life since the company was founded?

For me, and for us as a company, it is important to have experts in the team who are motivated to pursue our shared vision. As a team, we have high expectations of our work and strive to solve challenges quickly. This sometimes leads to stressful and challenging situations. However, we also take the time to celebrate and enjoy our successes. To put it in the words of Confucius: "Choose a profession you love and you will never have to work a single day".

Let's say you were the mayor of Munich for a day. What would you change?

As mayor of the city, I would close all street parking spaces to vehicles and give them back to the people to make people aware of how much space cars take up on the street. We believe that space, especially parking spaces in cities, can be better used. However, reducing parking space alone will not solve the traffic problem in cities. To achieve sustainable results and a healthy transportation mix, parking space must be combined with new forms of mobility.

Who would you like to have dinner with and why?

I would like to have lunch with Bill Gates and discuss the future of energy supply with him. In particular, I would like to learn more about his project to generate environmentally friendly energy through safe nuclear power.

Who is the "mastermind" in your team and what is his "superpower?"

We owe the success of the company to the team as a whole. Our employees are highly motivated, talented problem solvers. The drive, team spirit and trust that exists in our team has made ParkHere what it is today. It is thanks to the high intrinsic motivation of each individual team member that we have been able to achieve such great success and grow from a start-up to a successful company with over 50 employees in such a short space of time.