Max-Josef Meier has started and sold companies, as well as being an angel investor himself. His latest technology company has already secured hundreds of millions of dollars in financing. The venture, Finn gas acquired funding from top-tier investors like Picus Capital, White Star Capital, Climb Ventures, and Korelya Capital. Interested in sponsoring this show or podcast ads for your business? Go to Zencastr and fill out the contact information so Zencastr can help you, bring your business story to life.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why it’s easier to raise larger amounts of money
• How Finn is expanding to markets near you
• The future of mobility
• More tips in creating a successful startup from Max

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For a winning deck, take a look at the pitch deck template created by Silicon Valley legend, Peter Thiel (see it here) that I recently covered. Thiel was the first angel investor in Facebook with a $500K check that turned into more than $1 billion in cash. .alg-cta-consulting { grid-template-columns: minmax(-webkit-min-content,-webkit-max-content) 1fr; grid-template-columns: minmax(min-content,max-content) 1fr;; } .post-719 .wp-block.alg-cta-consulting.book .title { font-size: 40px !important; margin-bottom: 30px; } .post-719 .wp-block.alg-cta-consulting.book .red { font-size: 24px; color: #ff5e00; font-weight: 600; } .post-719 .wp-block.alg-cta-consulting.book p.btn-w { margin: 20px 0; } .sumo-wrapper .sumo-form .btn.btn-wrr { background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Montserrat", sans-serif; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-size: 28px; line-height: 1.5; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 15px 0px; margin: 25px 0 0; display: block; width: 100%; height: 100%; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px inset; cursor: pointer; color: #fff; letter-spacing: 0; border-radius: 0; } .sumo-form .wpcf7-form-control-wrap.email input { color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-size: 25px; text-align: left; border-width: 1px; border-color: rgb(218, 218, 218); border-style: solid; border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px inset; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 7px; margin: 0px; display: block; width: 100%; max-height: none; height: 64px; transition: none 0s ease 0s; } .sumo-form .wpcf7-form.init .wpcf7-form-control.wpcf7-submit { color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Montserrat", sans-serif; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-size: 25px; line-height: 1.5; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 10px 0px; margin: 0px; display: block; width: 100%; height: 100%; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0px 0px 0px inset; cursor: pointer; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); text-transform: uppercase; } #left-area .entry-content .sumo-form p { padding-bottom: 10px; } .sumo-wrapper .content-block .sumo-form { padding: 0px 5px; } .sumo-wrapper .sumo-form-wrapper.listbuilder-popup-embedded { position: relative; margin: 20px 0; } @media screen and (min-width: 992px) and (max-width: 1199px){ .sumo-wrapper .content-block h3 { font-size: 38px; } .sumo-wrapper .content-block h4 { font-size: 35px; } } @media screen and (min-width:768px) and (max-width:991px){ .sumo-wrapper .content-block { width: 55%; } .sumo-wrapper .content-block h3 { font-size: 38px } .sumo-wrapper .content-block h4 { font-size: 36px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 767px){ .sumo-wrapper .content-block { padding-top: 18px; } .sumo-wrapper .content-block .sumo-form { padding: 0px 2px; } .sumo-wrapper .sumo-form .btn.btn-wrr { font-size: 13px; padding: 11px 0px; margin: 10px 0 0; } .sumo-wrapper .content-block { float: left; width: 54%; } .sumo-wrapper .content-block h4 { font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 22px; } #left-area .entry-content .sumo-form p { padding-bottom: 4px; } .sumo-form .wpcf7-form-control-wrap.email input { font-size: 10px; padding: 8px 5px; height: auto; border-radius: 0; border: 0; } .sumo-form .wpcf7-form.init .wpcf7-form-control.wpcf7-submit { font-size: 11px; padding: 6px 0px; } .sumo-form .screen-reader-response { display: none; } }

Moreover, I also provided a commentary on a pitch deck from an Uber competitor that has raised over $400 million (see it here).

Remember to unlock for free the pitch deck template that is being used by founders around the world to raise millions below.

