Munich Startup: Who are you and what do you do? Please introduce yourselves briefly!
Clonck: At Clonck we are a relatively large founding team of six people:
Pascal Walter (33) is the originator of the idea. He studied electrical engineering and information technology at the Munich University of Applied Sciences and worked as a freelance electrical engineer before joining Clonck.
Christian Reimann (27) studied computer science at Kempten University of Applied Sciences.
Joshua Worger (37) studied international relations at the University of Chicago, among other things.
Fabian Thomas (27) studied computer science at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
René Lalla (28) studied computer science at the Technical University of Munich.
Fabian Buch (24) studied computer science at Kempten University of Applied Sciences.
Pascal and Joshua met in 2017 on a bus ride in Flixbus from Memmingen to Munich for the first time about the idea of Clonck. During the one and a half hour drive, Pascal radiated so much enthusiasm for his idea of a to develop an app that optimally supports the user in the process of car repair, That's why the two started the project a few weeks later. Through Pascal's girlfriend, they contacted Christian, who took over the technical management of the project. After the team was expanded to include three more computer scientists: Fabian Thomas, René Lalla, and Fabian Buch, things could finally get started.
“Ordering suitable car spare parts online is currently unnecessarily complicated and error-prone.”
Munich Startup: What problem does your startup solve?
Clonck: With Clonck, we solve the two biggest problems that automotive mechatronics technicians, automotive workshops, and car mechanics typically encounter when repairing their vehicles: Firstly, there is the problem that ordering suitable automotive spare parts online is currently unnecessarily complicated and error-prone. This often leads to spare parts being ordered that do not fit the respective car and consequently have to be exchanged. Ultimately, this is not only frustrating for the buyers of the spare parts, but also for the online retailers, as it results in a relatively high number of returns. At Clonck, we have solved this problem by using VIN decoding to ensure that the user is only shown those spare parts for purchase in the app that actually fit their vehicle and its individual equipment.
The second problem we've addressed at Clonck is access to reliable repair information. When it comes to repair tips on the internet, it's teeming with dangerously vague and incomplete information. We've solved this problem with Clonck by providing users with easy and direct access to the original repair manuals from vehicle manufacturers. This allows us to make an important contribution to ensuring that repair work, especially by car mechanics, is carried out professionally and minimizes the risk of damage due to improper execution.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Clonck: No. In fact, there is no app like Clonck yet. While there are competitors that also market an app for purchasing spare parts to end customers, none of them has yet solved the problem of incorrect spare parts orders as well as Clonck. Regarding the problem of insufficient repair information, our competitors have so far offered no or only inadequate solutions, forcing users to obtain the necessary repair information elsewhere.
“We want to be at the point in a year where our company is completely self-supporting”
Munich Startup: What have been your three biggest challenges so far?
Clonck: The biggest challenge so far has been assembling our team. Since we were completely self-funded in the early days, it was important for us to recruit like-minded individuals for the project who truly believe in the cause and have the perseverance to work on Clonck long-term and for long periods without pay. Fortunately, we succeeded very well in this, and we now have a team where every single person is 100 percent behind the project.
The next challenge was to acquire initial funding for the project. Initially, we had decided on the EXIST-Gründerstipendium, but were unfortunately rejected. Fortunately, our founder advisor Saskia Schmidl from Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship at the Munich University of Applied Sciences the idea that we would FLEDGEprogram. No sooner said than done, and this time it worked. We have been funded by FLÜGGE since the beginning of 2020 and were thus able to launch the first version of our App publish, generate traction and make the first small sales.
Our biggest challenge right now is to significantly increase awareness of our app and boost sales.
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Clonck: From a business perspective, we want to be fully self-sustaining within a year. In five years, we hope to expand throughout Europe and into the US market with suitable investors.
On the product side, we aim to cover virtually all relevant brands in our app and launch our premium version within a year. In five years, we plan to offer complementary hardware products to match our app.
Munich Startup: How do you rate Munich as a startup location?
Clonck: We highly value Munich as a location for startups. There are a variety of valuable support and consulting options for startups in Munich, and you have the opportunity to build a great network, both with business partners and other founders.
Munich Startup: Country road or motorway?
Clonck: Neither. For us and our business model, it's best if as many vehicles as possible are in private or commercial workshops for maintenance or repair.
