Climate change and climate goals are currently on everyone's lips, and the Munich-based startup Worldwatchers is taking action. The startup wants to make carbon footprints easily measurable with its 'Wow' app. Real-time CO2 tracking should become a permanent fixture in every user's daily life. To make this a reality, Worldwatchers has launched a crowdfunding campaign. Michael Kochs, CFO of the Munich-based startup, answers our questions.
1. Who are you and what do you do?
To take many small but steady steps toward achieving the Paris climate target of 1.5° Celsius, we are developing an app. With our Wow app, consumers can assess the climate-relevant consequences of their actions – anytime, anywhere. In this way, we first create transparency, then awareness, and thus pave the way to sustainable lifestyles.
Christoph Kunz (53), the brainchild of the idea, went looking for companions and found Andy Rennet (52) as a technician, Viola Hasani (28) as a marketing expert, and Jonas Scheyrer (36) as a life cycle assessment guru. I, Michael Kochs, take care of the finances. Together we are Worldwatchers—in short: Wow!
2. But that's been around for a long time!
Not so! There are a multitude of CO2 calculators and apps on the market. The solutions we're familiar with provide some general advice on CO2 calculations, based on 15 to 20 questions, and determine your personal annual CO2 consumption. This provides a reliable result, a kind of "snapshot." These solutions are unsuitable for sophisticated analysis, useful planning, or everyday use.
User-friendly for climate protection
To contribute to climate protection in the long term, the app must become an integral part of consumers' lives. For us, this means not only continuously delivering added value but also optimizing its usability.
We also begin with an inventory, but much more detailed and specific. Based on this, we create a differentiated analysis of the six consumption areas (housing, mobility, etc.). This allows users to identify potential savings and set new personal goals at their own discretion. The app then converts these into the corresponding values, and the live CO2 tracking begins.
Importantly, the app will be designed so that you don't have to constantly search for and enter values yourself. Thanks to modern algorithms, presets, and elements of artificial intelligence, this is largely automated. In terms of convenience, it's comparable to modern fitness apps combined with nutrition and financial planning apps.
3. What has been your biggest challenge so far?
The two biggest challenges are interrelated: First, maintaining a balance between what is possible and what is feasible and being interesting to as many users as possible. Second, the ambitious goal of creating an app with a lot of functionality, added value, and ease of use that also appeals to as many users as possible is a costly undertaking. Therefore, we have developed a Crowdfunding campaign started.
Worldwatchers wants to determine the CO2 footprint
4. Let’s get to the point: How is business going?
We've already received a lot of positive feedback. Since the app will be free, we hope that a large number of consumers will use it. That alone would be a success.
The WoW app is scheduled to go live in early 2020. We'll then be able to finance Worldwatchers through its use. An additional revenue stream is the B2B business, where we advise companies on ecologically optimizing their production processes and determining the carbon footprint of their products.
5. What does Munich mean to you?
Two out of five founders come from the Frankfurt area, and two more from the Stuttgart area. So I'm actually in the minority. Munich's strong infrastructure for young companies speaks for itself. This extends from the district court to the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and beyond. There are also many networking opportunities, for example, with the large startup scene, but also with important companies. The latter, in particular, are active in the field of sustainability and can therefore be interesting partners for startups.
6. Will your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
From our perspective, there are two metrics for our success. First, that our Wow app helps us save as much CO2 as possible. If that's achieved, everyone can be happy. Second, despite all the altruism, it would of course also be nice if investors and capital markets shared our vision.
We're convinced we're doing something necessary. We're convinced we're doing it right. And we're convinced this is exactly the right time. So, quite clearly: Unicorn.
7. Early riser or late sleeper?
Four of us are definitely early risers. Only Jonas usually goes to bed when the others get up.