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About Max-Josef Meier:

Max-Josef Meier is a Co-Founder and serves as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member at FINN. He serves as Venture Partner at YZR Capital. He also serves as a Venture Partner at M4 Capital. He is an Angel Investor. Meier co-founded and served as Managing Director at Stylight. .alg-cta-consulting { grid-template-columns: minmax(-webkit-min-content,-webkit-max-content) 1fr; grid-template-columns: minmax(min-content,max-content) 1fr;; }

Connect with Max-Josef Meier:

• Crunchbase
• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Read the Full Transcription of the Interview:

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Alejandro: Um, alrighty hello everyone and welcome to the deal maker show. So today. We have a really amazing entrepreneur a repeated entrepreneur Entrepreneur. We’re gonna be learning a lot about building scaling financing exiting you name it. And then also being on both sides of the table whether it’s as an operator or also as an angel investor so without further ado. Let’s welcome our guest today max Joseph Mayer welcome to the show. Thanks.

Max-Josef Meier: Hi Thank you for having me today.

Alejandro: So originally born in a small town in Bavaria there you know in in Germany so give us a little of a walkthrough memory lane. How is life growing up. What.

Max-Josef Meier: Well I yeah I do actually come from a very small small town 2 hours north of munich I grew a. Grew up there and but yeah, after after finishing high school I was also very eager to leave that town. But yeah nowadays I’m I’m really also happy to to come back from time to time

Alejandro: Now in in your case I mean what got you into the economics and technology because I mean obviously that’s why you went and study but what what got you into that stuff.

Max-Josef Meier: Well, that’s a, but that’s a very good question. So I am I like numbers. Um, so first and foremost um and I think that that yeah brought me to to studying economics. Um, and um, yeah I really liked it and there of course I met some some great people I also um yeah took on a None studies. It’s called technology management in Munich um, so both star and munich and there I also got in touch with the wonderful world of technology. So so this is. Called the center for digital technology management. It’s a very small institution but it brings out many entrepreneurs actually in Germany and so there you work together like business people work together with people with a technology background um on on business projects and cross-functional groups and. Yeah, um I loved that concept to really work together with the highly ambitious and yeah people with a very very diverse background and that’s how kind of like also there the idea was born for my none startup.

Alejandro: Now and we’ll talk about that in just a little bit now you’ve you’ve traveled quite a bit I mean you’ve been in Malaga you know where you were a camarero you know a waiter for there for like a six months or so you also were in New York doing some of your studies. What would you say you know you. You’ve gotten. You know, perhaps from having that worldview now of being like in all these different places and living in all these different places before you actually win at it and and perhaps started your own business What do you think that opened up for you.

Max-Josef Meier: So you know I think probably we’re we’re both like both born in Europe and I of course have like um I love to to live here. So so my um and Europe’s I think it has it has many many advantages. So live in Europe um, we. So so our main office is in Munich um, and and yeah, you can go like you have a very very diverse um group of people here of course from all different european nations. But also I always had a huge and passion for for America. So think there, there are so many things are invented in in the us nowadays there’ is a like a huge entrepreneurial spirit just yeah in the entire country and there’s more like a yeah hell yes, kind of attitude and that’s all like all things which like I am yeah. Fully admired so I was always a little bit in between um, kind of Europe and us.

Alejandro: Now during your studies I mean you were alluding to it earlier. You met your cofounders so you know instead of um, you know europe especially you know it’s more like you become a consultant for a Mckinsey or you’re a lawyer or you are. Banker you know it’s like those careers I mean for you, it sounds like you went you know right into it. So what do you think you know trigger that and and what was that process of meeting your co-founders and and thinking about you know, like bringing something to life.

Max-Josef Meier: So none of all like I think like I ah ah did an internship at Deutsche Bank in invest banking and I think literally at the third night 3 am in the morning when I was yeah. Doing some weird slides I decided. Okay I we’ll never do that top. Sorry for all bankers and so I was quite certain so I also started my kind of like had started None business already during None school and None business during university and and and so I kind of like it is. Was it was clear to me that I wanted to start and a business and and ideally in the field of technology and then yeah like during my second size technology management I met the 3 co-founders for my none business and and yeah, then it was very clear so it was so we. We were studying so it was the beginning of 2008 we were studying all of us we were studying in us. They’re like being visiting students and and then we came back to Germany and we just we just wanted to do to do something you know so there was no really structured process. We had None idea that came up during university. Ah, which was um, yeah building a search engine for fashion. So back then like fashion was not really online kind of fashion ecommerce and and there were some stores being opened up. For example, solando in Europe which became very large and and we built back then we started a search engine for fashion.

