Munich Startup: What does Tildi do? What problem does it solve?
Sofie Morber, Co-Founder: Tildi is more than just a platform for high-quality and tested used products for children. Our focus is on providing a comprehensive technology infrastructure that enables brands and retailers to embrace circular business models and directly enter the resale market. From take-back to quality control to resale, we provide the digital and logistical infrastructure to make entering the circular economy as easy and profitable as possible.
For brands and retailers, this means less effort, lower costs, and more control over the product lifecycle. With Tildi as a partner, brands and retailers can directly benefit from a growing market without having to build extensive infrastructure for returns and resale themselves. Specifically, we offer three services: an interface to our marketplace, the Resale-as-a-Service solution, and a trade-in solution for end customers.
About our Trade-in service We offer families a straightforward way to return used products, which are then reused in the resale system. This circular approach is not only sustainable, it also offers parents real time savings in their everyday lives.
Comprehensive infrastructure for circular and sustainable trade
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Sofie Morber: Although secondhand platforms already exist, Tildi combines high-quality used goods with a comprehensive technology infrastructure that makes the entire resale process more efficient. We also understand that circularity is not linear and rely on a strong partner network. Our trade-in and resale-as-a-service solutions enable brands and retailers to make their own products circular and sustainable. This sets us apart from other offerings and creates real added value for our partners and end customers.
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Sofie Morber: Tildi was born out of our own “need,” our experiences as mothers and aunts, and out of our strong interest and commitment to recommerce and the desire to create something that is still missing on the market.
Before Tildi, Doris had a blog where she interviewed recommerce companies and was able to gain a wealth of industry insights. Fun fact: We met through this blog and the blog's Instagram page. It quickly became clear that we wanted to work together on Tildi, as our diverse skills and backgrounds complement each other very well.
We've now added Rohith to our founding team as CTO, as we see Tildi primarily as a tech platform. Without it, recommerce can't be thought of in a circular way enough.
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
As a marketplace, we require a trustee or a BaFin license. We had to be quite persistent and patient to find a straightforward solution for our customers and ourselves.
And the issue of visibility is also a challenge given the current prices for marketing, for example what influencers are currently calling for.
Tildi aims to become a technological pioneer for sustainable consumption
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Sofie Morber: Over the next twelve months, we aim to significantly expand the use of our Resale-as-a-Service solutions through additional strong partners and raise awareness of the trade-in and the platform among end customers.
In five years, we want to establish Tildi as a leading platform for circular trade in children's products and as a technological pioneer for sustainable consumption – for families as well as for brands and retailers – not only in Germany.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Sofie Morber: For us, Munich offers not only a strong community of sustainability-conscious parents, but also an established technology landscape. Tildi is part of the Werk1 startup network in the Werksviertel district. Here, we find an inspiring community and valuable support.
Also through the Social-Startup-Hub Bayern we receive support and we are pleased that the circular economy (reuse and not just recycling) is becoming increasingly important in Munich, for example through Circular Republic's "Circular Economy Startup Landscape".
Munich Startup: Outsource or do it yourself?
Sofie Morber: We rely on a strategic combination: We retain the development of our software and all processes related to quality assurance and customer support, as they form the core of our circular business model. For specific technical requirements, additional support in software development, and infrastructure such as warehouses, we rely on external partners to remain flexible and efficient.
