This start-up wants to solve the craftsman problem - with an app and translations

Jonas Stamm is currently setting up the job portal Crafthunt. It is not yet generating any revenue, but there are already thousands of registrations from tradespeople who want to change jobs. What's interesting is where they come from.

Jonas Stamm is so North German that you can't help overhearing it. 'Joa, I'll tell you how it started, nei', he says and for a moment it sounds like a harbor, a cutter, the sound of the sea. Yet the new start-up that serial founder Stamm is currently setting up has nothing to do with the freedom of the oceans, but sounds more like a forest, a weapon and stalking. Crafthunft is the name of the app that the founder from Schleswig-Holstein is currently setting up, which aims to connect unhappy craftsmen with new companies - preferably in such a way that the current boss doesn't notice.

The start-up has collected more than 8,000 registrations in just a few months. Carpenters, painters, bricklayers and road workers in particular have downloaded the app, filled out a questionnaire and are actively looking for a new employer. Companies then see that, for example, a master bricklayer aged between 25 and 35 near Hamburg with a lot of experience in compacting concrete is looking for a job and can write to him directly. In this way, the company's own boss is not made aware of the job applications, unlike with a traditional job portal.

Thousands of tradespeople are missing throughout Germany

The start-up's solution addresses a problem that has become increasingly serious in recent years: the shortage of skilled workers. This is now affecting the German economy to such an extent that almost every industry is desperately looking for talented or untalented employees. It is clear that companies no longer have the upper hand. In the case of tradespeople, the problem is already evident in the fact that there is rarely anyone on hand for removals, renovations or conversions. A study by the Kompetenzzentrum Fachkräftesicherung, or Kofa for short, shows that there was already a shortage of around 65,000 tradespeople in 2020, and almost 90,000 last year.

"We want to be the big place where all tradespeople meet"

Jonas Stamm on the vision of Crafthunt

Crafthunt, of all companies, could help to reduce this figure with its app. What is particularly exciting about the first 8,000 registrations is where they came from: Just a third of the crafters come from Germany, with the rest spread across Europe. According to founder Stamm, many people from Eastern Europe in particular have registered in the app and are now looking for new employers. "We see a lot of tradespeople who are now in Poland but have indicated Berlin as their preferred location, for example," says Stamm. In order to communicate this, Crafthunt also wants to set up a forum where tradespeople from all over Europe can exchange information regardless of whether they are changing jobs, for example on how to become self-employed in the UK or what a fair wage is for a certain job. "We want to be the big place where all craftspeople meet," says Stamm.

Crafthunt is looking for an investor

However, this is still a long way off. So far, the figures on the brokerage website are modest, as Stamm also admits when asked. The more than 8,000 craftspeople there have started 188 conversations with the 300 companies that have made it onto the app so far. "The figures are good for the fact that we have not yet advertised to companies and are not yet marketing the app," says Stamm. He cannot yet say how many of the 188 conversations have turned into contracts because the start-up still lacks the tracking for this - and to a certain extent the business model also depends on this.

One day, they want to earn money by enabling companies and employees to conclude and sign contracts directly via the app. Due to the high number of foreign applicants, Stamm also wants to translate and simplify the contracts so that the craftspeople know what they are signing. Crafthunt wants to take a commission for this service. It is not yet clear how much this will be, but it is likely to be based on a percentage of the wages paid in future, Stamm hints.

"We are currently holding many talks during the week. Let's see who makes the best offer."

Jonas Stamm on the search for investors

Stamm is aware that the company needs to grow for the commission business to be profitable. He wants to get 14,000 tradespeople on the site this year and then 40,000 or more companies next year. Because a job portal without jobs is simply not possible. A monthly turnover of 150,000 euros is the target for next year, which would be almost two million euros per year. Meanwhile, a VC is to help the growth. Crafthunt is already in talks, but nothing has been decided yet, says Stamm. "We are currently holding many talks during the week. Let's see who makes the best offer."