Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem do you solve?
Dough pilots: We empower bakeries to offer their own breakfast delivery service, offering end customers the easiest way to order fresh baked goods from their favorite local bakery with our Teigpiloten platform. Especially in rural areas, expensive branches are no longer viable due to high investment costs, rental and personnel costs, as well as returns due to inaccurate sales planning. our pre-order concept As well as route optimization, we offer a precisely plannable sales channel that is profitable from the first delivery day without any initial investment. End customers conveniently order online until the evening before and have the fresh baked goods hanging on their doorstep, straight from the bakery, while they're still in their pajamas, making their first cup of coffee.
With our offering, we not only strengthen local bakeries and help them to offer a contemporary range of products, but we also contribute to securing local supplies in rural areas.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Dough pilots: Unlike Gorillas, Lieferando, and the like, we rely exclusively on pre-orders, offering bakeries 100 percent planning security with 0 percent returns. We also optimize delivery routes in advance, allowing one delivery driver to deliver approximately 10-15 orders per hour. With our full-service software concept, which focuses specifically on bakeries, we set ourselves apart from the competition and offer bakeries the opportunity to deliver under their own name.
The question of the disappearance of local bakeries
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Dough pilots: We studied together and have always discussed what we can build together as a sustainable partnership. Max and Jonas have worked together on several projects as freelancers, programming websites, and Niklas joined us as a strategist right from the start.
We were driven by the questions of why more and more bakeries are disappearing from our hometowns and why there isn't yet a more convenient solution for purchasing baked goods when everything else is delivered. In addition, Jonas himself worked in a bakery during his school days and thus knew the challenges of the bakery side. Combined with experience from consulting, company builders, and early-stage startups, we then analyzed the bakery market with impact and technology in mind and set up dough pilots.
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Dough pilots: The Christmas months of November and December: As a young startup, we tried to find partner bakeries willing to test a new delivery business with us. However, the Christmas season is the busiest time of year for bakeries, so we generally didn't respond and the bakeries were busy with other things. At the time, we couldn't tell whether it was due to our solution, a lack of interest, or a lack of time, and we seriously questioned whether we were in the right industry.
Today, we have new partner bakeries that have exceeded all expectations and are generating significantly more revenue with the Teigpiloten platform than we could have imagined. We're now in the comfortable position that many bakeries have recognized the benefits and are proactively contacting us.
Teigpiloten wants to establish itself as a sales channel for bakeries
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Dough pilots: The Teigpiloten platform will be further expanded to reflect all the suggestions from end customers and partner bakeries. Within a year, we aim to have 20 bakeries across Bavaria on our platform and all processes in place so that we can onboard hundreds of bakeries across Germany. In five years, we plan to have scaled our platform nationwide and established it as the most cost-efficient and convenient sales channel for bakeries.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Dough pilots: Big, yet personal! In Munich, there are incredible opportunities, especially for students, thanks to funding from UnternehmerTUM, LMU Incubator, and others, to gain a foothold in the startup scene while studying. The exchange is valuable, and startup teams that are already a few steps ahead are approachable—there's mutual support!
Munich Startup: Quick exit or long breath?
Dough pilots: Somewhere in between: We want to be active throughout Germany and build an attractive alternative to the branch structure in order to create sustainable, more efficient sales concepts, especially for regional Artisan bakeries and make shopping as easy as possible for end customers. At the same time, we have endless other ideas on our idea board that we'd like to tackle one day.
