The Munich-based startup Hawa Dawa is dedicated to the topic of air quality. How fitting, given that air pollution control is currently being hotly debated in Munich. Hawa Dawa has been addressing this issue since 2015. We spoke with CEO and founder, Karim Tarraf.
In Arabic, the word "Hawa Dawa" means "clean air." This is the name given to Karim Tarraf, who grew up in Cairo, for his project, which he won at the "Think. Make. Start." hackathon at the Technical University of Munich in spring 2015. Back then, the focus was different, with the prototype being a wearable device for asthmatics. But even then, the founder had the vision of using comprehensive air quality data in cities to implement measures for better air quality and a better quality of life.
Karim has come very close to realizing this vision over the past three years. Together with his wife Yvonne Rusche (COO), Dr. Birgit Fullerton and Matt Fullerton, and Jannai Flaschberger (CTO), he founded Hawa Dawa, “virtually a family business”, as Karim says. On the joint path to success, there were numerous conversations and countless iterations, many hurdles overcome, and valuable support from the startup network. First came acceptance into the incubator of the "Eight Billion Lives" fellowship program and the move into Impact Hub Munich. Then it moved into the Climate KIC funding program; directly after that, into the Xpreneurs-Program, then the invitation to the Swiss Kickstart Accelerator.
Less silo thinking, more holistic approaches
The startup was recently ESA BIC Incubator and is now working on an intensive linking of the product with satellite data. The startup has also been awarded numerous renowned awards and was a prizewinner of various national competitions, including the competition “Digital innovationsThe programs and awards not only enabled the further development of the product but also expanded the founders' network.
After a long period of bootstrapping, the founders met the right investors – among them, experienced business angels Bernd Wendeln, Heiko Erhardt, and Alfred Möckel (the latter was Business Angel of the Year in 2017) supported the Munich-based startup with seed financing. The Kickstart accelerator in summer 2017 led to solid collaborations with major players in the Swiss economy. We asked the CEO what this means for the company. Karim Tarraf says:
"We generated six-figure revenues in Switzerland last year. Successful pilot projects with partners like Swisscom and Swiss Post catapulted us into the top league of smart city companies virtually overnight."
However, the founder is concerned with more:
“Far beyond air quality measurement, it is about establishing solutions and new business models for the cities of the future.”
Financing to help shape the turnaround
Hawa Dawa is now launching a funding round and is looking for new partners whose hearts beat for smart cities, sustainability and internationalization.. The market is opening up to “smart city” topics and with a new round of financing, the Munich-based startup wants to further develop this market.
Municipalities and the private sector are recognizing that it's time for less silo thinking and more holistic approaches. Hawa Dawa is developing the right products for this trend. The young company's workforce has tripled in the last year and a half. This allows the cleantech startup to intensively develop its product, solidify its reputation, and further expand its sustainable network.
Hawa Dawa combines IoT with AI and Machine Learning
Hawa Dawa's CE-certified solution is as follows: The startup delivers real-time air quality data through its combination of hardware and software. Cost-effective, compact sensor boxes, self-powered by solar energy when needed, are distributed throughout the city. The data collected there is calibrated using machine learning methods, combined with other data such as traffic or weather data, and evaluated by smart algorithms on the AI-supported software platform. This creates a unique, comprehensive live picture of air quality, the accuracy of which, for many use cases, falls within the legal requirements for model-based measurements.
Customers such as municipalities, telecommunications or logistics companies can then use the real-time environmental data obtained to develop measures against air pollution and for better traffic planning, climate strategies or urban planning.
"We're about building bridges between air quality and mobility, health, and urban planning. We're going one step further into our customers' value chains. Buying environmental data isn't enough; it's about economically and politically viable and functional use cases. Impact only occurs when it works ecologically and economically."
says Karim. Therefore, Hawa Dawa also offers customers recommendations for action based on environmental data and specific requirements. The founders have plenty of ideas for innovative features and intelligent products. The city of Munich is also a pilot customer of the startup. In the EU project Smarter Together Hawa Dawa has set up measuring stations in the project areas of Neuaubing, Westkreuz, and Freiham to collect environmental data. In addition to Smarter Together, the state capital is also working on "smart mobility" topics in other projects such as City2Share and Civitas Eccentric. In the latter, the startup is now also installing measuring stations in Domagkpark and Parkstadt Schwabing. In addition to Munich, the startup currently counts four other cities among its customers, in addition to international corporations.
Hawa Dawa also aims to overcome the fear of innovation. Karim explains:
"We want to encourage cities to simply try new approaches. Based on our experiences, we can provide inspiration that makes it easier to take the next step."
Products that are “close to the user”
At the same time, the company also wants to be close to its users. It wants the data to actually drive decisions and change. The focus is on an integrative approach – not shaming "bad" drivers, for example, but rather highlighting positive alternatives, says the founder:
"We see ourselves as the spearhead of a new movement. Our vision is to be able to integrate environmental data into everyday decisions as standard. We want to make this mainstream. It should influence daily decisions. Only then will it be sustainable. Only then can cities be fit for the future."
Hawa Dawa sees environmental data as a LEGO building block for all urban activities, from event organization to traffic planning. Implemented either directly by the innovative startup or by its customers, who receive the right tools from Hawa Dawa.
For Karim, how his company will develop depends primarily on the market: what the user needs, where the Pain sits. For Hawa Dawa, feedback is one of the most important things for further development. And the most helpful feedback is from those who think differently. Karim's point of view:
"You don't want to just sit in forums where everyone thinks the same. The best feedback came from people who initially said: This won't work."
In addition to continuous feedback, sustainability is also very important to the founders of the Munich startup. Karim Tarraf and Yvonne Rusche met while working for the United Nations Environment Programme. Here, too, the two felt they were doing something meaningful. But the impact of Hawa Dawa, the momentum – the founders would never have achieved that in a "normal job."
Impact should be the reason for founding
We want to know whether the social added value was one of the reasons for founding the company. Karim answers clearly:
"Impact should be the reason why you do business, why you start a business in the first place. Business has a social responsibility. You can see the impact. And that motivated me to say: I want, I have to build something of my own. And something international, where you can also keep developing and emerging countries in mind."
Emerging and developing countries are also close to the heart of the founder and his international team, which comes from eight different nations. There is great potential there, as more than 100 countries have no monitoring stations at all, as the complex technologies are expensive and primarily designed for wealthy countries. Therefore, after the first step of expanding into other EU countries, Hawa Dawa's next step is clear: to deploy the cost-effective technology in a scalable manner in developing and emerging countries. The international team and its extensive network already have established good contacts.
For Hawa Dawa, it's important to develop a comprehensive solution. Regardless of whether developing or developed countries, whether drivers or cyclists, city dwellers, cities or the private sector, Karim believes:
"We're all in the same boat. Community development can only work if everyone pulls together."
