ReSync from Germany competed against more than 180 startups, making it to the Green Alley Award finals! Every day, businesses produce various kinds of waste they have to dispose of in compliance with legal obligations. An easy way to find the right recycler for their needs is an online B2B recycling platform developed by ReSync. The platform matches companies with recycling contractors that are conveniently located and offer value for money. The positive side-effects: improved waste separation and increased collection rates.
Get to know the people behind ReSync, the winner of the first public vote, at the Green Alley Award pitch final!
How did you come up with the idea of a recycling platform?
In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, we were a group of five friends that were soon to graduate and were ultimately pondering on what the future may hold not only for us, but for society as a whole. The profuse economic damage of the pandemic was becoming increasingly clear and we were alarmed at how progress in environmental and sustainability areas could be halted or even undone as companies looked to cut business costs, potentially in CSR-related areas.
After much collective brainstorming as to how we, a group of business students, could in some way contribute against it, as well as additional inspiration from social entrepreneurship classes which we were partaking in, our idea was born. A digital B2B recycling platform that would connect companies looking to recycle with suitable recycling contracts. We established one clear aim for the platform and our startup: to increase connectivity within and accessibility to recycling.
You started your business right in the middle of the pandemic – a brave decision. What are the greatest obstacles for you to overcome?
As we each currently reside in our respective home countries, logistical obstacles have been perhaps the greatest obstacles that we have attempted to overcome. Like so many people we have become Zoom-aholics throughout the pandemic, and while there have been clear advantages to virtual working, it naturally has not always been so easy. For example, we found it difficult to collectively brainstorm fundamental ideas for our startup over post-it-noteless Zoom meetings. Additionally, as an early-stage startup, we encountered obstacles when carrying out early market validation: namely, we struggled to get responses. In a covid-free world we could well have physically turned up at various recycling companies to request market validation talks, however, as this was not the case, we had to conjure up creative approaches to achieve responses from likely stressed-out employees working from home.
Your startup is still in an early stage. Where do you see your business in five years?
We are conscious that we are in a relatively early stage in our startup’s development, and that much work remains to be done, but nevertheless we have set ourselves, as part of our internal roadmapping, a clear and ambitious target. Our goal, which is dependent on, among other things, being successful in our pursuit of acquiring sufficient funding, is to be the leading customer acquisition company for recycling companies in the DACH market. We believe that this, after a successful launch of the platform, is both realistic and achievable because of the scalability of our solution and the low variable costs associated with it. We see ourselves as the go-to platform that recycling companies use to acquire new customers and the platform that companies looking to recycle use to find a suitable recycling offer.
Want to see these six startups with their outstanding circular economy ideas live and ask them some questions? Register now https://greenalleyaward2021.w.tame.events/ and meet our finalists online on 22nd April 2021, 5pm CET.
Source Green Alley Award
