Mystery Ltd

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

We are solving the "tradesmen's crisis - therenovation trades sector is a busy market with a market volume of more than 140 billion euros in Germany alone. There is a lack of data exchange and inefficient working methods due to smaller companies. It is difficult to book tradesman capacity as there is no convenient way to design and order a renovation. This problem is solved by covering the entire customer journey and offering the handyman service and materials as a package. For craftsmen, Myster is THE platform for efficient, more profitable value creation.

How did you come up with the idea of founding your start-up?

It happened by chance. In the summer of 2016, the Perpetuo GmbH management consultancy team took part in a business development workshop for a major lighting manufacturer. One of the topics discussed was how customers will place orders for handicraft products in the future and how the desire for convenience will affect the handicraft market. Mirco Grübel could not understand why there was not yet a proper solution to the UBERization of the craft market and was driven from the beginning by the mission to "make a renovation order as easy as a cab ride to the station".

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

SIMPLE ORDERING- Myster means "one contact & one contract". Customers have the option to bundle the effort with a vertical partner, supported by a digital user experience.

LOWER COSTS & HIGHER REVENUE- For craft businesses, Myster's online focus enables economies of scale that they cannot achieve on their own. Technological innovations such as cloud computing, AI solutions and self-service modules allow us to significantly reduce manual effort.

OMNICHANNEL- Most of Myster's use cases take place in a digital way. To round off the offering, two point-of-sales concepts have been implemented. The so-called Myster-Box is the own showroom concept that runs in Dortmund (next to the HQ) and ran for 9 months as a proof of concept in Hamburg's Hafencity. Secondly, the so-called Myster-Spot is a shop-in-shop concept that is already running and scaling in the field.

DIRECT LOGISTICS- Myster earns a share of the mister earns a share of the tradesman services as well as, through direct commercial and logistical links to manufacturers of flooring, wallpaper, etc., materials ordered for renovations. Materials ordered for renovations are delivered directly from the manufacturer to the construction site.

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

One of the biggest challenges was certainly the step into operation. In the beginning, with few staff, it was a big challenge to serve the customer's needs efficiently. Today, Myster has reached the critical size to scale up, which the company is doing successfully. As a startup founded in Dortmund, another challenge was to raise money from the main startup ecosystems in Germany/Europe. Now that our volume and success is becoming more visible, we are starting to overcome this challenge as we have just closed a Pre-Series A funding.

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

The recommendation of a wholesale manager to contact material manufacturers directly. Direct contact with companies in search of new, more efficient distribution channels became one of the strategic pillars on which Myster's business model is based.

What has been your biggest success so far?

Myster acquired hundreds of drywall, floor and wall construction partners in a large number of trade businesses across Germany, formed seven strategic partnerships with well-known manufacturers and successfully demonstrated the Myster Box concept by opening a pop-up store in Hamburg's HafenCity and operating the concept in the heart of Dortmund.

Why are you at Startbase?

We particularly like the network idea of future-oriented entrepreneurs who are interested in exchanging disruptive factors and working together on lasting solutions. Building valuable relationships is deeply rooted in our market model, so we are particularly interested in events that allow us to think outside the box.

What would you recommend to other founders?

A scalable model is one of the fundamental recipes for success. Addressing and involving the most important market players is crucial for building an effective market model. In addition, collaborations support business models at launch after they have proven the MVP. A clear focus is crucial here.

What is the next challenge for you?

In the next few months, Myster will move into the newly founded coworking space in Dortmund's city center called "NoBuzzwords #G3TSH1TD0NE". Within this space, Myster, in collaboration with Perpetuo GmbH, plans to create an ecosystem of forward-thinking startups and SMEs that are open to discussing disruptive business models in proptech, sharing ideas and working on growing their business. Another big need is to raise capital within the scale phase of Myster as the business is growing rapidly.

Let's say you were mayor of Dortmund for a day, what would you change?

Add tax support for founders and provide budgets to increase the founding spirit in the community. Furthermore, not only supporting founders in general, but also supporting founding heroes (very successful, promising business models, like Myster ;) ) of a city is important to create stories that motivate potential founders.

Furthermore, Myster wants to create structures to welcome investors in the respective city.