"Constantly question yourself"

Start-up and big company - these are actually opposites. At Burda, however, the two worlds fit together surprisingly well. This is proven by some of our employees who founded successful start-ups as entrepreneurs within the company. Whether e-mobility or short holidays - they have recognised and occupied trend themes or niches. And they have shown that entrepreneurial spirit and daring pays off.

We spoke with four teams about their start-ups. Among other things, they tell us why the world has waited for their idea, what they are particularly proud of, what challenges they had to overcome and what they have learned so far as founders. First up: Efahrer.com.

Efahrer.com in four sentences:

• Efahrer.com is the #1 portal for e-mobility in Germany and with this portal we want to contribute to a sustainable mobility change.
• Our users can inform themselves about all electric mobility topics, e.g. range, sustainable energy balance and charging possibilities for electric vehicles in Germany.
• In addition, we offer current tests of electric cars and useful tools, such as a range or charging time calculator.
• Via our platform, we also organise test drives for interested users - in the hope that more and more people will switch to an electric car.

Why did the world wait for Efahrer.com?

According to Burda market research (2018), 41 percent of all Germans are interested in electric vehicles, but 51 percent feel inadequately informed. We want to close this gap.

When was Efahrer.com founded?

On 28 June 2018, so we just had our one year anniversary.

Who belonged to the founding team?

Sepp Reitberger, Gerrit Tebrake, Marco Nachtigal, Philipp Brunner and Markus Höllmüller.

What is your biggest success so far?

We are working directly with Tesla and Renault - currently the top-selling electric car brands in Germany.

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

To convince car manufacturers and dealers to cooperate with us. After initial scepticism, however, their attitude towards us has changed considerably in recent months - our platform and digital sales models convince our partners.

What advice would you give to someone who would like to set up his own business?

Find a strong team, constantly test your core product and say "no" to side issues.

If you look into the (near) future: Which three trends do you see in the area of e-mobility?

• E-scooters: In 2019 we will experience the boom of e-scooters. In a few years, e-scooters will be a natural part of mobility in our cities.
• E-Auto Offensive: In 2020 we will see many new electric models and German manufacturers will finally put attractive models on the road. This is our chance to catch up with Tesla and Chinese manufacturers (BYD, Geely, Byton).
• Battery production: There is currently no significant battery production in Europe. In the medium term, there will be an independent battery production in Europe - this is the only way to produce batteries sustainably, cost-effectively and reliably.

In a nutshell: What is your motto?

Always think about how you can do things better and constantly question yourself.