Munich Startup: Who are you and what do you do? Please briefly introduce yourself and your product/service!
Talkin’ly: Behind Talkindly are the three founders Clemens Engelhardt, Carolina Waitzer and Dominik Waitzer.
Clemens was born in 1978 in Landsberg am Lech and, in addition to his role as an idea generator, also serves as an angel investor at Talkindly. He is a professor, attorney, and partner at the Munich and Berlin-based law firm Trustberg LLP, which specializes in corporate law and venture capital. Clemens studied law in Munich, Heidelberg, and Frankfurt, where he earned his doctorate in stock corporation law. Prior to joining Trustberg LLP, he served for several years on the board of the Schörghuber Group. Clemens' responsibilities primarily lie in legal, management, and strategic areas.
Carolina, the managing director, namesake, and "face" behind Talkindly, was born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1992 and has lived in Munich for the past five years. Carolina's focus is on marketing, a field she has been working in for seven years. Initially, she worked in communications for brands like McDonald's and BMW. Since her career as CEO and co-founder at DeSight Studio, she has also worked in eCommerce, PPC, and digital marketing for brands like Foamie and Maria Nila, with a focus on Amazon. In her role as CEO of Talkindly, Carolina is responsible for operations and product development.
Dominik, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Talkindly, was also born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1992. Dominik has been working in the digital industry since completing his training as a media professional in 2010. Originally working in technical development and conception, Dominik spent several years in international brand management for the e-commerce giant Rakuten in Vienna. Dominik's role includes technical product development on the one hand, as well as the strategic orientation and internationalization of the company on the other.
Italian wine and synergies
The founders met by chance on LinkedIn – more timely and appropriate than ever – and quickly discovered over Italian wine that the synergies and chemistry were right.
We founded Talkindly at the end of 2020 with the idea of reinventing (digital) communication and combining some of the characteristics we have all acquired in recent months – namely: convenience, video communication, and the advancement of digitalization!
With Talkindly, companies (usually) record personal video messages directly in their web browser and share them with their business partners, customers, or colleagues. Talkindly sets itself apart from its competitors because it requires no software, app, or other installation, is incredibly easy to use, and the fact that the video messages are ultimately just links allows it to be used in almost any scenario.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Talkin’ly: As we often heard in our childhood (at least in Austria), "There is nothing that doesn't exist." This also applies to Talkindly. The question is, what makes us special? What makes Talkindly special?
- Talkindly can be used directly on the web or on your smartphone within seconds – without an app, without software and without annoying configuration.
- In addition to the issue of data protection, people are happy to forgo YouTube & Co. if they want something “a little more personal” – with Talkindly, every message is individual with its own colors, logo and personal text message.
- Talkindly “goes the other way” and completely forgoes the community, follower numbers, or anything like that – we focus exclusively on the creator of the message and its recipients.
Munich Startup: What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Talkin’ly: With regard to Talkindly, two things are clearly important: finding a notary appointment during the Christmas season in lockdown – but also coming to a mutual agreement on how exactly to pronounce Talkindly.
Munich Startup: Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
Talkin’ly: That's a bit difficult to answer, considering we've only been on the market for a few weeks! Talkindly has already received a few notable mentions and is even being discussed among larger corporate circles. Our campaign for free use of Talkindly for schools and daycare centers has already been used – but more information on that would kill all the curiosity at this point.
Munich Startup: What does Munich mean to you?
Talkin’ly: In Clemens' words: "The northernmost city in Italy!" For Carolina and Dominik, Munich has become a (new) home, one they both have come to appreciate and love. In addition to the fact that Munich is perceived as the ideal "location for business," it's not without reason that Munich is one of the most livable cities in the world – for us, Munich combines the best of two worlds: the small-town flair paired with abundant nature, yet still the feeling of a multicultural metropolis where (almost) anything is possible!
Due to the diversity of characters alone, we consciously distanced ourselves from seeing ourselves as “part of a certain scene” from the very beginning – nevertheless, in Munich you often have the opportunity to meet really interesting people and exchange ideas with them.
First talks about an equity deal
Munich Startup: How does your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
Talkin’ly: The perfect time to quote Elon Musk: “If something is important enough to you, you will do it, even if the odds are against you” – so we haven’t given it any concrete thought (yet).
Not least because we're focusing primarily on the company and the product itself, without creating distractions through – currently irrelevant – topics. Let's just say this much: Initial discussions about an equity deal have already taken place.
Munich Startup: Quick exit or long breath?
Talkin’ly: The dream of the (almost) perfect exit – the eternal myth in the startup world.
Since all three founders behind Talkindly have been working as entrepreneurs in a variety of settings for many years, staying power is probably part of their everyday (professional) routine. Jokes aside: At the end of the day, a deal is only as good as the worst condition in the term sheet.