Alejandro: So now in this case I mean what then what was the business model. How do you guys make money there.

Max-Josef Meier: So back then so it was um yeah, really like a product search engine. Um, so we were aggregating all kind of different online stores for fashion and then um, yeah, showing it in a very nice way so you could browse and search for for through like none and it. And none of different ah fashion items and the company is still around so it’s called stylight and and and yeah, um, and it was yeah it was a wonderful journeyur so we built that company for for 8 years it was a very lean kind of business. So we we expanded the country and. To 15 at a company to None countries and we were at around I think None people at the end we raised in total six Million Euros so like for it’s like from today’s point of view and that seems like like a very low number. But for us it was a huge number actually and we were also able to turn profitable in the third year and and yeah and then we sold that company in 2016.

Alejandro: So then let’s talk about that for for a little bit because you sold a company for eighty Million Euros so hey you know like none thing a you know company that you build none exit that you get. That’s not normal. You know, especially you know being a european founder. You know that’s amazing. Amazing hit rate. So I guess in in your case I mean what was that process like you know of of going through this acquisition I mean how did that happen you know and what was that journey of of really you know selling the company. So.

Max-Josef Meier: So none of all and it is it is really I think that the word journey is definitely than the right? um description so we had so much fun building building style we were like when we started the company I was 23 years also very young and we had like a very very fun journey. And of course over the years we also found out about like struggles of kind of like that lead gen model which I think many Lee gent models have is that you kind of are really for example, dependent on on ah on a few other stakeholders in the market such as Google for example. And and that also investors knew about it so we had like it was really not easy to raise any kind of money so that that was why we had to become profitable very early on and and then in the long run. We really thought about okay shall we now? yeah really grow maybe expand to other verticals or or sell the company and then really yeah. We went actually in like into a kind of like a dual process so where where we were open to raise a large round of financing or but also open to be um to be acquired and then yeah we got a very good offer and to be to be acquired and then we yeah we accepted that offer actually.

Alejandro: And obviously you know tremendous sexit at 30 years old so you know in in in your case, you know like obviously you win and and did angel investing and I like to ask you a little bit about that. But but. How does it feel to be 30 years old and have an exit like that I mean any any indulgence anything that you bought you know when you when you got all that money in and.

Max-Josef Meier: Honesty, not not really not not really um so yes, it None of all, it really takes time to realize that and that you can just go somewhere and spend money because until back until then I literally 0 money in my bank account. Just ah.

Alejandro: Are really so.

Alejandro: Yeah.

Max-Josef Meier: Like all I got from my salary I spent so I really had very little savings and so it it kind of but it doesn’t really yeah, did not change my life at all. Um I also did not go on I kind of kind of like a journey around the world or so but I really yeah I’m probably too. Of like None relentless and and I really wanted to do something new again because I also really love building things and especially at the intersection of business and technology together with highly ambitious, yeah, smart and great people and a lot that so much so that I actually almost immediately. Startings sort like started to search for new ideas. But also of course um I am what I also started back then is to invest in startups which is also something where I learn a lot from and but and which brings fun to me but also was I think a pretty. Um, we are financially also um and yeah, quite good.

Alejandro: So Obviously that was that was a new thing. You know, being able to invest in startups that was something that you were now allowed to do now in this journey of of going on the other end of the table. What were what were some of the patterns that you were seeing you know and founders that made sense to invest in and and then how do you think that that journey Of. Of investing in other companies you know, helped you in shaping up more and more your idea of what would become you know fin. So.

Max-Josef Meier: Yeah I think the word pattern or pattern recognition is yeah it just it can be like it’s it’s really a None None sided like yeah sort kind of like it’s it can also be dangerous. Um, because in the end. When you think about startup investment. You don’t want like for my personal opinion is like you do not want to follow patterns because you look really for the outliers and if you follow patterns. Um, yeah, and you probably will not find the outliers because you never know what really makes the company succeed. Um, so that’s least my my my opinion and um, well I think like when you really look at very very young startups. It’s obviously comes down to the people and I really think ah past success is the best ah predictor for for future success of of certain. Um, like teams or or or companies and like so sometimes I have the feeling that if a company has been like extraordinary successful. Some people think well. But now they probably slow down a little and guess what and not that many companies do that? Actually so if they like. Super successful teams that are able to pull off I don’t know just saw a company recently that had like and he started a business in February and now he has a like super strong team built up in a few months and well that for me is a strong signal that he probably when he is able to pull off that in four months higher I don’t know None super strong people to his team then he is probably able to do yeah some like some great things in the future. So I think that is like really precise achievements recent achievements even more so than than achievements that are long ago I think that’s that’s for example, one good indicator but then and. Then along with all other things like yeah market and product and so on. Um.

