Munich Startup: When we last spoke in early 2020, you said that Shareyourspace wants to make the real estate industry more sustainable. Have you come closer to this goal?
Tobias Wagner, Shareyourspace: We have. The Shareyourspace mission “Boosting Flexibility and Sustainability In The Office World” is gaining increasing relevance and attention not only on the topic of flexibility, but also regarding sustainability – across the real estate market. Of course, not just because of Shareyourspace, but we contribute our modest share with our argument for better utilization of the existing space through sharing. It’s also immediately obvious to everyone: the most sustainable building is the one that isn’t built! The best commute is a short one!
Shareyourspace: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint”
Munich Startup: What obstacles have you encountered along the way?
Tobias Wagner: There’s a reason why the real estate world is comparatively underdeveloped in terms of digital solutions and innovation compared to other industries. There isn’t one real estate world, but rather a multitude of different roles, actors, business models, and accordingly many sub-sectors. An asset manager has little in common with a corporate real estate manager. Sales, communication, scaling are against this backdrop a challenge not to be underestimated for every proptech. This also applies to Shareyourspace.
In the European, especially German real estate world, the willingness and appetite for innovation and change are not very pronounced. Perhaps understandable, traditional models have brought in good money comfortably for years. But this can also waste business potential and the future.
Munich Startup: How has your solution evolved?
Tobias Wagner: We’ve worked on improving our service and processes. Also, the workspace offering listed by Shareyourspace customers on our marketplace has naturally become larger and more exciting because it’s more diverse. You can now even rent mountain huts and boats as workspace. We’ve also stayed true to our positioning – not a niche, but all use cases – and our core idea “Airbnb for the office world“. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Europe’s investors lack courage
Munich Startup: And what’s your financial situation like?
Tobias Wagner: We launched the marketplace shortly before Corona, with all the resulting growing pains. But we survived the freeze and we’re present – alive and kicking. Investors and team are convinced of the sense and necessity of our project and are committed accordingly. Of course, what would be desirable is a really substantial growth financing and blitzscaling. The US is showing Europeans how to do this. And we’re all amazed every time why the tech heavyweights emerge on the other side of the Atlantic. Here it’s lots of talk, little action. There’s a lack of courage and strategic vision.
Munich Startup: What learnings have you and your founding team taken away so far?
Tobias Wagner: Shareyourspace is not our first venture. But of course, every startup is a new adventure with its own challenges, surprises, and devils in the details. On the positive side, we’ve learned that our view of the office market and the need for sharing and new work is increasingly confirmed. On the negative side, and once again, we’ve learned that everything takes longer than expected, and the distance between talk and action – from what is said to implementation – is vast in the traditional real estate world.
Joining forces with established market players
Munich Startup: What role has the Munich ecosystem played in your journey so far?
Tobias Wagner: We deliberately founded in Munich. Munich is one of the most important office locations in Germany and a metropolitan region. Furthermore, with our workspace providers in peripheral areas and the region, we can contribute to easing the city-countryside conflict and thus also reduce commuter traffic in some cases. We are also actively involved in the Spaces4Scaleups project, a great initiative by Munich’s economic development department. It’s about quickly and easily providing fledgling startups and smaller growing companies with office-as-a-service. You at Munich Startup are another exciting building block in the ecosystem.
Munich Startup: What milestones are you working towards next?
Tobias Wagner: We’re working on industry-strategic partnerships. Establishing a digital marketplace requires joining forces with established market players! That would accelerate the development of the market for flexible workspace rental and subletting. Back to your opening question: sustainability is needed now, climate protection can’t wait!
