DRVE hybrid investor, that works with unique and innovative online businesses
Please introduce yourself and your startup DRVE to our readers.
I am Oliver Mauss, the founder and Managing Director of DRVE. DRVE funds and manages marketing budgets to generate online sales growth. DRVE is not an agency or a venture firm but a new hybrid investor, that works with unique and innovative online businesses.
How did you get the idea of DRVE?
While running a venture builder, with several businesses requiring capital and expertise to grow, it became clear that there should be a better way to fund their growth.
Why did you decide to start with DRVE?
By coming up with a unique solution to solve sales growth for online businesses, it was easy to see how the same solution could work and help so many businesses grow their online revenue without having to sell equity or rely on unaligned stakeholders.
What is the vision behind DRVE?
Provide a new path for businesses to scale online sales by combining capital and expertise, essentially a growth solution built for e-commerce. DRVE funds unique and innovative online businesses looking to scale their sales to new heights.
How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?
Our primary challenge to date is getting businesses to understand what we offer, as on many occasions we are classified as either a conventional agency or traditional investor at the first instance. But with effective and candid communication, we have managed to explain our hybrid solution built for e-commerce.
Who is your target audience?
Typically businesses that are currently setup and selling online but lack the resources to scale their online revenue to the next level, to deepen their reach into existing markets and to expand into new markets.
What is the USP of your startup?
Marketing is often perceived as a ‘dark art’. DRVE offers a performance and data-driven approach to paid marketing, giving businesses a partner that is constantly addressing the challenge of growth on their behalf.
Can you describe your typical workday?
My primary role is to give the team the freedom and playground they need to perform. As long as they can do their job I can concentrate on mine. We have a team stand-up every morning to go over the previous day’s tasks/projects and put them into context, together with the tasks for the day ahead. Once the stand-up is complete, with each team member aware of their role and the relevance to the overall business, the team gets to it and collaborates where relevant. When addressing specific strategic, impactful or big picture topics, we organise the relevant group to connect and address the initiative.
Where do you see yourself and your startup DRVE in five years?
We see ourselves as a reference in the market as a true growth enabler with multiple solutions for businesses at different points on the growth curve and a long list of partners that are leading brands in their respective categories/sectors.
What 3 tips would you give other start-up founders on the way?
Sales fix everything.
Get your daily work done whilst improving and focusing on long term strategies.
Teams build successful businesses, you need talent in every position to perform and lean collaboration to constantly generate value-adding results.
More information you will find here
Thank you Oliver Mauss for the Interview
Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.
