Since March 2014, we’ve had our headquarters here at the TFU Gründerzentrum. “We” are Murat and Torsten, managing directors and co-founders of greenXmoney.com GmbH, the operator of Germany’s first and only online marketplace for trading renewable energy credits. Before greenXmoney, we worked in the photovoltaic industry and implemented PV projects throughout Europe. We were always puzzled by the fact that all the installed systems were sold to customers rather than retained as company assets. Why should a company keep selling off its key assets? Why not utilize these valuable energy plants and involve citizens through crowd investing? These fundamental considerations led us to the idea of using receivables purchase agreements to free up the capital tied up in the energy plants, thereby giving everyone the chance to participate in the energy transition. However, within a rigid corporate environment, we didn’t see a way to implement our idea. So we decided to make a clean break and found greenXmoney.
It then took nearly two more years from the initial idea to the launch of the web platform. Our main tasks during this time included programming the website, drafting the specific legal terms for our newly introduced “Wattpapier,” developing the “greenXmoney” brand, and, of course, searching for our first providers. In early September 2014, the time had finally come: greenXmoney has been online ever since. In the two years of operations, we’ve achieved some successes, but we’ve also had to weather a few setbacks along the way. Ultimately, we’re very proud to have brought a product to market that has been exceptionally well-received by customers and that drives the energy transition in an honest and straightforward way.
Like just about any startup that isn’t appearing on “The Lion’s Den,” we have to work hard to capture our customers’ attention. Trade show appearances, targeted online advertising, and the right sales partners have already helped us build a very strong customer base. However, we didn’t expect the effort required to expand our reach to be this intense.
Being self-employed has given us the opportunity to turn our vision into reality. Of course, this step has also been a “tough learning experience,” but over the past two and a half years, we’ve likely gained more practical experience and knowledge than we ever could have in 10 years as employees. Our advice to all founders is therefore: Fight hard, keep your chin up, analyze the situation, adjust when necessary, and see it through—even if setbacks throw you off course. Because if your idea is a good one, success will follow.
Contact:
Marlene-Dietrich-Str. 5
89231 Neu-Ulm
Tel: 0731/98588-640
info@greenxmoney.com
www.greenxmoney.com
