Justhome raises €3.3m to help more people become homeowners

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08/31/2022

Justhome, the next generation home financing startup, has raised €3.3 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Target Global.

APX, the Berlin-based early-stage fund backed by Europe’s leading digital publisher Axel Springer and Porsche also participated in the round, alongside a number of industry-leading angel investors.

Launched this year to simplify what can be a confusing and intimidating homebuying process, Justhome is building a digital service to help more people afford a home against a challenging economic backdrop. Home ownership in Germany is the lowest among EU countries, with a rate of approximately 45%. Based on research by the German Economic Institute (IW), Justhome estimates that more than 300,000 first-time prospective homebuyers each year are unable to access the market as property prices have doubled over the last decade. With interest rates tripling over the last 6 months, buying a first family home has become even more difficult. Studies by the German Federal Bank show that this significantly impacts wealth distribution.

The funding will be used to further build out Justhome’s digital home financing platform and develop its own financing solutions. Operating in the German market with a total outstanding mortgage volume of €1.49 trillion, the Berlin-based startup provides aspiring homebuyers with a vastly improved digital customer experience during the mortgage process and the ability to receive pre-approved mortgage options delivered in minutes from more than 700 lenders. This fulfills a growing need in the market where nearly 50% of German mortgage seekers still turn to their local bank for property financing, missing out on the opportunity to compare the best rates available.

Justhome’s vision extends beyond better brokerage, with the company developing its own financing solutions specifically targeted to enable first-time homebuyers to expand their budget and responsibly purchase a property where they otherwise would not have been able to.

The founders bring extensive relevant experience. Co-founder Marc Rustige was previously COO and managing director at Aviv Group, one of the world’s largest operators of online real estate marketplaces. Together with Johannes Fenner, former chief of staff to the CEO of Axel Springer, and technical co-founder Martin Mehlitz, www.justhome.co started operating under a mortgage brokerage license earlier this year and has since grown the team to 15 people.

CEO Johannes Fenner says: “Nine out of 10 Germans below the age of 30 want to own a home in the future, an even stronger trend post-COVID. That’s why we are so determined to provide financial solutions to help this generation become homeowners in a way that is convenient and native to them: digital and self-driven.”

Ricardo Schaefer, Partner at Target Global, added: “We have increasingly observed the global appetite for more customer-centric and innovative home financing solutions. With Justhome, we found an extremely ambitious team that is really looking to shake up the market to address that demand. We are excited to be part of this journey, which has only just begun.”

Source FAKTOR 3 AG

Believe in your idea and just do it

By

Quepatagra

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08/31/2022

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Phyron AI powered software that produces on-brand engaging videos from existing still images and the descriptions used in car ads.

Please introduce yourself and your startup Phyron to our readers!

I’m Johan Sundstrand the CEO of Phyron. We’re Swedish video tech pioneers and together with my team we’ve developed a piece of AI powered software that produces on-brand engaging videos from existing still images and the descriptions used in car ads. The software takes a data feed of hundreds or thousands of vehicles from dealerships or automotive manufacturers (in the case of Volvo retail) and produces videos in real time. The videos are then pushed out onto the dealers’ websites, classifieds sites, social media channels, etc.

Dealers no longer need to film and edit their own promo videos for every car on the forecourt. Phyron’s software even strips out the background, adding a neutral on brand background and a drop shadow. The AI identifies what is in the picture; infotainment system, alloys, sunroof, etc, and adds the key selling points to the video. The entire process is automated and for less than the price of a coffee per vehicle per month. If a dealer wants to run a special offer or change the price of a vehicle, the change is made in the data feed and a new video is rendered automatically and it goes live to the world, saving dealers many hours of laborious editing.

How did you get the idea of Phyron?

Whilst I have a background in the marketing technology space, my team is made up of world class AI software developers and Hollywood special effects experts. Video is the most powerful marketing tool in the world, video can engage a buyer like nothing else. But, there is no inventory of videos for companies with many products they wish to publish online and they all struggle to present their products in the best possible way. Everyone wants video but producing videos is an hassle and it cost a lot of money and time. Just taking quality still photos is a struggle for many companies

So, we tried to tackle that. How can you mass produce videos, fully automated and with studio quality videos? We started off in the ecommerce industry and received tons of clients but in order to grow fast globally and train the AI the most efficient way we decided to focus on one industry. And after talking to colleagues in the automotive retail sector I was confident there was a better way to advertise and sell cars using state-of-the-art AI software.

Why did you decide to start with Phyron?

After a decade in the marketing tech industry, we discovered that video outperformed all other formats, but our clients had no inventory of videos, and it cost them a lot to create. We had to fix that problem. I also truly believe that all repetitive tasks can be and will be automated!

Today our automated AI software can perform a wide range of defined actions such as creating high-quality videos, enhancing images, or sorting out the right still. We streamline processes, creates a uniform branding and making the path to digital transformation fast and cost-effective.

What is the vision behind Phyron?

Phyron aims to enable our customers to produce on-brand and engaging videos with zero human input, enabling them to do this at scale and generate sales or generate stock turnover at a rate never possible when traditional manual videos had to be made. We want to videos to be as attractive and engaging as seeing the cars in a showroom.

How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?

It has actually been quite good since the start. Our biggest challenge was to reach the quality that we wanted. We could automate rendering, but to be able to reach studio quality and train the AI, we made some bold decisions to focus only on the Automotive sector. Back then, 98% of our revenues were coming from ecom. And to scale globally. Our GTM strategy is very good today and we are a remote first company but it took a while to find the recipe of expanding in new regions.