Alejandro: So Now in your case, a max. You know you were saying that write immediately. You know you wanted to do something you wanted to do something after after you know the the acquisition of stylelight Now. It took you 3 years right? to to get started with fin so it was not you know like obviously an immediate. Ah, have no like they say ideas take time to incubate. You know they’re kind of like dormant. You know there and we don’t even know that they’re there. But what was that process for you of of really saying hey I think that I got it I think that I’m going to go forward with this one. So.

Max-Josef Meier: Yeah, so it was it was kind of a long process. So um, typically I say it was yeah it was just like None 21027 but it’s really it was almost three years so really almost from the day iited a company and I already started thinking about and new things which. And then it it took me all the way to 2019 and this time I really wanted to what what because what stuck with me with my first company is that the idea is really important so many people say well. The idea is not that important it’s it’s all about the team. But um, with my experience now I really can say yeah the idea thing. Really really important because when you’re once on a trek. Um, and I think also a company many times can only stand for one thing so even look look at even the biggest companies today like still Google is for most people a search engine. Of course they offer all kind of things but in the end it’s still a search engine. And so um, so and I think when startups. For example, when I look at pitch decks from startups and I see on the last slide they yeah right now we’re doing that but that’s actually not so interesting. But x y z is much more interesting what you want to do in the future that’s for for me. For example, it’s kind of like a really almost a red red flag because in the end you you as a company. You have like responsibility to focus because that’s the kind of like the only way to to really make a difference and when you really focus on None thing and become the best. It is okay, um so with that kind of belief. Um I wrote down um several um yeah. Things that I wanted to accomplish with a new company I so I definitely wanted to go deeper in the value creation and so not only being a company but really go very deep. Um I wanted to ideally challenge like go after a challenge which is very large. Um which is difficult because difficult challenges mean also yes, it’s difficult for you. But it’s also difficult for potential competitors and followers. So I see it as a good thing something where you have really positive impact ideally both on the planet and on other people and the main driver here is yeah so so because you do work like and you know it probably like It’s not a 50 hour ah work week you have there so it’s more like six seventy eighty hours and you better know why? you do? what you do because only running after money like no matter if you have it or not yeah, it’s a worth you times I think it’s much much better if you know why you doing what what you doing because I found super because this is been of a few other things. And and yeah, it looked for quite a while and then I came across yeah ah car subscriptions and I but kind of ticked all the boxes and that’s when I started falling 2019 to get it with my cofounders.

Alejandro: Nice. So um, so in this case I mean obviously you see you know quite ah quite a fair amount of co-founders so you know like how do you go about? you know how many cofounders are you guys and then also how do you you know, go about dividing and conquering you know in terms of roles to make sure that everyone is you know. Doing you know and and in sync you know with with with with one another.

Max-Josef Meier: Sure so in our case, um, was we get was the beginning of 2019 so to say and we.

Alejandro: Hey Mike Mike why quick question this sound is not coming very good from your Mike I don’t know well well we’ll edit this this last piece I don’t know why but the sound is not coming very well is there a way. A let me see can can you test again that

Max-Josef Meier: Hello is it No better

Alejandro: But now it’s better. Yeah, but it was it was like like something happened there. It it just came like really bad. So can we restart that part. Can you say you know on on you know, like the co-founders. Let’s let’s go ahead again with with starting with fin you know, like the idea and then.

Max-Josef Meier: Okay.

Alejandro: Because the sound was really bad so we’ll have to edit that out. So go ahead. It was it was just like for four four seconds that the sound you know like was awful. So I think that the sound out came back so we’re good, but but here why don’t why don’t we restart that piece. So so how how do you go about.

Max-Josef Meier: Sorry.

Max-Josef Meier: Okay.

