The Munich-based startup blik aims to make processes in industrial logistics transparent. Apparently, even industry veterans have been waiting for this. The three founders are overwhelmed by the positive response. In addition to numerous awards, the Munich-based company recently also received a Financing round successfully completed. Bastian Burger, CEO, answered our questions.
1. Who are you and what do you do? Please briefly introduce yourself and your product!
We are Victoria Hauzeneder (CTO, 26, degree in electrical and information engineering), Bastian Burger (CEO, 28, degrees in physics and management) and Philip Eller (COO, 25, TUM Business Administration degree), founded blik to make industrial logistics processes completely transparent.
We met through the founder programs CDTM (Center for Digital Technology & Management) and Manage&More. At that time, we received a tip from a professor. He told us that this exact need existed in industry and that we had great potential here. Shortly thereafter, we acquired a major automobile manufacturer as our first customer and developed our product with their input. We offer the SaaS solution, including hardware in the form of receivers and trackers.
2. But that's been around for a long time!
That's what we thought when we started! But we quickly learned that existing technologies aren't optimal for this application. Our customers have been trying RFID for 20 years, but it's simply not enough for the industry. This allows us to finally give meaning to the term "process tracking."
Team, team, team
3. What are the three main ingredients for your recipe for success?
Team, team, team. We were very fortunate to find talented and motivated colleagues who believe in our vision.
In fourth place is customer proximity. We've always focused on the challenges of the industry and its pain points. This allowed us to design and develop our technology precisely around them. In addition, we have a strong network that we can always rely on. This has certainly been a key factor in our rapid growth.
4. Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
Of course, we can't provide any figures, but the positive response we're receiving is overwhelming. Even industry veterans are showing great interest in our solution. In fact, we're already working with several OEMs and have a long lead time on deals. It's clear that we're not immune to long sales cycles, but that's the case for every company in the industry.
5. What does Munich mean to you?
In our opinion, Munich has a high quality of life, great universities with top talent, international appeal, large employers who snatch good staff from us, but also many potential customers in the surrounding area.
The startup ecosystem is developing very well; everything still feels very informal, and everyone is well connected. It's also nice that Munich isn't as hyped as Berlin. We all studied there, so the city has been home to us for a while.
“blik solves a problem that the industry has known for decades”
6. How will your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
Our team has developed the product to be easily scalable and immediately usable for all companies. By making blik easy to install, we aim to reduce barriers to new collaborations at all ends. It's also important that real added value is created and not a lifestyle product thrown onto the market. blik solves a problem that the industry has known for decades.
7. Helles or Prosecco?
Mate & Spezi during the week and on Friday for TGIF a chilled Helles and wheat beer for the whole team.
Editor's note: Blik was liquidated in spring 2019. According to the founders, one reason for this was the lack of a market.
