Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem are you solving?
Branchly: We provide small and medium-sized enterprises with an efficient solution that enables the use of cutting-edge AI technologies such as semantic instant search and large language models for customer communication. For example, a generative AI chat (based on Branchly AI) can be created and embedded on a website in just four simple steps and in a matter of minutes.
Efficient and focused solution instead of expensive data silos
Munich Startup: But that already exists!
Branchly: We offer a completely new approach. Our customers come to us because they don’t want to build expensive data silos anymore or manually maintain content on a confusing platform. We’re moving away from costly setups and instead pursuing an efficient and focused solution that uses state-of-the-art AI technology. As one of the first disruptors in the chatbot space, we were able to successfully leverage our experience and customer knowledge from our previous company.
Munich Startup: What’s your founding story?
Branchly: We met at a chatbot and AI startup. There, we realized that there were numerous issues where we could see significant improvement potential for customers and users. In particular, the chatbots of that time were struggling with acceptance and value-add problems, which led to frustration among users, while companies had to invest considerable effort in setup and maintenance at the same time. A first customer shared this view, which is why we decided to develop a product for it and bring it to market maturity. This now forms the foundation of Branchly. Many of Branchly’s principles are based on our experience from our previous jobs.
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Branchly: AI is in an enormous phase of change, not least due to the hype around generative AI. There are many developments every day that you have to keep an eye on. As a solution provider, however, we must constantly evaluate what actually adds value to our customers. This also requires continuous dialogue with customers and interested parties. At the same time, there are older companies on the market that are supported by venture capital. We’re convinced that without the technical and organizational baggage of these legacy companies, we are more agile and faster, which represents a great opportunity for us.
“Leveraging the positive aspects of AI”
Munich Startup: Where do you want to be in one year, and where in five years?
Branchly: In one year, we want to have acquired a considerable number of new small and medium-sized enterprises as customers. On the product side, we plan to focus even more on value-driven features to fully exploit the potential of AI. Although it may sometimes seem strange, we’re still at the beginning in the field of AI. Many companies are experimenting, and innovative ones are already beginning to implement solutions. Given the great interest in our solutions, we’ll certainly need to strengthen our team further in terms of personnel.
In five years, we want to be known as an established software company that improves customer experiences and interactions with innovative solutions, regardless of where the customer is located. We’re convinced that AI will influence our lifestyles even more than it has so far. Our goal is to harness the positive aspects of AI so that people can focus on what matters and really important things are in focus.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup hub so far?
Branchly: We’ve both been active in the Munich startup ecosystem for several years. We believe that Munich and Bavaria overall are the ideal location for a software and AI company, as the B2B software ecosystem is best developed here. For example, we’re based at Werk1, where conditions for young companies are excellent. Funding opportunities and the political willingness to take AI seriously are also valuable advantages for founders considering where to start their startup.
Munich Startup: Quick exit or long-term commitment?
Branchly: Our goal is to build a sustainable company. Since Branchly is entirely self-financed, we certainly pursue a different philosophy than VC-funded startups. Nevertheless, you also have to be opportunistic at all times and recognize and seize opportunities as they present themselves, regardless of the form they take.