Alejandro: You know the idea max you know for Finn how how do you guys come about you know with the idea. Yeah.

Max-Josef Meier: Sure so um, well I yeah, kind of like found that opportunity of car subscriptions and addicted a little bit deeper into it so that found out that it’s the. Yeah, the largest retail market in the world cars. For example, still has the lowest ecommerce penetration rate of all markets which is still at one percent so which and yeah, just made it from from both from a business and a consumer point of view and hugely attractive. And and yeah and then I actually went on and I called a few investors. What? what what? they think about the idea and and well 2 investors didn’t like the idea so much. But None investor was really also into it and and that investor was called picos. Um, so it’s pico’s capital out of out of like I think they had course in arm munich so. Pre-se investor. Um here like based in Europe but also now based in us and yeah, so so and days that hey where’re we’re also looking at it. Why why? not looking at edit together and that really, um, yeah, and when then we decide to do it together. So so they yeah also invested in the company and as a none investor and they also. And together. We then read the first thing I did was then to next to yeah drawing kind of like what our mission is also how our organizational design will look like so I really had that first scribble down and finally until today that organizational design which is like. A ah mission-based cross-functional organizational design 7 departments. It still holds until today. Um, and then based on that design it then went out and started kind of like assembling our c level cofounding team. So really I turned it around kind of like I didn’t have like the team none that’s how we start my first company but it was kind of like more like idea none and then I had the luxury so to say for for each mission and and department we had like for example, growth or b two b and operations and so on I could um yeah, really hire specifically. Um, the the ideal leader for for each and every department.

Alejandro: And in this case for people that are listening to really get it. What ended up being the business model of finn. How do you guys make money.

Max-Josef Meier: Sure so um, well the the core the core to fin is that we and yeah, bring a true ecommerce user experience to car ownership. So it’s really about driving your own car. You can you can go on fin. Um, so the target group of our often are ah young families in their thirty s and 40 s so typically like we call them former hipsters and now moving out from I don’t know you you live in New York so there would be it would be East Village now moving out to long island or upstate start raising a family and. They’re called millennials by the way and they’re they’re so used to purchase everything online they seek for an online alternative and then they can go on fin they can book a car subscription within a few minutes and like all our cars are available within a few days or weeks and b deliver the car to your doorstep and you pay None monthly rate and in that rate everything is included but fuel. And and also one key thing is and so our terms go from one month six months up to twelve months and at their price is really comparable to leasing so this is this is really one of the key things that all costs considered and we are not more competitive like we are competitive and it comes to pricing and that like. Yeah, explains that since the very yeah beginning of fin. We see a huge huge demand actually for our subscriptions. The business model is and that we really everything we do we do in large numbers like really on scale. So and that enables us to purchase everything. And of obviously very very efficiently and with ah with a good price. Ah, of course we when you when you go out and like this year we buy None cars then you you better, get some better prices than than than a typical consumer. And the same applies as for insurance we acquire and like like insurance rates repair hours, everything and so so we really bring that together like that economies of scale. Also we bring that together with our technology platform. So all we do is based on our technology platform that we. Both fully in-house. So we do not touch any physical touch point but we integrate 200 a service providers into our um technology technology platform and then really like thatconoms of scale times. The technology technology technology empowered efficiency and then makes that. Business model also really profitable.

Alejandro: My god you say 25,000 cars like nothing I mean that sounds like a lot of cars to me now. 1 thing that I heard you say here max is that you know that that this is more like a multidimensional chicken and egg. You know, like multiple problems at the same time. Why why is that when you’re building a company.

Max-Josef Meier: Yeah, it’s It’s what I what I actually like a chain of very large chicken egg problems. So with a with when you look at car subscriptions when you go on our website and it kind of like it really looks like super nice and easy and almost cute and it’s exactly how like how it.

Alejandro: Like this stuff.

Max-Josef Meier: Designed to be however because that’s that’s only because we take care of all things that are behind driving your car your own car so we need for example and yeah supply partnerships with large oems and we need fleet financing. So so so till late we raised for example more than 700,000,000 Ah, Dollars in in it to finance our fleet and you need then of course to like also raise substantial amounts of equities. So we raised so four $40,000,000 in equity and and yeah so o partnerships fleet financing equity financing and then all along. You need to build up a technology platform and people. And that kind of you need to do that all at once and and so that makes it. Um, yeah, that made the past three years quite exciting I would say.

