Boostbar’s self-service F&B solution radically simplifies how companies cater to their staff & visitors - out of one hand, at a lower cost than alternatives.
Could you explain what your startup does in a few sentences?
Imagine you are a site manager: how do you provide food & refreshments to staff and visitors? In large buildings, there might still be a canteen. In most places though, you will end up with a patchwork of individual solutions (capsules, vending, ‘Smart Fridges’): complex to manage, often incomplete and either costly or unattractive. Boostbar radically simplifies your task: our modular solution allows business to create modern refreshment corners with healthy food, coffee, snacks and drinks. No matter whether you have 20 or 1’000 employees: out of one hand at up to 81% lower cost than leading alternatives.
What is something you wish you knew when you started putting together your business?
In the end, only one thing counts: sales. Especially in B2B, you can’t start selling early enough. Not only will it take longer than you think. It provides critical inputs into product development. We learnt this the hard way: we knew the industry inside out, built our solution in record time and received great feedback. Yet, a brilliant product and traction are two completely different pairs of shoes.
Especially when you are a start-up with 0 references trying to close 50-500k ARR B2B deals which involve at least half a dozen stakeholders.
What plans do you have for your startup in the next several months?
Grow, grow, grow. In our first >>venture>> pitch, we were a team of 3 with 2 customers. Since then, we have raised a seed round, grown the team to >10, expanded our offering with 3 food concepts and significantly ramped up sales and market traction. Our short-term focus: build and deploy the 100 POS we plan until the end of the year. And at the same time, start preparing 2022, with both ambitious goals in Switzerland, as well as first international opportunities.
What is it like to start a business in the middle of a pandemic?
Granted, it wasn’t much fun to call office managers about coffee during lockdown. But positives far outweigh the negatives: we were able to assemble our dream team quickly, suppliers had plenty of time & welcomed us with open arms. And last but not least: long-term workplace trends Boostbar responds to (cost pressure, employee experience, sustainability) became top priorities everywhere literally overnight.
What are you most excited about with regards to your project?
We should probably say: our passion is to improve how people take breaks.
The honest answer: the vending and catering industry are in turmoil, and we earned the opportunity to create a great business from its very foundation. One which attracts and nurtures talents of diverse backgrounds, leverages technology to address a customer need, thrives on long-term relationships and is built on sustainable principles. We love our first product, and traction says we’re on the right track. What holds us from building Europe’s new #1?