{"id":50030,"date":"2019-07-02T15:21:52","date_gmt":"2019-07-02T13:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.munich-startup.net\/?p=50030"},"modified":"2020-10-07T14:04:23","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T12:04:23","slug":"klarx-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.munich-startup.net\/en\/50030\/klarx-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Klarx Update: Rapid employee growth and internationalization"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Time for a Klarx update! Because the<\/strong> Munich-based startup Klarx closed a financing round of over \u20ac4 million in September 2018. The online construction equipment rental company has already expanded into another country. Now we wanted to know how the company has been doing \u2014 our last interview<\/a> It's been two years since then. Communications Manager Christian Holzapfel answered our questions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christian, how did you use the investment from the Series A round?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Communications

Our interview partner, Communications Manager Christian Holzapfel <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Financing round<\/a> We have primarily used this opportunity to further accelerate our growth. This is reflected in a significant expansion of our team. Klarx now has more than 60 employees, with new team members joining most recently in business development and sales. Growth is also being driven by our marketing department, where our headcount has also increased. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though we're a digital company and online marketing is our domain, we operate in the construction industry, a B2B segment where trade fairs and events still play a major role. Bauma, as the world's largest trade fair, stands out, and we were naturally represented there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Klarx update: Internationalized to Austria, more than 60 employees, and still agile <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You recently entered the Austrian market in addition to Germany. How did your preparations for internationalization go? What pitfalls did you encounter along the way?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We've had our eye on the Austrian market for a long time. This is less because two of our founders are Austrian than because it's structurally very similar to the German market. This allowed us to prepare very well for this first step toward internationalization. This is especially important for us because we need a network of local rental partners, which we've already gradually built up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It's similar on the customer side, but for us, it's greatly assisted by the fact that we already have investors from Austria. They're active in the construction industry and some had even rented machinery in Austria before our official market launch. So, everything was very easy to prepare. In the end, the 'biggest' pitfalls are the small details that need to be adjusted, for example, on the website or terms and conditions, which are easily overlooked. As mentioned previously, however, as the team grew, we brought new people to Klarx who had already internationalized other startups. That's why it was a pleasingly smooth process for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A snow park and a world record as a prelaunch event<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Did you plan a special promotion for the launch in Austria? How did your internationalization process go?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The launch of www.klarx.at<\/a> We announced this at a press event in Vienna on May 20th. In our industry, it's obviously important that our customers learn about us through their own channels. This includes online advertising as well as the trade press, which is highly valued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That's why we created a framework for journalists to discuss the news with our founders and me. However, we were already visible and active in Austria in mid-April. We supported the Audi Nines, one of the world's largest snow events, with our machines. Two of our founders are former professional snowboarders and still put their heart and soul into it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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