Alejandro: And how how do you go about in a business like this you know, figuring out the equity side of it where it’s like more people align with you and then also figuring out the depth side of it where it’s more like to finance the operations and I know that in this case for you. Um, thinking big was something that. You know, perhaps you didn’t do right of the bat and then you had like a like an aha moment so kind of like walk us through through through through that execution right.

Max-Josef Meier: Absolutely so um I think one where thinking big really was necessary was when it comes to fleet financing. So so I think it’s very rather um, like not typical for a startup so last year it was our second full year of business. And and there we we raised the five hundred Million Euros credit facility with ah create swiss and and waterfall asset management and we that was that was probably really the hardest nuts to crack in my in my career so we we went out to I don’t know I think 60 banks and knocked in the doors and like. Kind of got a refusal after the other so it was a very painful process and and then we figured out hey we were like initially we were looking for to raise somewhere around 50000000 um in in debt financing but that is that was actually too little and it’s like yeah quite far in the process. Someone told us that. Hey banks stay they want to earn their their interest margin and they want to like earn that substantially and then we just increased that number when we went out from 50 to 250 up to None So so when it comes to debt financing. You can always start with a number and then build the facilities so that that can go up up automatically it was up to None and then suddenly banks were listening suddenly they were also looking at us like as okay, there’s there’s there’s risks everywhere I look like it’s a startup and it’s it’s cars and like technologically risk and operations risk and people and whatever risk. However. The same time There’s also a substantial um potential for for profit and and so I think there it was really win win situation because for us of course a bigger facility was better but it also was much much better for it for the bank.

Alejandro: And in your guys’ case I mean you recently did the series b so congratulations on that you know that was quite a a pretty interesting series b one ah None is that right None is that correct. Yeah so None and

Max-Josef Meier: $10,000,000 yeah

Alejandro: Typically when you do a series B you know is that Interesting. You know, part of the lifecycle or the journey where you’re grabbing something that has been working nicely in a certain geographic location and now the idea is to expand more you know in a different Geographic location. You know it sounds that. You guys are looking at coming here. You know to the us as Well. You’ve raised 200,000,000 out of the 700,000,000 to be able to Finance. You know the operations here and in fact, your office here is say close to Grant Central Really cool area by the Way. So How do you think you know how is that process of really thinking through an expansion. In order to really get it right? because that might stay and not be easy for a business like this.

Max-Josef Meier: So none of all, we so when we and yeah started raising our seriesrs b um, which was actually by the end of last year so we quickly found out so we told them as this hey look we will use these proceeds we are going to raise to launch our business in us. We already had a few people on the ground we already had a few oer partnerships in place we were about to well we didn’t really have the fleet financing yet. But we thought okay well that’s a great asset That’s a great story so we used that money we invested and we go life and yes and I think guess what? that’s really learning I’m more than happy to share. It was. Absolutely not an asset for our equity story. It definitely was a liability because investors like even last year and probably nowadays definitely even more than ah, even more so really only value proven business or value proven business much much more than unproven business. Um, and so they looked at our us endeavors more or less only as a risk and like no kind of no upside to it because we had not we were about to prove it but we had not have not proven it yet. So that definitely was was not a great thing and um, so for our next fundraise and now like. Demand is huge in us and things go really well and like um, like really after plan. Um, so for the next fundraise we definitely will and incorporate that into our equity story. But what we will not do is then to say okay we knew so you use now the proceeds to expand and to 15 european countries. But we will rather and then develop it together with our investors kind of after the next Andres a plan to expand but I would if possible always focus your equity story on your core core business and on proof of business. And and not on future endeavors kind of.

Alejandro: And in your guys’ case I mean to give us all, especially the listeners an idea on the scope and size of fin today I mean anything that you can share in terms of maybe like number of employees the fleet or anything else.

