Go to the German market - Kobla

About the company

Kobla AS is a green sustainable Norwegian company which has created an app (Kobla) made for and sold to municipalities. The objective of the app is to motivate the inhabitants of municipalities and counties to choose sustainable alternatives when it comes to everyday transport, such as commuting to the workplace, transportation to the grocery store or how to get into the city center. The app rewards choosing to cycle, walk or use public transportation. All the different Norwegian municipalities have goals that require emissions reduction at scale. The Kobla app will be used as a tool to help each of the respective municipalities to reach these goals. Additionally, Kobla AS sets up an environmental dashboard both for the individual user and for the municipality as a whole, making it easier to track the reduction of emissions locally. 

The app uses gamification as a methodology to motivate and influence travelling behaviour in a more environmental positive direction. One of our gamification features is to collect badges to receive a reward for positive actions when it comes to the environment. The app also features competitions between colleagues, family members and friends. The goal of these competitions is to be as environmentally friendly as possible, using green alternatives most exclusively.  

Keywords

• Go-to-market plan for Germany
• Smart City integrator vs. Environmental motivator
• Investigate the opportunities specifically in German cities with 80,000 - 120,000 inhabitants
• Public customers (cities / municipalities / counties)
• Large corporate customers (Volkswagen, Miele, Siemens, etc.)
• Choice of sales channels / Entry mode

Background

Kobla AS wants to expand its business internationally. Strategically, we feel that Germany is a natural next market for us, as Germany is an early adaptor of sensor technology in smart cities and "mobility as a service" (MaaS) solutions. Kobla is currently present in the Norwegian and Swedish market. Our knowledge of the German market is limited, therefore we would appreciate help investigating and analyzing the opportunities it represents.

Challenge

How can Kobla AS as a startup enter the German market with credibility and become a serious player that will be used by German cities, municipalities, counties and businesses, both SME's and big corporations?