Who is your target audience?

Our target audience is currently automotive dealers and manufacturers, but there is no reason why in the future we can’t train our artificial intelligence to work on any other products, be they boats, furniture or jewellery and produce automated videos.

What is the USP of your startup?

Unlike other video software that is in the market, our AI powered software is 100% automated and required no manual input to produce on brand videos, and we still reach studio quality.

Can you describe your typical workday ?

We have been growing a lot lately and that has been my focus, to help my team grow globally the best possible way, recruit, and as a SaaS company, founding is always on. Then I’m obsessed with keeping clients happy (no churn last year!!) and supporting big deals. So, a lot of time is spent there.

Where do you see yourself and your startup Phyron in five years?

Phyron’s software is already in use by dealerships in in 16 countries around the world. We expect that in five years’ time we’ll be the biggest supplier for video in the Automotive industry, video-ifying the whole buying journey, creating a uniform branding for our customers and are a unicorn.

What 3 tips would you give to founders?

Always hire the best talent out there, even if it costs more, it is worth every penny. The team is everything.

Sell and project manage all clients yourself at the beggining. The absolute best way to learn and adapt.

Don’t create massive business plans at the beginning and focus too much on the product, you will end up changing them 500 times. Believe in your idea and just do it.

More information you will find here

Thank you Johan Sundstrand for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Passion and perseverance should go hand in hand with priorities

By

Quepatagra

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08/30/2022

0

Celebfie fan experience and celebrity engagement platform

Please introduce yourself and the Startup Celebfie to our readers!

Celebfie is the World’s first and fastest growing fan experience and celebrity engagement platform, which targets to create Unforgettable Memories while bridging the gap between celebrities, their fans, and brands through meaningful experiences and by redefining celebrity-brand collaborations. Celebfie is fast becoming the go-to app for fans and users who want to directly connect with their favorite celebrities and create exclusive moments with celebs from various walks of life. While the Celebfie app is free to use but with a minimal subscription fee for celebrity micro-channels, fans can watch exclusive content created by the celebrities and even get direct access to share and receive responses from the celebs themselves.

Why did you decide to start a business?

I was trying to launch an ed-tech product in Dubai & my team was trying to onboard some celebrities to help us launch the product. While doing this, I experienced various difficulties with celebrity booking and engagement. It was a very hectic & tedious process. The industry was much unorganized, we saw huge gaps, and nothing was transparent. Having more than 20 years of experience in technology, I thought I could utilize new-age technology and make a seamless, transparent way to engage & connect with celebrities. This platform is for everyone starting from individual fans, brands, or small businesses who want to engage for purposeful causes. It solves a huge problem that the industry was experiencing earlier, now catering to the audience with transparent and fair dealings with celebrities.

What is the vision behind Celebfie?

As a part of the ever-dynamic and transformational digital entertainment space, Celebfie provides transparency to the fans-celebs and brands relation while making it a unique business model. Celebfie is positively establishing the future of fan engagement for celebrities across all walks of life including Bollywood, Television, Music, Sports and many more alike. Platform has been Developed in India, but Celebfie aims to improve and bring together fan community to connect with their choicest celebrities across the globe.

From the idea to the start what have been the biggest challenges so far and how did you finance yourself?

The whole concept of it gets me excited; especially the fact that I founded such a unique and different startup at the age of 48. Celebfie is poles apart from what I have been doing for most of my professional life. So, this shift is quite thrilling. Learning about new things, facing new challenges, and working with a team of bright young minds from whom I learn a lot, all of it get me excited. We started as a bootstrapped startup. I invested the initial capital myself to bring the startup to a level where we found funds flowing in from my close friends and family because the concept of Celebfie clicked with them. However, as of now, we have not had any institutional funding, but very soon, maybe in a couple of months, we are getting ready to raise our first series ‘A’ funding.

Who is the target group of Celebfie?

1. Celebrities who come from various genres like bollywood stars, TV personalities, musicians, authors, comedians, regional artists etc want to expand their global digital footprint for fans and brands to connect with them directly.

2. Fan communities that include national and global, both

3. Brands like SMEs, startups, event organizers & established businesses who want to collaborate with celebs.

How do Celebfie work? What are the advantages? What makes you different from other providers?

Celebfie is focused on creating unforgettable real life experiences for celebs, fans and brands alike. It’s way ahead of the present crop of celebrity centric platforms as they are just offering paid celebrity shout outs, whereas Celebfie provides an opportunity for the fans and brands to create memorable moments together with their favourite celebs. For brands, we try to create an impeccable aura around their products and services with our celeb driven macro & micro campaigns that match with the brand’s core value. There is no single comprehensive fan experience and celebrity engagement platform that actually bridges the gap between celebrities, fans and brands.

Celebfie took the idea of bridging the gap between celebs, fans and brands a step further by introducing fan experiential events which was initiated with the successful launch of our flagship event— ‘Cruise with the Stars’, a sea-cation which brought 30+ Bollywood Celebrities, 100+ Influencers and 1200+ fan guests together on a luxurious cruise ship. Celebfie also partnered with Bombay Times Fashion Week 2021, where we selected two young fashion fans and aspiring models and gave them the opportunity to walk the ramp for ace designer Narendra Kumar at his finale show.

How has your company changed with Corona?

During the socially distant year, Celebfie’s new-age platform featuring celebrity-created video content facilitated meaningful, virtual conversations between at-home celebrities and their similarly locked-in fans. For many fans, the personalised shout-outs and celebrity greetings proved a heart-warming source of family support during a challenging year. The pandemic also presented a unique challenge to brands, SMEs etc. People spending time at home greatly increased the volume of content consumed online, making the digital realm more desirable for reaching out to their target audiences.

