Seven questions, seven answers. Munich Startup talks today with David and Manuel, the founders of SHARE.
1. Who are you? Please introduce yourselves briefly!
Hello everyone, we're David and Manuel from SHÄRE GmbH. Our company was founded in Munich in mid-2014. We've known each other for what feels like an eternity, as we graduated from high school together in Karlsruhe. We lost touch a bit during our studies. Now we're 26 years old, both with our master's degrees in business administration. After a long evening at a bar, we decided to revolutionize the taxi industry together.
2. With which product/service do you want to change the world?
Our current product is the smartphone app SHÄRE-a-Taxi. It allows you to order a taxi, pay cashlessly via the app, and, most importantly, share the ride with other friendly passengers using an intelligent real-time matching algorithm. This way, you can save up to 50 percent on the fare, meet interesting people, and, in the process, conveniently protect the environment. SHÄRE-a-Taxi is available for free in the App Store and Play Store. We are also currently working on various urban mobility solutions for companies, cities, and municipalities.
3. What has been your biggest challenge so far?
This was clearly a strategic shift toward holistic urban mobility. Initially, we primarily had a young target audience in mind for our app. However, we are very pleased to have taken the bold step into the field of corporate mobility management and to have partnered with other mobility providers such as Deutsche Bahn. Our current success confirms this.
4. Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
A response you always get from the industry: Things are always getting better... No, seriously. We are extremely satisfied with how the company has developed with the available resources. Above all, we see the many opportunities that have arisen for us in the last three months as confirmation that we have done some things right and are on the right track.
5. What does Munich mean to you?
Munich is amazing! We both agree – Munich offers a lot professionally and, of course, the quality of life is fantastic – the absolute number 1 in Germany. Therefore, we are happy to have chosen Munich as the location for the SHÄRE GmbH. It is also noticeable that a lot is happening in the startup sector in Munich and Bavaria. The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, as well as many venture capitalists, are making Bavaria a very exciting environment for young founders. Last but not least, the density of large and established companies in the Munich area is very high, thus offering enormous potential for young companies. Startup Germany is not just Berlin. This is also demonstrated by the public interest in startups from Bavaria. As a participant in the TV format Startup Bavaria we had the chance to actively participate in this development.
6. Why did you decide to apply for the Startup Bavaria program? What were your hopes for the program?
Fame and glory 😉 Honestly? We were just really excited and interested to see what awaited us. Since it was the first season, of course, no one really knew what to expect or where the journey would take us. We jumped in at the deep end and learned a lot about working with the press. That's important in general: Be open to new things and dare to get involved. That's the only way you learn something new every day. And by the way: a little free PR never hurt anyone.
7. Were these hopes fulfilled, or were Startup Bavaria and the coaches able to provide concrete help with your idea/project? Was there a particularly funny experience during filming?
Unfortunately, we have to say: partly – partly. It was an exciting time; we met a lot of interesting people and had some great experiences with the press. Unfortunately, television is ultimately just television and doesn't always have anything to do with the actual work of a startup. Mom always said: you shouldn't always believe everything you see on TV. On the positive side, our coach Andreas von Richter gave us another super objective look at our product. That helps with reflection. However, you shouldn't just rely on external opinions. In the end, you have to make your own decisions and take responsibility for them. That's why you can confidently represent your own ideas and visions.
One of the funniest experiences was definitely the shoot in Mallorca. We were invited to the 2015 German Taxi Meet and gave a talk about SHÄRE-a-Taxi and the future of the industry. During the day, we were able to make some great contacts, and in the evening, we, among others, rocked the hotel bar with the camera crew. You could say that everyone involved was as excited as current taxi fares! Therefore: SHÄRE your Ride – SHÄRE-a-Taxi.
Thank you very much, David and Manuel!
You can find further interesting and important information about SHÄRE here on the website.
