Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem do you solve?
Jana Krotsch, Ubimaster: Ubimaster provides all students with unlimited access to private learning support and tutoring, regardless of their parents' income. To achieve this, we have built a digital platform that enables on-demand connections with tutors. Our KaaS (Knowledge-as-a-Service) business model is subscription-based and targets both private and corporate customers, similar to software-aaS business models.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Jana Krotsch: Not that I know of – we We are the only companies in the market that consistently focus on on-demand learning support and tutoring, as well as on B2B and B2B2C business models. This is how we are radically transforming the market!
“I was just annoyed at having to look for tutors”
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Jana Krotsch: I'm the mother of three school-age children, and things aren't always going well at school. It simply annoyed me to search for and book tutors, not knowing if the quality was right, and then still having to act as an ad hoc tutor myself, especially before exams, because the tutor was only booked once a week.
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Jana Krotsch: Online and offline sales to end customers are incredibly expensive, eating up almost all of our revenue. Out of necessity, we've focused on alternative sales channels, and they're working very well for us!
Munich Startup: How are things going?
Jana Krotsch: We are extremely pleased with our growth; today, 40,000 parents and students already have access to our learning support and tutoring.
Ubimaster just closed financing round
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Jana Krotsch: With the UnternehmerTUM and the LMU Accelerator There are excellent platforms for early-stage companies that have supported us – Munich is truly well-positioned in this regard. There are also numerous business angels who take the first steps with startups. Munich is not yet optimally positioned for further financing steps (seed, Series A, etc.), so we had to look outside Bavaria.
Munich Startup: Quick exit or long breath?
Jana Krotsch: We're currently completing our seed financing round, with a mix of German and American VCs on board. This will enable us to grow even faster and work toward Series A financing. So, there's a lot to do, so we need to be patient and persevere!