As the Covid times had shown that digital marketing was more advantageous than conventional marketing— whether it’s online ads, social media, blogging, or all of the above – thus people were looking at new and more engaging ways of building interesting narratives across multiple media platforms. Celebfie helped them curate these narratives by connecting them with the right celebrity. We created a seamless process for our users to customize and create engaging content with their desired celebs, tailored to their budgets, in a transparent setting.

How did you adjust to it and what changes have you made?

Celebfie also offers the celebrities an opportunity to build a deeper connection with their fans and collaborate with exciting national and international brands for Social Media Campaigns, Product Promotions, TVCs, Events and Appearances and much more. Technology and entertainment came together to crystallize the concept Celebfie. However, Celebfie offers a lot more dynamism for the fan-celebrity interaction slice also, to improve the fan experience, and help fans cherish their fandom.

Where do you see the opportunity in the crisis?

Undoubtedly, the pandemic years were challenging and a time to despair. But, it was also a time to come up with relevant solutions to fight the challenges. As a startup, we understood the definition of the ‘new normal’ and we tried to bring viable and reliable solutions for our clients, ideas that could solve problems faced by the common masses with our technology enabled product. The pandemic made us develop a far-sighted view and identify the steps needed to create a platform that would help make celebrities more accessible to fans and brands.

The opportunity in the crisis, like you said, was in the form of creating better solutions to bridge the age-old gap between fans, brands and the celebs, making this process seamless and transparent, which almost seemed like a Herculean task earlier. It ultimately paved the way in spreading happiness and creating unforgettable moments in unprecedented times, and this was our true silver lining.

Celebfie, where does the road go? Where do you see yourself in five years?

We’re very confident that Celebfie is a unique concept and a disruptive solution which will further change the celebrity-fan ecosystem. We’re sure bringing a positive change in the celebrity-fan space will take a lot of continued team efforts. So, our 4-5 year road map is simply to expand Celebfie and make it the go-to app for the fan communities all over the globe and for the celebrities and brands to connect and collaborate.

This is the length of our upcoming plans, now coming to the breadth of it, we’ve launched new verticals like Celebfie Music, Celebfie Media etc. We’ve also stepped into production with 5 music videos already launched, the latest one being Galti which is nearly touching 5 Million Views with incredible response from viewers and listeners. We’re also planning for more exciting events and collaborations in the days to come which are intended to offer our fan users a truly unforgettable experience in terms of unique content, music, entertainment, etc. We’ve been developing various other fan-engagement features on our app too, that will give our users authentic and memorable experiences.

At the end: Which 3 tips would you give to future founders?

1. To seek out new things and not just replicate standard ones is a great mantra. You should always be eager to find new ways to conceptualize the best possibilities. You can’t be good at everything, but you can progress, try to make a positive difference, even if it’s only incremental.

2. Passion and perseverance should go hand in hand with priorities. You might have multiple ideas and motivations to start a company, but you should be sure they’re prioritised correctly. If making a lot of money is first on the list, there are probably better ways to fulfill that dream—because eventually, it will be outweighed by the challenges you face. I truly believe you’ve got to tap into a deeper passion.

3. Be sure to enjoy the steps you take towards achieving your goals. Becoming successful can have some challenges, but having fun while learning new things and meeting new people can motivate you and make the journey enjoyable. Learning what you are capable of can be exciting, so it is important to keep your goals light and fun in order to have an emotionally positive experience.

More information you will find here

Thank you Raminder Singh for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Stop thinking about it, do it now

By

Quepatagra

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08/25/2022

0

Nexoya helps marketeers to optimally allocate their marketing budget across channels to achieve best performance results.

Please introduce yourself and your startup Nexoya to our readers!

We, that’s Manuel Dietrich and Marco Hochstrasser, founded Nexoya in Zurich back in 2018. Today, 23 amazing people belong to our team. Nexoya helps marketeers to optimally allocate their marketing budget across channels to achieve best performance results. We do this in a fully data privacy-compliant way and with predictive AI-algorithms to find the most interesting trend in the marketeers’ data. Nexoya reads millions of data points every day, from the number of sales, conversions and clicks to likes from each individual post or sessions on a landing page. Currently, we can take into account data from 36 integrations, ranging from social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest, to search engines such as Microsoft Ads or Google Ads, to customer systems/CRMs or exogenous factors such as weather data or exchange rates.

Our platform reads and evaluates all the data of active marketing campaigns on a daily basis. These campaigns are grouped in a digital advertising portfolio. Based on the historical data and the specific configuration made for this portfolio – such as the available budget and the selected risk level a customer’s individual AI model is generated. This model predicts the trends and future results of the various campaigns and ads. For example, the expected conversions on the website, the cost-per-lead or the cost-per-click for entire campaigns and each individual ad.

From the predicted values, the AI model determines the best possible distribution of the advertising budget across all campaigns, ad sets or ads assigned to a specific multichannel portfolio. It does so on a regular basis – increasing overall performance up to 30 per cent and at the same time significantly decreasing effort for the marketeers, as the changes can be automatically applied and sent back to all publishers.

How did you get the idea of Nexoya?

We both previously worked in the cloud industry and were looking to move from developing infrastructure at scale to building an effective application on top of the cloud. From the start, we wanted to build a SaaS and Machine-Learning/Artificial Intelligence startup. When we looked into the marketing technology space, we witnessed how people struggled with data analysis, interpretation, and especially data-driven actionability and automation. That was the moment we realized we’d be in the marketing field with our endeavor – we discovered “the problem” to solve.

