What was the name of that lovely little trattoria in Rome again? And which fantastic tapas bar in Barcelona was your girlfriend raving about recently?
Such questions should and must no longer be asked in the future — w
If it were according to Uwe Hering, one of the founders of myLike®. Since 2014, the electrical engineer has been developing a platform on which private users and companies can save, organize, and individually display exciting places around the world.
Together with co-founders Marc Schallehn, computer scientist, and Anja Wilbert, industrial designer, Uwe wants to make so-called points of interest visible worldwide as insider tips. myLike recently went officially liveIn an interview, Uwe told us what the platform is used for, why he founded it, and what his experience with the crowdfunding campaign was like.
Geolocated myLikes for dreaming, planning, sharing
With myLike, every user can save places they'd like to visit or have already visited, personalize them with pictures and comments, and decide who can see them. What should you use the app for? Uwe describes it like this:
"myLike can be used for a weekend trip, a trip around the world, or a wonderful evening in your own city. Even years after a trip, you can still remember exactly where you were."
But there are other areas as well: Student groups, for example, can use the platform as a "survival guide" for their new students. The hotel, travel, and transportation industries offer myLike as a "mobile concierge" or "digital tour guide" for their guests' smartphones. It's also a practical tool for bloggers and magazines to make shared content available on mobile devices and directly geolocated for followers and readers.
What’s so new about myLike?
Sir Richard Branson aptly said at Bit & Pretzels at the end of September:
“If D
If you don't like something about existing solutions, that's a good reason to create something new that solves that problem.“
Uwe explains why the quote fits his company founding:
"That's exactly myLike's approach. We're not inventing anything completely new, but rather integrating various existing concepts so cleverly that they bring real added value to the user. We've taken great care to create an open platform that has trust, relevance, and content protection as its top priority."
The Munich startup also wants to create a space for communities where it's not the masses that decide what's good, but rather the so-called 'Circle of Trust,' which each user individually defines. And the platform also aims to specifically counteract the issue of data overload. Because, as Uwe argues:
"What good are 1.6 million results in one second or 882 reviews from people I don't know? I'd rather have fewer results, but more relevant to me, from sources I care about and trust."
Success factors and tangible achievements
There are many success factors for startups. For the founding trio, these are the three:
- The team that believes in the product and complements each other well.
- The synergy between private and business users interacting with each other.
- Daily use. While myLike is ideal for traveling as a vacation planner and logbook, it can also be used wonderfully in your own city—for yourself, visitors, and friends.
But the startup can already report concrete initial successes. Uwe says proudly:
"It's great that we've already won a few awards. For example, first place in the 'smart urban pioneer challenge' from smart/Daimler. myLike was also selected as one of the three best travel apps by the TIC (Travel Industry Club)—and we're a newcomer."
Crowdfunding – it's worth it. But not in every case
Whether crowdfunding is worthwhile or not depends heavily on the product and unfortunately, you only see it after the campaign has started. Crowdfunding campaign In myLike's case, it was part of the 'smart urban pioneer challenge' from smart/Daimler, in which the young company participated—and won. For Uwe and his team, it was an exciting experience, but one he wouldn't necessarily recommend:
"I can't recommend crowdfunding for a software platform like ours. Physical products sometimes take off, but software is very, very difficult."
Crowdinvesting would have been more exciting in this case. But thanks to one or two 'Explore Your Vicinity' packages for a whopping $900, the funding goal of $20,000 was reached—and the young entrepreneurs are proud of it. The cash prize of €25,000 for first place in the challenge, in addition to the crowdfunding proceeds, also helped the founders take the next steps.
Customers, partners and investors
Further facts and figures are currently being compiled. Having just gone live, the startup is currently focusing on power users such as airline crew, expats, Airbnb hosts, and B2B partners. The Munich-based company also works with several large hostel and hotel chains, limo services, and international student groups. MyLike plans to finance itself through this, as well as through SaaS and affiliate partners.
The startup has potential—and operates in the more than €1.8 trillion market of the hospitality, transportation, gastronomy, and travel industries. While there is a diverse range of competition, Uwe says confidently:
"The concept is unique and has been very well received. Since we have all been involved in several successful startups, we feel well prepared for the challenges."
Currently, myLike is still looking for investors who understand the business model and the potential in this specific market. Whether they are angel investors, family offices, or industry partners is irrelevant to the founders; what matters is the synergies the potential investor sees.
The ultimate tip
And, of course, what's not to be missed here—what's Uwe's favorite myLike? He has several:
"The English Garden—I live exactly ten meters across the street—is a dream for jogging, swimming, and socializing. Unique in the world. The Isar River with its Isar trails for mountain biking is also something very special.
But just have a look at myLike You'll find many of my tips there – not all of them, of course. There are many places I've saved just for myself – for example, a yoga platform in the middle of the mountains."
For inspiration, here's a short myLike video — you're sure to recognize one or two beautiful places in Munich...
