Co-founder and CEO of Flix, André Schwämmlein
Photo: Flix

André Schwämmlein from Flix: “We are far from finished”

USA, Chile, and soon India – if anyone knows how to internationalize, it's Flix. In this interview, we talk to Flix co-founder André Schwämmlein about how much planning a successful international expansion requires and what specific tips he can offer startups preparing to launch abroad.

Munich Startup: Flix launched in Chile in October, and next year you'll also be active in India – the world map is becoming increasingly "Flix-green." Did you three founders start with this vision over 10 years ago?

André Schwämmlein, Founder & CEO Flix: That was of course the vision that Flix global success. However, we had no idea at the time that it would reach 42 countries within such a short time. But it shows that people around the world want to travel sustainably and affordably, and our business model is transforming the global bus markets with technology.

Munich Startup: And what is your vision regarding internationalization for the next 10 years?

André Schwämmlein: We want to continue to grow profitably and sustainably. Of course, we're also looking at new markets and assessing their feasibility. We're planning a launch in India next year, one of the largest bus markets in the world. We haven't yet announced any further expansion options, but we're certainly far from finished.

Little coincidence, lots of strategy and business model

Munich Startup: In your opinion, how much is chance and how much is planning in successful international expansion?

André Schwämmlein: Planning is extremely important. We have a dedicated team dedicated to developing new markets, and the entire Flix team has extensive experience in internationalization. Everything is analyzed meticulously and reviewed in detail on-site. Thanks to our global technology platform, we can now expand into new countries very efficiently and successfully. So, to be honest, there's little chance involved, and a lot of strategy and business model involved.

Munich Startup: Let's move from the general to the specific: What are your current challenges in preparing for the market launch in India versus the market launch in Chile?

André Schwämmlein: In addition to global success factors such as business model and technology, it's incredibly important to understand the specific differences of a new market. This includes regulation, competitors, marketing and sales, as well as the local bus industry.

Chile was a very successful launch for us, better than almost all previous country launches. We initially started with a few routes and will now expand them significantly in the coming weeks.

India holds enormous growth potential for Flix: The long-distance bus market is larger than the markets in North America, Europe, and Turkey combined. The popularity of online bookings in India is currently growing rapidly, and we want to capitalize on precisely this potential. Our goal is to become the market leader here, as in other Flix markets. Of course, India is a very specific market for which we are carefully preparing to launch successfully.

Munich Startup: And in comparison: What were your biggest challenges in your first non-European country? And how did you manage to cope?

André Schwämmlein: Our first non-European market was the USA. Compared to Germany, buses were already established there, but they also had a certain image. Our primary goal was therefore to attract new passengers to the bus market. This worked well: In the early days, more than half of our travelers in the USA had never taken a long-distance bus before. We expanded the long-distance bus market there and addressed a completely new target group with the millennials. Today, we are Flix and yes also Greyhound the backbone of mobility in North America.

Learning from data and managing risk

Munich Startup: What are your 5 hands-on tips for startups that are currently preparing to launch abroad?

  • Carefully select which markets are truly important. For a long time, we gave up on the UK and instead focused on the US. Closer isn't always better.
  • Prepare very well for the launch and understand what can be transferred and what really needs to be adapted.
  • A local team, even a small one, helps immensely in better understanding the market. In my opinion, however, this must also be at least partly responsible for the market from a business perspective.
  • Standardizing the expansion process also helped us tremendously.
  • And we test markets on a small scale and only invest heavily once we see initial results and learn from our data. This allows us to manage risk very effectively.

Munich Startup: How important were the acquisitions of other companies for your expansion? What was the biggest learning regarding acquisitions?

André Schwämmlein: Consolidation through M&A is an essential component of our profitable growth strategy alongside organic growth – and we are continually looking for further expansion opportunities. I find it difficult to speak of a single major learning, but what we can say is that our tech expertise also helps other companies enormously, and we can leverage numerous synergies.

Munich Startup: You told us at the festival that the tech integration of Greyhound and Flix was very exciting. You're proud that both apps can now be used. How did the collaboration with such a long-established company work? What went well, what was challenging?

André Schwämmlein: Just 18 months after acquiring Greyhound, we were able to run their booking websites entirely on Flix technology. This demonstrates how efficiently and constructively our teams collaborate and how well we leverage synergies. Now, passengers can book the vast Greyhound and Flix network on both websites and in both apps, while also using the signature Flix services. This simply makes our offering even more attractive and strengthens our market leadership.

By night bus from Rio to Sao Paulo

Munich Startup: How important is it for you to have people on site in offices in each country?

André Schwämmlein: Super important. We have over 20 offices worldwide to ensure that we can truly build the business from the market. At Flix, these offices are also responsible for the market from an entrepreneurial perspective. They don't just implement the strategy, but define their own path to market leadership.

Munich Startup: What was your most exciting trip abroad with a Flixbus?

André Schwämmlein: There are so many amazing experiences; I've traveled to many countries on our buses. But when I took the night bus from Rio to Sao Paulo, I was reminded of what we've already achieved, but also how many great opportunities we still have to grow globally.

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