Why did you decide to start with Nexoya?

We both already had entrepreneur experience in different areas and wanted to launch something from scratch. In combination with the obvious problems marketeers had and the ask for help we got when talking with them – we knew it is the right time to start it. We were able to create added value for these customers immediately which made it clear for us that this was the right thing to do.

What is the vision behind Nexoya?

We had the idea to help marketers get their data together and become data driven. In digital marketing, everybody has the data digitally available per definition – but rarely does someone take this data and make sense of it or even automatically drives conclusion with it, like changing budget allocations. When we presented the first prototypes to people, and they said „and when can I have that? “, we knew we were on to something.

How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?

Building a startup is a roller coaster ride; by its very nature, founders have to go through plenty of dark canyons and cross many chasms. We were particularly lucky to have our low points at different times, so one could always encourage the other. It is challenging to build something we built with all the market hurdles and challenges such as COVID, unstable market conditions or other aspects to hurt startups in the last couple of years. And in statistics, only 4% of all startups achieve €1M ARR, annual recurring revenue, after they were funded – so I am proud that we are coming there very fast.

A first and important milestone was the financing of our company. We knew we were on a very interesting path, but the fact that we were able to convince many investors and close our first investment round made us very proud. A second very moving moment was when we were able to prove for the first time that our AI-driven engine can dramatically improve the performance of cross-channel campaigns.

Who is your target audience?

We address digital marketers who are performance driven, invest in cross-channel advertising campaigns and want to change their way of doing budgeting and at the same time get significant better return on ad spend.

What is the USP of your startup?

We grew up with large customers such as CSS or Generali, and that is why our platform and AI models are particularly strong in B2B lead generation and ecommerce areas with complex funnels. Our platform starts to make sense when you are spending €250’000 per year in advertising or more. Besides the unique value proposition, Nexoya is a no-bullshit company willing to add real value. We follow a high work ethic and very open and honest customer relationships.

Can you describe your typical workday?

As a founder there is no typical workday I believe – but we can try to summarize the most important points. Our day starts with alignments with the team, looking into product management and obviously – we try to meet customers at a regular basis. Keeping a close loop with our customers on their challenges and problems and how we can help them best is pivotal even if you grow as a company.

Where do you see yourself and your startup Nexoya in five years?

Helping performance marketers across Europe manage their marketing portfolio in the most transparent and efficient way possible. Our vision is a thriving and prosperous company that adds real value to marketing teams across Europe and beyond.

What 3 tips would you give to founders?

If you think about starting a startup – well, stop thinking about it, do it now. Quit your job and dedicate yourself to the problem you want to solve – 3 months in a startup are like one year in the corporate world, and you will not miss the experience.

People are everything, especially in the early stages. So, choose your partner(s) and employees wisely because they are your most important asset.

Build a tent next to your first customers office and sleep there, for a period. Sounds funny, but I think next time we will do that… Your first couple of customers are your entry point into the problem area you are solving – try to be as close to them as possible to understand what you want to solve and what not.

More information you will find here

Thank you Manuel Dietrich and Marco Hochstrasser for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Live-in care startup marta secures €6.6m in Seed funding to revolutionize the elderly care sector

By

Quepatagra

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08/25/2022

0

SumUp Impact Fund announces first Venture Investment into marta

marta, the European digital platform for live-in care, announces a €6.6 million Seed round led by Capnamic, alongside co-lead Almaz Capital. GMPVC, Ithaca, SumUp Impact Fund, Verve Ventures and renowned business angels also participated in the round. Existing investors include some of the most prominent German entrepreneurs and business angels Christian Vollmann, Johannes Schaback, Laura Esnola, Dr. Steffen Zoller and Julian Stiefel. The fresh funding will be used to expand the core team in Germany, Poland, Romania and Lithuania and scale up business processes – driven by the mission to set new standards for more affordable, transparent, and reliable live-in care.

marta is changing the way elderly care is offered today, tackling the €18B market in the DACH region alone. Germany alone has more than 4m elderly seeking at-home care, while only 280.000 caregivers work in the ambulant care sector. This huge imbalance creates an opportunity for over 600.000 live-in caregivers from CEE countries to come to Germany to fill the gap.

With its algorithm-based marketplace, marta solves the most pressing problem in live-in care, namely the usually poor fit between careseekers and caregivers. marta’s data-driven approach ensures successful matchmaking and significantly decreases costs and complexity for families seeking care for their elderly relatives while increasing caregivers’ ability to negotiate the terms of their contract and their earnings. Emphasizing transparency and the human sides of the experience, marta aims to improve the quality of elderly care and addresses a pressing societal issue at the same time.

All around the world, families with relatives in need of care and, on the other side, caregivers themselves are facing similar hardships: organizing care is difficult and time-consuming, the market is fragmented and lacks transparency, legal security and expert guidance. Yet, as the worldwide population ages, elderly care is becoming increasingly important. Existing solutions for elderly care can involve as many as 6 intermediaries, which means information critical to matching caregivers with careseekers is usually ignored or lost in the process. Four out of five placements fail as a result, an unsustainably high breakdown rate that leads to distress, confusion and frustration among all involved. marta’s platform leverages data and a proprietary matching algorithm which creates a self-service platform that eliminates such avoidable failures entirely.

