Munich Startup: Who are you and what do you do? Please introduce yourselves briefly!
Happy: Hi, we're Felix Simon, Nico Wandschneider, and Thomas Kombrecht, three marketing enthusiasts with more than 30 years of experience in marketing complex B2B services. We met during joint customer projects for IT companies – and in these projects, we repeatedly discovered that the sales processes in these areas are still very time- and resource-intensive. We thought it was crazy: They're selling innovative solutions that catapult customers into the future using methods from the mothballs of sales. Hæppie, the first digital sales assistant, we are finally transforming sales processes into the digital age. Felix and Nico have set up camp in Munich, and Thomas completes the group with his dry northern German accent.
“We see a massive waste of resources”
Munich Startup: What problem does your startup solve?
Happy: The digital buying journey still has significant gaps today. Especially in the area of complex IT services. There may be marketing automation to address customers and a CRM so that sales can focus on the best opportunities. But what happens in between, in the vast gray area of presales? Services have to be explained in detail by specialists, the basics of how things work have to be established, generic benefits have to be presented... all of this hundreds of times for every customer, every day. Calls are scheduled, PDFs are shared, emails are sent, presentations are arranged, and so on. But these efforts often don't even lead to a contract. We see this as a massive waste of resources. It practically cries out for automation. So we rolled up our sleeves, combined our knowledge of sales processes with the challenges in the IT industry, and searched for creative technological solutions. The result is Hæppie - the first digital sales assistant that makes providers and customers happy. About time.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
HappyWell, then show us. Seriously: We're defining a new genre: Virtual Selling Solutions. Sure, it's marketing, but if you give us a minute, we'll show you how to close the gap between marketing automation and customer relationship management and all the fancy sales tools out there. There are certainly creative platform solutions to match supply and demand for freelancers and agencies. That certainly makes everyone involved happy, but it's not haeppieWe haven't seen a virtual sales assistant yet. No problem – we're working on it now.
Beta customers understand the solution faster than investors
Munich Startup: Has there ever been a point where you almost failed?
Happy: It's not always easy to explain the complexity of B2B sales to outsiders. For example, our beta customers recognized within minutes what our solution can do and how it helps them better organize their sales process. They were enthusiastic and immediately willing to support us in developing the solution with their cases. To be honest, investors sometimes still find this a bit difficult. But we're working on it.
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Happy: What we see on the horizon is getting our pulse racing. We want to have a solid three-digit number of customers in a year, the first partners who will sell our solution along with additional services to their customers, and an ecosystem in which new, creative add-ons are constantly being created. Maybe we'll even hold the first Hæppie Conference? And after that, with a view to four or five years? Will we be thinking about this questionnaire at the press conference for the unicorn assessment? Seriously: a 30 percent market share in the DACH region when offering services such as agencies, consultancies, IT service partners, etc. would be a dream. And after initial pilot projects outside of our core market, we naturally hope to make the big leap onto the international stage.
Proximity to universities of excellence is very important
Munich Startup: How do you rate Munich as a startup location?
Happy: We operate at various locations across Germany, so the decision about where to base our company was very open. Munich convinced us because of its excellent funding opportunities, a very strong startup community, and, above all, a wealth of talented individuals who will help us develop Hæppie into one of the top solutions of the coming years. We want to grow rapidly, and proximity to the various universities of excellence is a key factor for us.
Munich Startup: Quick exit or long breath?
Happy: We've come here to stay, driven by the idea of making a real difference. We've taken a breather for over a year and a half. That should be enough for the first 10 years.
