Munich Startup: Who are you and what does Bitrock do? Please introduce yourselves briefly!
Lucas Kerscher, Bitrock: We are Marc Mielmann and Lucas Kerscher, both 39 years old, former management consultants and experienced startup founders. We met through a private equity investor friend. When we realized that we shared similar ideas and visions, that was the starting point for Bitrock.
Bitrock Digital Partners is an independent venture builder based in Munich. Together with established companies from various industries, Bitrock builds new digital business models with significant revenue potential. This includes products and services, as well as teams and organizational units – for example, a new department or even a new company. Bitrock is happy to take entrepreneurial risks with its partners and holds shares in the jointly founded new companies or receives a share of the revenue.
Munich Startup: What problem does your startup solve?
Lucas Kerscher: We are not a startup in the traditional sense. As a venture builder, we develop digital business models of the future for our clients. For them, it's about staying connected to the digital future and securing tomorrow's growth in order to remain internationally competitive in the future. This currently represents one of the greatest challenges for the German SMEs Bitrock has made it its mission to accompany SMEs in the DACH region on this journey and to support them in digitization and the development of new digital business models and ventures. We believe that the entrepreneurial future is digital and that this will become a basic requirement.
Bitrock brings “fresh air” to sluggish companies
On the path to the digital future, we also solve fundamental problems, such as diversifying the existing business model and the lack of internal skills, experience, and capacity. At the same time, we organize the long-term transfer of know-how to the company and bring a breath of fresh air to sometimes sluggish organizations. We ensure that the company's structures, processes, and mindset are aligned to successfully continue all of the above-mentioned points in the future.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Lucas Kerscher: That's not entirely true. Three key components set us apart. First, our entrepreneurial approach. This means that we are so confident in our digital business models that we are willing to invest our working hours in return for a revenue share or something similar.
The second aspect is the combination of two worlds. The Bitrock team combines years of experience in the corporate world with concentrated startup power from the founding of numerous ventures of its own.
The last and probably most important point is our platform approach. Bitrock sees itself as a platform with access to a wide variety of networks. Since a single company almost never has the best specialists in all areas, we chose this approach to bring the right partners on board for each project. A development partner for IIoT platforms, for example, is not automatically the best partner for developing an online marketplace. By adopting this platform approach, we always ensure that the best possible team with the greatest expertise is working on a project.
“We tripled from 2020 to 2021”
Munich Startup: What have been your three biggest challenges so far?
Lucas Kerscher: The first challenge has accompanied us constantly and will continue to do so for years to come. It is the willingness, openness, and courage of the management of our partner companies to pursue this certainly new but necessary path of developing new digital business models.
The second major challenge was and remains our rapid growth. We tripled in size from 2020 to 2021. In addition to all the client projects, this requires establishing certain structures, implementing processes, and largely outsourcing tasks and subject areas.
The third point is the competition for top talent, in which we and our ventures naturally compete with major players like the Googles and Apples of this world. Our employees are the most important criterion for long-term success.
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Lucas Kerscher: In a year, we would like to have continued to grow and, on the other hand, have built up our first own assets.
In 5 years we want to be the market leader in our field in the DACH region and the go-to address for all medium-sized companieswhen it comes to new digital business models and ventures. We also want to have established our own portfolio of diverse assets by then.
“Munich is the right city, especially for B2B startups”
Munich Startup: How do you rate Munich as a startup location?
Lucas Kerscher: I consider Munich to be a very good startup location. It's the right city, especially for B2B startups. In my opinion, this is due to the excellent ecosystem that has been created here, which benefits particularly from three aspects. First, from the startup community, which is supported by innovation centers like UnternehmerTUM, LMU Entrepreneurship Center, etc. Second, there is a well-known amount of capital in Bavaria, which creates excellent conditions for fast-growing startups. The last factor is industry. Bavaria is a very strong economic state and a well-known industrial location, which is clearly leaving a positive mark on the startup scene.
Munich Startup: Get up early or stay up all night?
Lucas Kerscher: That's definitely staying up all night. While I always have to get up early because my daughter wakes me up, it often ends up catching up on the things I've left behind late at night.