Max-Josef Meier: Well in terms of fleet like already mentioned so we’re targeting None cars slash subscribers by the end of the year roughly 21000 um will be in Germany 4000 will be in us. Why can we communicate that because we already have ah. Like pre-ordered these vehicles so that’s why we are. That’s one of the good things of our business model was that we have a very high certainty around our planning. So once we have pre-ordered like we pre-order all our vehicles. Yeah twelve months in advance and that also helped us by the way to come quite nicely through the supply crisis because we were really able to plan ahead. Um, in terms of employees. So right now we are just crossed the mark of None employees and we will grow. Yeah to more than like None by the end of the year um and yeah grow from from here and yeah, we are on a mission to really we are laser focuseded on car subscription. So we wake up with. Having car subscriptions in mind we go to bed with having car subscriptions in mind. So that’s all we do all all day long and um, but we also have the ambition to really like yeah what kind of Google became for search engine and to become that for for car subscriptions. Okay.

Alejandro: Ah, hello.

Alejandro: Now you’re you’re talking about going to sleep you know and then waking up now with that in mind imagine you go to sleep tonight and you wake up in a world where the mission or perhaps the vision of fin is fully realized what does that world look like when you wake up. So.

Max-Josef Meier: Well, it’s it’s quite never never truly realized. Um, so so we have like a strategic mission which is building the most popular car subscription platform in Europe and us and you can always build build more build on that. And we have also a core purpose which brings me back to like having a positive impact on our core purpose in day one is making mobility fun and sustainable and that’s also a kind of like a long-term goal which you can never truly fully accomplish so so making mobility more fun. What that really drives us to to make it super easy and convenient for customers to kind of like give. Families back more time. So so it’s really, we’re in ah, kind of in a business. The service business to give people back more quality time and but also to make it more sustainable so we focus a lot on electric vehicles. So 30% of our fleet is already fully fully electric versus None in Germany and less than 5% in Us so so we’re really advancing and the transition to fully electric mobility and and last but least I think it’s just wonderful to have like to spend time together with a very like a bunch of very ambitious. Um, and yeah smart driven and great people and so yeah and these kind of like. 3 core motivations. They never go away so that’s why all I personally also plan to yeah work build fin for for for many years and and rather decades.

Alejandro: I Love it now. Obviously you know it’s same the None rodeo right? I mean as an entrepreneur entrepreneur is incredible. The successes the lessons learned that you’ve had you know along the way. So if you had the opportunity to go back in time. Let’s say I put you into a time machine Max. And you’re able to have a sit down with that younger self that younger max that is coming out of you know University you know, perhaps you know has tried the internships and you know not into investment banking and you know let’s say you give you have that opportunity of giving that younger max a piece of advice before starting a company. What will that be and why given what you know now.

Max-Josef Meier: So what I absolutely got right? for example with my first company and after after university per I think oh definitely also the second company and was there to to really start the company with with a great great team of co-founders. So to have a you like really really high high emphasis on obviously your cofounders but also for example, had like a None interview with the none 100 employees so it’s really the people you you have around are so so so important and like for your obviously for your success but also for just how much. Fun. You will have um and but also secondly really think about the idea. Um, so so I think that for example I think I got more right? Um, or we got more right with with finham with style because and style it was just like being a pure leech and play. It could only grow so big. You know what? I mean so when you and. Just didn’t and was it’s it’s also okay that you didn’t think about it that long. But if I could go back. I will tell myself myself, please take a few weeks at least and think about and like what could be like what other ideas are out there which are maybe worth pursuing. And really having like researching a little bit more What makes a great idea. A great idea and really defensible sticky like large market and deep value creation which I think is always the key. So only if you really create value for other people on this planet. Um, then then actually there is some value like there’s a reason you you exist. Um, so yeah, spend some more time on ideating probably.

Alejandro: I Love it so max for the people that are listening. What is the best way for them to reach out and say hi.

Max-Josef Meier: Well, um so I’m um, like on Linkedin. My my email address is I think also on our um, our and our website otherwise it’s just my name at fin dot auto um, so it’s really really easy and and yeah and please reach out and we are of course and hiring or we are so. We are still hiring. Let’s say in in these markets. Let’s let’s put it like this both um like in our Munich office and our New York office but also most of our positions are open for for remote I like to work like from from from from your home. Um, so yeah, please reach out and also um, I’m ah active angel investors of course if there are any entrepreneurs out there.

Alejandro: Amazing! Well max. Thank you so much for being on the dealmaker show today. It has been an on earth to have you with us. Thank much.

Max-Josef Meier: Please reach out.

Max-Josef Meier: Thank you so much ajandro for having me today.

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