“There are hundreds of examples of how elderly care can go wrong and it’s almost impossible for humans to accurately predict placement success. There are simply too many requirements, skills and preferences on both sides to consider. We have seen how difficult it was to organize care with our grandparents. Aging is a natural process and we must have the tools and skills to manage it appropriately. We believe that we can leverage technology significantly to help elderly people and their families as well as the caregivers,” said Jan Hoffmann, co-founder of marta.

marta enables its customers to make their own choices around live-in care. Seniors can decide with whom they want to live. Families have peace of mind knowing that the contractor, who comes into their home has been verified and has been rated by staff and other families before. Caregivers have the opportunity to choose a household based on detailed, verified case information, including photos of the housing arrangement. In addition to the matching function, marta has developed several features to automate the caregivers’ backoffice, enabling them to manage their registration, insurances, invoices and taxes through the platform. Caregivers are thus free to focus on what they do best: providing high-quality care.

“marta has created a transparent marketplace that connects caregivers directly with families seeking care. At this point a truly unique approach based on digitization. We have been following marta for the past months and are impressed by the technology and traction the team has delivered. Most importantly, we are excited about the teams’ enthusiasm for solving a paramount societal problem,” said Jörg Binnenbrücker, Founding Partner at Capnamic.

Philipp Buhr and Jan Hoffmann, marta’s founders, discovered the care industry in a similar way most people do: their grandparents needed care and they were in charge of finding a live-in caregiver. In a complicated, overpriced market, both searched for five years to find a decent agency to work with before their frustration led them to launch marta in 2020 and build what they were looking for themselves. 18 months after launch, marta is active in four countries, and has cumulatively provided at-home care services to over thousand customers and caregivers.

Source cosmyc Partners

We have an ambitious roadmap and we are taking it one step at a time

By

Quepatagra

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08/23/2022

0

Upmarqt is a personalised platform that helps early stage startups, in a matter of minutes, build perfect outsourced teams of experts who specialize in working with startups and only join by referral from other founders and after a 2 step vetting process

Please introduce yourself and the Startup Upmarqt to our readers!

I’m Olga Ten, the Founder of Upmarqt. I started my entrepreneurial journey in early 2022 after 12 years of corporate.

At Upmarqt our mission is to make building great startup teams really straight forward. We do that by matching founders in a matter of minutes with specialists and boutique agencies referred by other founders and additionally vetted by us.

We cover areas such as marketing, development, design, fractional CMOs/COOs, fundraising and more. Pretty much anything a startup needs to successfully grow through the early stages.

Why did you decide to start a business?

During the pandemic I did a lot of thinking about what my real strengths and talents were. At work I was recognised as an overachiever and so I thought that if I did something that I was truly passionate about, I could really make a difference.

I’m excited by new ideas and the dynamism of startups and my zone of genius is seeing talent in people and creating great connections. Combining my passion with my corporate background in business launch I felt like I had an idea that could fill a gap in the market.

That is where the idea of Upmarqt came from.

What is the vision behind Upmarqt?

23% of startups fail due to a poor team composition. We want to help more startups succeed. The vision behind Upmarqt is to enable startups to build and manage winning scalable teams fast. We create a plug and play solution of specialists and boutique agencies that know how to take startups to the next level.

From the idea to the start what have been the biggest challenges so far and how did you finance yourself?

I am still financing Upmarqt myself. This came from my savings and the revenue we are starting to generate. I have a very lean and brilliant team. We only spend our resources on things that will take us to the next level. This means that we have to make choices and find creative solutions.

The biggest challenge for me is the fact that as a founder you don’t have the support of corporate resources, where you could just go and ask a colleague. But you are effectively on your own and more often than not you have no idea how you are progressing.

Who is the target group of Upmarqt?

We work with early stage startups that are ready to onboard specialists or boutique agencies for either a retainer or for a project. We come in when founders are looking for part-time marketing support or a development agency to build their MVP or an Accountant.

How does Upmarqt work? What are the advantages? What makes you different from other providers?

Founders spend up to 40% of their time on HR, recruitment and payroll activities. That’s insane.

On Upmarqt founders are matched with the best suited specialists within 2 minutes. All of the specialists and agencies have been referred to us by other founders and additionally vetted by us.

We also hold live training sessions by our specialists for the founders to help them build the best possible team and effectively manage it.

We give time and headspace back to the founders. And that’s what makes us different.

How has your company changed with Corona?

Upmarqt was started during Covid. And if anything Corona has created more opportunities as more and more highly skilled people are turning to freelancing or to starting their own startups. So our talent pool and target market have become bigger.

Where do you see the opportunity in the crisis?

Crisis forces you to find creative solutions and it expands your view. You start to approach things differently, which helps you grow.

Upmarqt, where does the road go? Where do you see yourself in five years?

I want Upmarqt to help the world of startups survive and scale. I have a passion to enable service providers to do more of what they love. We have an ambitious roadmap and we are taking it one step at a time. In 5 years from now I see myself part of this journey in one way or another.

More information you will find here

Thank you Olga Ten for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Take care of yourself

By

Quepatagra

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08/19/2022

0

Loupedeck: Loupedeck Live S make editing images and videos easier

Please introduce yourself and your startup Loupedeck to our readers!

Hello! My name is Felix Hartwigsen and I’m the Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Loupedeck based in Helsinki, Finland. Loupedeck was founded in 2016 by a team of photo enthusiasts in 2016 to make editing images and videos easier. The associated crowdfunding campaign was a huge success, exceeding its goal by 488 percent! Now here we are in 2022 with a team of 50+ people about to release Loupeck’s 4th console, Loupedeck Live S.

How did you get the idea of Loupedeck?

Our founder Mikko loves taking pictures, but hates editing them on a PC with a mouse and keyboard. It quickly became clear that many creative people feel the same way as Mikko.

