The Munich-based startup Ridebee aims to develop a carpooling app for daily commuters. The three founders, Tobias Reinerth, Fabian Seitz, and Lukas Mohs, have already convinced their first customers. In addition to Xpreneurs and LMU EC, the Exist funding helpful for the founders. What else does the mobility startup have to say? Tobias answered our 7 questions.
1. Who are you and what do you do?
Lukas met me, Tobias, during his computer science bachelor's degree during a semester abroad in Melbourne. I had studied mathematics at the Technical University of Munich and for an MBA in Paris, and I convinced Lukas to transfer to the Technical University of Munich for his master's degree. During another semester abroad, at MIT in Boston and CMU in Pittsburgh, Lukas met Fabian, a business graduate who rounded out our founding team.
With Ridebee We are developing a carpooling application for daily commuting. The original idea came from my commute to the campus in Garching, which was about 40 km each way during my studies. In addition to the initial matching of carpools, the focus of our platform is primarily on long-term, daily organization. This ensures regular use. This serves to build critical mass and get the platform rolling.
Companies can reduce costs and better utilize vehicles
2. But that's been around for a long time!
We hear that quite often, indeed... Comparisons range from BlaBlaCar to DriveNow. Each shared mobility solution is suitable for specific routes. Car sharing (e.g., DriveNow, Car2Go) provides vehicles, while ride-hailing (e.g., Uber or CleverShuttle) even provides vehicles and drivers. The comparison with BlaBlaCar is the most apt. However, there, the clear focus is on individual long-distance trips between cities and the B2C market.
Our approach directly addresses companies that also cover the costs for their employees. And our platform is initially limited to daily commuting to work and between company locations. This means we already serve around 50% of the distance traveled on short trips in Germany. By arranging trips that already take place on a daily basis, we reduce costs by a factor of four compared to car sharing and by a factor of ten compared to ride-hailing. Furthermore, our goal is not to increase the number of vehicles on the roads, as is demonstrably the case with car sharing and ride-hailing, but rather to increase the number of people per vehicle.
“Fewer emissions, traffic jams and parking problems”
3. What are the three main ingredients for your recipe for success?
First and foremost, a strong team—we complement each other well in our skills and are always in a good mood—both in the office and outside.
From the very beginning, it was important to us to work in a very data-driven way in product development. This allows us to see where our resources are best deployed, allowing us to get from A to B quickly, literally.
Many mobility services increase individual convenience, but unfortunately, they effectively result in more car miles being driven on the roads. With our product, we reduce the burden of emissions, traffic jams, and parking problems, thus contributing to the sustainable mobility transition. This is what drives us every day.
4. Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
We have now launched a project at the TUM campus in Garching Research Center and at another company location. Additional companies will begin rolling out the project in spring 2019. The product has been well received in existing projects, with registration rates of up to 151,452,000. We also have a clear roadmap for how we can further increase usage rates.
5. What does Munich mean to you?
Munich is a true mobility stronghold. Startups such as Mitfahrgelegenheit.de, Flixbus and Lilium The incubation programs of the TUM and LMU have brought us forward significantly. In addition, the Digital Hub Mobility and the Munich Urban Colab, which is scheduled to open in 2020, offers further opportunities for promotion and networking. And what (unfortunately) also suits Ridebee in particular... Munich is Germany's traffic jam capital!
Ridebee goes 'all-in'
6. How can your startup become the next unicorn? Or see you soon
at Epic Fail Night?
The shared mobility market is growing by around 301,000 million annually, benefiting all modes. On the other hand, our plan is naturally a matter of societal mindset and the right timing. For us, it's definitely 'all in,' with no backup plans.
7. Pork knuckle or fish on a stick?
We don't always agree on everything, but here we do: Clearly the Hax'n!
