NÜWIEL's electric bicycle trailers provide a green delivery solution for heavy goods in urban areas. This young start-up from Hamburg, in Germany, wants to be a game-changer for delivery services in cities. We talked to co-founder, Natalia Tomiyama, about NÜWIEL's green mission and her advice for other young entrepreneurs.
How did you get the idea for your business?
Our vision is to free cities from unnecessary car use, noise and air pollution by giving people access to an alternative yet practical transport solution. We believe that transportation in urban areas should resonate with an urban lifestyle: free, flexible and sustainable.
NÜWIEL GmbH was founded in July 2016 in Hamburg, Germany, by Sandro Rabbiosi, Fahad Khan and myself.
Our original idea was to design a motorised bicycle trailer to carry children. But as our research and development evolved, we saw that there were more immediate needs − and market opportunities − in the area of city logistics.
We were keen to explore this area further! So we are now building electric bicycle trailers that can transport up to 150 kg of goods.
What challenges did you face as young entrepreneurs with little business experience?
Building a start-up is never easy, but building an actual product has its specific challenges.
Firstly, we needed to identify the basic features of the electric bicycle trailer. Unlike building a software-based product, a physical product requires a longer development time and more financial resources.
We also realised that we had to start testing early with real users. This lean process enabled us to improve the product’s features based on customers’ needs and market trends at a faster pace.
What advice would you give young entrepreneurs starting out with a new idea?
You have to be bold at the start!
Then, you need to stay focused during the product development phase. It can be a while before you have a product to test and put out in the market.
With each prototype, you will learn more and improve your product. Our advice is to stay humble and focused throughout the whole journey.
NÜWIEL received market and funding advice from Enterprise Europe Network partner TUTECH Innovation and Hamburgische Investitions- und Förderbank (IFB) in Hamburg, Germany.