Munich Startup: What does Aampere do? What problem do you solve?
Nikolaus Schmidt, founder and managing director: Aampere is a European C2B marketplace for used electric carsWe enable e-car owners to sell quickly. They receive an offer within 48 hours and at the best price in Europe. We provide our partner dealers, located throughout Europe, with easy and secure access to electric cars available only through us. We manage the entire transaction, including payment and delivery, so both parties can rest assured when purchasing or selling.
Aampere: E-car auction as a C2B business
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Niko Schmidt: In fact, that's not the case! If you want to sell your electric car today, you're left with either selling it yourself on established marketplaces or selling it at a buying station or the dealer around the corner. And when it comes to electric cars, no one knows as much as we do. So you have to choose between the best price and a stress-free sale – we combine both for our customers. Simply provide your electric car's details, we auction the vehicles to our dealers, and if the contract is successfully concluded, we'll pick up the car from your doorstep.
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Niko Schmidt: Flo and I have known each other since school and have often had plans to build "the next app." Maxi and Flo knew each other from their studies at the Technical University of Munich, and that's how Flo brought the three of us together. We've been working together as a team for three years—before Aampere, we worked together on a project, but that would be a long story. Luckily, now we're not just building "the next app," but with Aampere, we're contributing to the transformation toward sustainable individual mobility. The market is still early days, of course, so a lot of education is needed for our users. We're contributing to that.
Making decisions under uncertainty
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Niko Schmidt: Making decisions under uncertainty – I think every entrepreneur knows that. The biggest challenge right now is certainly uniting the right people behind Aampere's vision – in other words, building a team that will drive long-term growth for Aampere.
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Niko Schmidt: In a year, we plan to have around 20 to 25 employees and have developed the relevant product components. In five years, this team and our product will enable us to be Europe's largest marketplace for used electric cars. So when the market really gets huge, we'll no longer be in the starting blocks—we'll be ready!
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Niko Schmidt: There are many great minds in Munich who want to make a difference for Germany and, above all, for Europe. The desire for change and the constant questioning of the status quo unites us.
Put all one's eggs in one basket
Munich Startup: Risk or security?
Niko Schmidt: That's a funny question for a startup: Risk, of course! We're aware that we're putting all our eggs in one basket, and that's what makes it so appealing. Having the freedom to make decisions but also taking responsibility for the consequences – that's the risk. The alternative of sitting back and doing nothing is out of the question!