Loupedeck started as a one-man project and quickly became much bigger. It was a bit like the classic story of the small garage company that grew rapidly. After successful crowdfunding and seed-funding, we soon hired people for different departments of the company, such as marketing, sales, customer service, etc.

Why did you decide to start with Loupedeck?

For our first console, the classic Loupedeck, we focused on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. That was our proof of concept, the proof that a market existed for our idea. Through this campaign, we attracted the attention of well-known angel investors from Finland, some of whom we were able to get on board. We closed the last major Series A financing round with capital from Razer and PlayVenture in the summer of 2021.

What is the vision behind Loupedeck?

Our vision is to bring back fun to people editing their content – by letting them press real buttons and turn dials to adjust color values, select scenes, create content, stream games, and much more. Loupedeck consoles see themselves as an analog Swiss Army knife for digital creators. A tool that, thanks to comprehensive integrations, can be used with any relevant creative software – from Adobe Lightroom to Photoshop, from Final Cut to OBS.

The Loupedeck+ is designed for photographers and videographers and, thanks to dedicated dials and buttons, speeds up work with Adobe programs such as Lightroom or Photoshop. Let’s take the example of a wedding photographer: After a long day of shooting, I love to have several thousand photos that need to be culled, rated and edited. All of these steps can be assigned to a specific button on the Loupedeck+. Where before you had to search through menus and move sliders with the mouse, now you just need to push a button on the Loupedeck to perform a series of actions.

The Loupedeck Live continues this key idea, but is much more compact than the Loupedeck+ and features a freely customizable and swipeable touchscreen. The Loupedeck Live is designed for ambitious content creators and streamers. Especially the latter have their hands full during a live session – and are happy if they can change scenes, fade in overlays or activate chatbots instantly at the touch of a button.

With the Loupedeck CT, we offer experienced professionals a fully comprehensive tool including a large, configurable rotary wheel. The CT can be used in all conceivable creative workflows – from image editing, audio and video editing to a controller for live streaming.

How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?

The most difficult challenge so far has been the Corona pandemic. We produce our products in China, and most of the people working there came from the Wuhan region. Which means that the entire production was shut down for two months. As a Start-up with small inventories, this hit us extra hard. In some regions, we were completely sold out and could not cover the demand. When the factories were able to reopen under strict conditions, the next blow hit us with the component/raw material shortage. Relevant components had delivery times of 12 months and longer. Fortunately, the situation has eased considerably meanwhile.

Who is your target audience?

Our product portfolio addresses photographers, videographers, content creators and streamers who regularly create content – be it professionally or privately. Our goal is to offer everyone, from beginner to seasoned professional, a suitable tool to make their creative workflows faster, more precise and more productive. And productivity seekers and people who work remotely also have fun with our consoles – be it through plugins for the Spotify playlist, various Microsoft services or the calculator that can be called up at the touch of a finger.

What is the USP of your startup?

At Loupedeck, we design and distribute custom consoles that eliminate technical barriers to streamline creative processes. With Loupedeck consoles, you’re connected to your creative software seamlessly through smooth tactile controls. Simply push a button or turn the dial and you’re ready to create content, edit photos and videos.

Can you describe your typical workday?

Especially in a young growth company every day is different, but I tend to start early in the morning while it’s still quiet to do work that requires more focus.

Later in the morning or early afternoon I usually have meetings with my team, agencies, or other stakeholders from different functions of the business to discuss ongoing projects, plans, key metrics, strategy, etc.

The afternoon in general tends to be meeting heavy but I always try to keep some space in my calendar for ad-hoc or if my team needs to support with anything.

I usually leave around 16.30 to pick up my kids.

Any time zone sensitive calls or meetings often require additional working time later in the evening or very early mornings.

Where do you see yourself and your startup Loupedeck in five years?

With the Loupedeck Live S, the next product is already in the wings, with release planned for October 2022. The Live S is a scaled-down version of the Loupedeck Live and is aimed at price-conscious streaming beginners. In cooperation with Razer, we also recently presented the Razer Streaming Controller, which is based on the Loupedeck Live in terms of appearance and technology and uses the same software. This will continue to be our path in the future: licensing our software to more major providers. There’s also the Marketplace, which we are continuously filling with plugins, profiles, sounds and item packages – it’s filled with over 80 pieces of content already after a short time. This is another area where we want to and will continue to integrate partners and third-party providers.

What 3 tips would you give to founders?

Ask for advice: whether it’s from other founders or people in your network. When building a startup, you often get into supposed blind alleys, but at the end it always continues. With outside help, you can usually see the path much faster.

Take care of yourself: It takes a balance to startup, no one can power through 24/7 and perform well.

Smile: Setbacks are quite normal when founding a company. Successes that are achieved together push you even more.

More information you will find here

Thank you Felix Hartwigsen for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

What benefits will your work bring to others

By

Quepatagra

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08/17/2022

0

Incari creating a modern digital ecosystem that gives everyone control over their personal data

Please introduce yourself and your startup Incari to our readers!

My name is Osman Dumbuya and I co-founded Incari with Alexander Grasse and Abdallah Huballah in 2012 and renamed the company in 2021. Incari a German based start-up creating a modern digital ecosystem that gives everyone control over their personal data.

Unlike makers of other operating systems Incari, doesn’t want to be the ‘middle-man’ – it gives companies the platform to build software so they can retain the management and security of the data of their customers.

Our Incari OS (operating system) ultra-secure with a decentralize communication layer for data transfer. It also allows users to control exactly who sees their data and empowers them to receive micropayments from it (using Incari Marketplace).

