Shquared — short for Shared Square — wants to launch a platform for the shared, parallel use of space. The three founders, Daniela Weinhold, Nasti Broda, and Julian Nitsche, were fed up with repeatedly encountering closed doors and dark shop windows while exploring the city. This was despite the fact that Munich has few available spaces, especially in the hospitality industry. Therefore, the founding team recently launched a Crowdfunding campaign started. Our 7 questions and the Shquared–Answer!
1. Who are you and what do you do? Please introduce yourselves briefly!
We are an interdisciplinary team consisting of Daniela, Nasti, and Julian. Daniela Weinhold is our 26-year-old creative maker with a strong management background and a degree in design and media management. Nastasia Broda, 34, is actually an urban and landscape planner. The qualified geoecologist brings her attention to detail to life at Shquared in the areas of finance and law. Julian Nitsche, 26, is a designer with a focus on human-centered design and is responsible for branding and conception at Shquared.
“Share areas and minimize risk and investment.”
Together, we've embraced the topic of 'space'. With our successful pilot projects Bananaleaf and Knolle & Kohl, we've already gained expertise in the field of parallel use. We've shown that it's feasible. Now we want to enable more people to realize their dreams by sharing space and areas via Shquared, while minimizing risk and investment. At the same time, we can use spaces more efficiently, the operators are relieved of rent—and we're creating a more vibrant city! Win-win. Simply brilliant, right?
“We are creating a more vibrant city.” © Petra Serbin
With Shquared, we offer a simple yet ingenious solution to this dilemma: utilizing existing spaces outside of normal opening hours with complementary concepts. We call this parallel use. This involves long-term partnerships with the goal of finding a space where another concept can be perfectly integrated into the premises and structures of the main operator. Harmony between the partners involved is particularly important. Our mission as intermediaries for spaces and concepts is to achieve this harmony.
2. But that's been around for a long time!
Nope, there isn't. There are digital platforms where space can be booked for pop-ups, events, and other functions. The focus here is on one-time bookings and events in spaces with a neutral use. The costs for booking rooms are therefore correspondingly high. A platform like ours with a focus on long-term parallel use doesn't exist, and we therefore currently have no direct competition.
3. What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Our biggest challenge is bureaucratic and legal issues such as building permits and double concessions. And currently: At our Crowdfunding campaign to reach the funding goal. We appreciate any support so that we can help many people realize their dreams in the future.
The 'Shquared Pioneers'
4. Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
Interested individuals from a wide range of fields are knocking on our door. Great ideas and concepts, great people with big visions. We realize: There's a need. Primarily for space, but also for consulting services on the path to self-employment.
At the same time, people want to open their doors and spaces and are contacting us. Spaces aren't being used efficiently due to capacity limitations. This may be due to staffing issues or conceptual issues.
“The business case is there.”
We're not making any money with Shquared yet. But we're just at the beginning and need to shape our service. We're reflecting on our values and involving stakeholders from the very beginning. We call this phase the pioneering phase, and we call everyone involved the 'Shquared pioneers.' We want to create a service that offers real added value, openly and transparently.
Of course, we want to be able to make a living from this in the future, paying our rent, future employees, and our and their vacations. And that's fine. We'll have to invest initially. But we're convinced the concept will pay for itself. Simply because it makes so much sense.
Munich should take a pioneering role in space sharing
5. What does Munich mean to you?
In a comparison of major German cities with over one million inhabitants, Munich has the highest proportion of land available for development and transport areas. And the legal requirements and bureaucracy are very complex and complicated, because the proportion of available land within the city is very unfavorable compared to the existing population density and the ever-increasing settlement pressure. Therefore, in no other major city is the pressure so high to exploit densification potential within the city. Added to this is the city's economic strength and high quality of life and leisure, which in turn have a strong impact on property prices. For years, these have only known one direction: up.
The combination of these factors is a unique selling point found only in Munich. Therefore, the pressure to act on urban development is already so great that many new solutions must be tried out for the first time in the Bavarian capital. Munich must think ahead.
We would love for Munich to take a pioneering role among German cities in space sharing and to support local startups instead of only giving space to big, established names.
“Quality service, sustainability, and happy people.”
6. How will your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
Our idea has great potential. Scalability is a given; we can expand and create a holistic offering through collaborations with, for example, room booking tools, cleaning services, agencies, etc.
But right now, we're not thinking about growth, big money, or going public. What matters to us is quality service, sustainability, and happy people. Everything else will follow gradually.
7. Hiking or beer garden?
Hiking. Beer at the top!
