movaco

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

We founded movaco to give employers and employees the opportunity to do what they do best and at the same time become more sustainable, economical and successful without having to reinvent themselves.

Many companies are based in rural areas. Areas where trains and buses are not available. Cars and everything around them cost a lot of money for employers and employees and that's not going to change. That's why we offer a B2B2C mobility platform for daily commuting via carpooling and simplified mobility management.

How did you come up with the idea of setting up the platform?

The movaco headquarters are located in Coburg, a small town in northern Bavaria. We all got to know the problems that we are currently solving with our product during our studies and while working for companies in this area. Nevertheless, climate protection is still one of our main goals and was one of the reasons we founded our start-up.

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

If you have a B2B2C business model, your product always has to meet two types of customer needs. That's why we not only offer a carpooling platform for commuters, but also a mobility management platform for companies - with added value for both. Understanding and implementing multimodal mobility in general and what is important for employers and employees in this context is what sets us apart.

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

The biggest challenge for us was building ourselves up as a team and growing together. Especially at the beginning, it's important that you know each other, trust each other and work together like Swiss clockwork. We had to overcome some changes in the team that set us back a few times, but we learned our lessons. It's not about the idea, it's about the team spirit and having the right co-founders.

What has been your biggest success so far?

Growing together as an interdisciplinary team while building our first working prototype (MVP) in less than three months. This has shown us that we are capable of building something significant in a short space of time.

What is the next challenge for you?

The biggest challenge for us is to prove that we as a team are able to achieve our goals, especially bringing the product to market, making sales and getting our first external funding.

What are your milestones?

In 2020, we will get our MVP ready for the final launch by collecting and implementing as much feedback as possible from our paying pilot customers and our users. In the meantime, we want to grow as a company and successfully close a first round of financing.

If an investor gave you €500,000, what would you do with the money?

We would use the investment according to our financial planning to grow our business and lay the foundation to make it 10x as much. Of course, this also includes expanding our team and further developing our product.

Where do you see your start-up in three years' time?

We will be leading the way in the field of digital mobility management solutions for companies and beyond that, we will continue to grow and learn as individuals and as a company.

Why are you at Startbase?

We see ourselves as part of an ecosystem where many different players come together to build something great. Startbase is the perfect meeting place for all players in the startup ecosystem and a place for us to learn and grow and also to meet competitors, partners and investors.