Incari is also beneficial for automotive manufacturers because it gives them greater access over the data their customers are generating – rather than being bound by the terms of existing operating systems.

How did you get the idea of Incari?

We started with Incari Studio because we thought there had to be a better, more inclusive way of collaborating between software developers and designers working on HMI – human machine interfaces, be they in car dashboards, phones and tablets or state-of-the-art eVTOLs (electric aircraft).

What is the vision behind Incari?

We are creating a world-leading digital infrastructure that gives everyone sovereignty over their personal data. One that conserves natural resources and makes the development and use of technology as easy and fair as possible.

How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?

We had the unique opportunity to start with a fresh sheet of paper and design from the ground up how software engineers and designers would collaborate to develop new and innovative technologies for vehicles that haven’t’ even been invented yet. We recruited innovators and free thinkers, leaders in their field to help us rewire the rule book and help consumers gain control of their personal data.

Who is your target audience?

Our target audience is anyone designing Software and innovative HMIs for industrial equipment, vehicles, home energy systems, etc. Literally anyone who is designing the interface for a human and machine interaction. Our unique software can make the process simpler, quicker and unlock next generation technologies, such as in air haptics – ultrasonic buttons you can press in mid-air!

What is the USP of your startup?

We simplify technology and make it accessible to designers, so they have the building blocks to create the next generation of Software and HMIs. We enable software developers to give sovereignty of people’s personal data back to them.

Can you describe your typical workday ?

My workday starts quite early. I usually start with read all sorts of news, to see where new innovations are popping up or where I can understand better which issues people are running into. Sometimes I recognise that people or industries are fighting with issues, where we might have a solution for. However, reading the news and understanding what is going on in the world, is to me a source of inspiration. I believe that the purpose of becoming an entrepreneur is to find solutions to problems, that other people might have.

When I am at work, I usually have many meetings about where we are in terms of development, which next steps need to be taken and where we might have difficulties which need to be addressed. In the evening hours after work, there are often additional meeting or dinners with other company owners, managers, or Investors. So having a twelve-to-fourteen-hour workday is not that unusual. Therefore, it is important to me, to spend the weekends mostly with my family. But to be honest, having few meetings on the weekend is not unusual.

Where do you see yourself and your startup Incari in five years?

We are of course very ambitious with our company goals. We want to become a noticeable tech provider in the IT-Business within the next few years. We want to enable people to establish a new kind of data economy, where private data becomes private again, and every single person can decide easily under which terms, condition, and costs he or she is willing to share their data with third parties. We will provide our users technologies, that allow them easily to create complex software with next generation interaction paradigms that will give users completely new experiences working with computers and machines. We want to support the integration of digital infrastructure and access to secure data-transfer into our everyday life in a seamless and almost invisible way.

What 3 tips would you give to founders?

I believe that one of the key factors to success is not to be driven by money, but by your mission. What benefits will your work bring to others. This is what defines your works value. The bigger the benefit is for others, the more your product will pay off for yourself.

Do not be afraid of potential existing competitors. Everybody is mostly working with the same set of tools. In Germany we say, everybody is cooking with water. So, others will have to face the same struggles as you do to achieve your goals. But if you are willing, to put more effort into your work than others are, you will always have the chance to come out on top. Keep in mind, that big enterprises usually need much more time to change their course or make use of new technologies or approaches. These are the opportunities where an entrepreneur can have a head start compared to others. Keep in mind, every existing company started ones small.

Building a company is not a hundred-meter sprint, but much more a marathon. But this marathon is not going to end. So always have an eye on your recourses and stay patient. You might have the right idea, and might have built the right product, but sometimes you are just a bit ahead of the market. So, staying in the game is a key factor for success. Stay in the game, until your time is ready.

More information you will find here

Thank you Osman Dumbuya for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

Complete Guide Of Web Design Process For A Startup

By

Quepatagra

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08/13/2022

0

So, do we get it right? There was a thought that popped into your brain, and you decided to try your hand at a startup? In this case, you need a distinctive web design because it is impossible to ignore its importance in today’s environment. What about riding on the wave of achievement with your brand-new website?

Determine your objectives.

Before developing a site, it is critical to define the primary objectives. It will help you select web design, understand associated risks, and define roles and responsibilities.

Generally speaking, a more interactive website will have more tasks. Some websites may have a minimalist-looking web design. It is possible when they only convey information about the product line and services, opening times, and address. Others may connect their consumers through events, promotions, online forums, and other means.

As a result, your site’s approach should always be determined by multiple aspects. These also include your promotional strategies, responsibilities of the company, and possible dangers.

Select a domain name.

You are mistaken if you believe that having an excellent website grants all the perks at once. Individuals will not come to the online project regardless of the domain name. That is not how it works.

The domain name is the most essential part of your website. It makes or ruins it. It adds value to your site by making it easier for customers to locate and identify you.

What are some pointers for selecting a domain name?

Choose a name that is both straightforward and unforgettable.
Choose the .com extension.
It must be simple to write, speak, and spell.
Use hyphens and digits carefully.
Choose a name that does not violate any intellectual property rights.
Shorter is usually preferable.
Check that the name will be available on social networking networks.

3. Opt for a reliable web hosting provider.

Before developing a startup web design, it must have a location to be viewed on the Internet. You can link your site to the Internet only through web hosting.

How may a bad hosting company harm your website?

Revenue decline.

Your online project may be regularly unavailable. It will stop prospective customers from learning about your company.

SEO suffers too.

