{"id":69570,"date":"2021-03-08T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-08T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.munich-startup.net\/?p=69570"},"modified":"2022-01-20T10:49:02","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T09:49:02","slug":"pointless-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.munich-startup.net\/en\/69570\/pointless-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"Pointless Travel: Save on business trips"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Update 16.11.2021: Pointless Travel has since renamed itself Eco.Mio<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup: <\/em>Who are you and what do you do? Please introduce yourselves briefly!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pointless Travel: <\/em>We are Katharina, Sarah, Mario, Lucas and Sebastian and together we want to reorient the business travel industry by aligning the interests of employees with the goals of the company when booking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katharina (CEO), a strategy consultant at Roland Berger, frequently traveled on business herself. This is where the initial product idea emerged. She always keeps the vision of Pointless Travel in mind and maintains an overview of employees, customers, and finances. Sarah (CBDO) combines her experience in product design and customer consulting with a strong focus on sustainability. Mario (CTO) is fully dedicated to the technical implementation of the product. Lucas (Legal Advisor), a fully qualified lawyer, handles all matters relating to legal, controlling, and accounting. Sebastian (Technical Advisor), a strategy consultant at Roland Berger, reflects the user and customer perspective and supports development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup: <\/em>What problem does your startup solve?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pointless Travel:<\/em> When booking a trip for personal reasons, they plan as far in advance as possible to take advantage of early bird discounts. They compare numerous offers and choose the option offering the best value for money. But who among us does the same for a business trip? Probably very few. After all, it's not our own money we're handling here. Most companies even allow loyalty points from train companies, airlines, and hotel chains to be redeemed privately. This creates an additional incentive to spend as much as possible to earn the most loyalty points. This directly conflicts with the employer's goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our software, which can be seamlessly integrated into the customer's existing travel booking system, highlights alternatives that are cheaper and more CO2-efficient than the standard option when booking travel. If the employee chooses one of the cheaper options, they share in the savings. This creates an incentive to plan the business trip in a budget- and environmentally friendly way. What was once a conflict of interest becomes a win-win situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pointless Travel: \u201cCOVID-19 has a major impact on our industry\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup:<\/em> But that's been around for a long time!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pointless Travel:<\/em> Yes and no. Yes, there are a few startups in the American market that promise travel cost reduction through a similar incentive model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, because none of the existing solutions offers both cost and CO2 reduction, which is currently of great interest, especially in the more environmentally conscious European market. Furthermore, as a German startup, we pay particular attention to data protection and the consideration of tax-related aspects of the reward system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup:<\/em> What have been your three biggest challenges so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pointless Travel:<\/em> 1. COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>: As a startup in the business travel sector, COVID-19 has had a major impact on our industry. Few business trips took place during the lockdown. But there is hope. According to current industry forecasts, travel volume this year will still be 30 percent below 2019 levels, but a recovery to 2019 levels is expected as early as 2024. The pandemic will also have a positive impact on our business model: greater relevance, cost savings, greater acceptance of virtual formats along with the avoidance of unnecessary travel, and increased environmental awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. B2B Sales Cycle: Like most other B2B startups, we had to learn that the B2B sales cycle does not last a few days or weeks, but can rather stretch over several months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Virtual team building: During the lockdown, we had to get really creative to get to know each other better as a new team. Fortunately, the motivated team members never ran out of ideas for virtual get-togethers. In addition to the highlight of a virtual culinary Christmas party, hours were filled with sharing the most formative childhood experiences, deep personal insights, bad jokes, Sunday painting, and boozy beer and cheer. A COVID-19-compliant snow hike allowed us to look ahead to the glorious future of shared activities in the post-COVID era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInterest in our software remains high\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup<\/em>: How are things going?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pointless Travel:<\/em> We're taking advantage of the coronavirus-related downturn in business travel to build partnerships, acquire new customers, and optimize our algorithm. Because our pricing model provides a percentage of the savings realized through the use of our software, implementing Pointless Travel involves no financial risk for the customer. Thus, interest in our software remains high despite COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Munich Startup<\/em>: How do you rate Munich as a startup location?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pointless Travel:<\/em> We love Munich and its mountains \u2013 we've already convinced Mario of this and lured him here from Zurich! Munich is a strong business location, with many global companies that are potential clients for us. The local universities form the foundation for a talent pool with enormous potential for our team. At the same time, the competition for talent isn't as fierce as, for example, in Berlin.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pointless Travel aims to help companies save money and reduce CO2 emissions on business trips. 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