Poor downtime will have an impact on website rating. Sluggish websites are always ready to harm your search engine ranking.

Security breaches.

There is no ideal way for maintaining a safe website. However, only a reliable web hosting will protect your info and assist you in recovering it in case of an attack.

Begin to set up a web design layout.

At this point, you have several variants to go with. It is possible to employ a professional digital company or choose web design tools. These can be website templates, visual builders, and others.

First of all, you need to choose a content management system. This platform will help you change material on the site. You will be ready to upload photos, develop new pages, and publish posts.

Essentially, when people start wondering how to start a business online, they turn to WordPress. It is one of the greatest CMS, and an overwhelming number of websites utilize it. The platform provides features and plugins for new players, as well as options for advanced users who need more. It also works on mobile devices, which is valuable for SEO.

Take into account that custom designs are not inexpensive. In addition to this, it will take longer to get your website published. In general, basic websites will cost you at least a couple of thousand dollars. Sophisticated sites and online shops have much greater pricing.

As a result, it may be smarter to work with WordPress themes for startups. You are free to find a wide range of ready-made solutions on different marketplaces, including TemplateMonster.

Define your content.

Once you have decided on a platform, it is time to think about what your startup web design needs to convey. Make sure to keep it basic, use minimum text, and have intuitive navigation on each page. It is also essential to add a registration form, a newsletter subscription, and a “Contact Us” button.

Adding social proof or content that strengthens trust is also crucial. If your startup site sells a product or service, utilize client testimonials to generate trust-building material.

Most users will not take action until you ask them to. For this reason, calls to action are critical components of your selling process. They will assist visitors in growing into prospects, prospects will turn out to be buyers, and buyers will become regular clients.

Focus on the overall web design.

When you have everything you need to build a website, it is the moment to bring it all together. It takes less than three seconds for a person to determine whether to stay or exit a website. As a result, making a strong initial impression is critical.

Here are a few suggestions to make your startup web design engaging to visitors.

Easy to follow navigation.

A person must be ready to gain knowledge about your business, get prices, and contact you effortlessly. Users will abandon your website if it is complicated to navigate.

Short website loading speed.

People become angry and frustrated if a site takes too long to display. We are pretty sure that they will go elsewhere if they are not satisfied. To ensure that your website loads quickly, do not forget to check your web host provider and extra web design tools.

Publish and review your site.

Before launching your site, ensure that it functions properly. It must be compatible with all modern devices and browsers. Examine each page and functionality to confirm that graphics and links are working correctly.

Analytics is another fundamental factor to link to your website. They allow tracking the site productivity and the number of visitors to discover whether the page is effective or not.

A Few Words in Conclusion

Fortunately, the powers of the digital era make it all achievable. Together with ready-made solutions by TemplateMonster, the question about how to start a business online will be easy to answer. A user-friendly and eye-catching site that distinguishes you from others provides a startup with a significant boost. Thanks for reading!

Photo by pixabay

Autor: Frank Hamilton

More articles from Frank Hamilton you can find here

Frank Hamilton is a blogger and translator from Manchester. He is a professional writing expert in such topics as blogging, digital marketing and self-education. He also loves traveling and speaks Spanish, French, German and English.

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

How to set up a productive working space at home

By

Quepatagra

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08/12/2022

0

Working from home full-time is an increasingly common choice amongst employees. As a startup business, this is a positive trend allowing you to invest a considerable amount of money into growth as opposed to rent and maintenance of an office space. However, even when working from home, it’s of paramount importance that you and your staff have a productive set-up and not just work from your sofa or a kitchen table. So, get your best tool hire ready, as these tips will tell you how to build the perfect home office in any space.

Find a separate space

Not many people have a spare room at home to put their office in. Nonetheless, your workspace must be separate from all your other living areas, otherwise you will find yourself distracted and unable to switch between work and leisure in your own home.

There are many creative ways to have a separate space even in the smallest of homes. Some people turn their cupboards into a tiny office, while others build multi-functioning areas, where the office can be easily shut away. Building a small shed in a garden for that purpose is also popular.

Finding and building this space can turn into a fun DIY project, however, try to avoid unnecessary purchases, as you’ll still need to invest in a good office desk and chair.. Renting or borrowing different items is a good way to do this. Use a ladder hire for a day instead of buying a new one, for example.

Ensure good lighting

Lighting may seem like a tiny detail but it’s actually one of the most important factors in a home office when it comes to productivity and your mental wellbeing. A dark space will make you feel cramped and claustrophobic, even if you’re sitting in a large space.

Having a good amount of natural daylight should be your priority, however, if that’s not possible, use optimal artificial lighting to mimic it for a similar effect. Avoid dim or overly warm-toned lights – while those do a good job in creating cosy spaces, they can also make you feel sleepy and unmotivated.

Keep it organised

A clean and organised workspace equals an organised mind too. While some people thrive in an “organised mess” type of environment, most of us tend to feel more stressed and anxious in such spaces without even realising. Therefore, make sure that your home office has a dedicated place for everything.

Again, there are so many good ways you can organise your working area. Don’t be afraid to use your vertical space with cupboards or shelves. Make use of drawers or other types of standalone organisation units.

Make it personal

Who said that your workspace cannot be fun and exciting? It should be a space that you love and enjoy spending your time in as well as reflect your personality. So, once you have figured out a comfortable and ergonomic space, don’t be afraid to get creative with it! Use different types of decorations, plants, pictures, motivational quotes, a pop of colour or whatever else makes you happy to make your space more enjoyable and inspiring to be in.

Author: David Williams

Bild pixabay

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.