What was the catalyst for launching deeploi?
[Philipp] I founded an IT company 10 years ago, which started out as a traditional IT service provider and then moved toward becoming a managed service provider. During that time, I realised a lot of companies - that lack a dedicated IT department - face similar challenges.
My cofounder Julian was the first employee of the PropTech startup McMakler, which quickly grew to a team of 1200. In the various growth phases of the company, he has seen how relevant a functioning IT setup is and what can go wrong.
deeploi was launched as a solution to that.
We aim to reduce the friction and productivity loss caused by suboptimal IT setups.
Tell us about the business – what it is, what it aims to achieve, who you work with, how you reach customers and so on?
[Julian] deeploi provides businesses with affordable, efficient, and secure IT. The platform is designed to cut the time spent on IT by 80%, with support provided to respond to ticket issues in under 30 minutes. We see a lot of office managers or CEOs becoming what we call the “accidental IT admin” - through a combination of the platform and expert support, our service helps them so that they can focus on their actual jobs.
Our platform connects key IT tools and simplifies the automation of workflows such as on-boarding or off-boarding, device management, compliance, and cybersecurity. We offer an efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional managed service providers (MSPs) and complex internal IT setups that require managing multiple expert tools.
Our ideal customers are cloud-native companies with modern tech stacks - startups, brand agencies, marketing firms and D2C companies.
How has the business evolved since its launch?
[Philipp] We started deeploi in Q1 2023 and launched the platform just three months later. Since then, the product expanded quickly, we closed two funding rounds, opened two offices, hired 30+ people and onboarded 50+ clients. Multiple product features have been added and clients can connect tech tools such as Personio directly to our platform.
Tell us about the working culture at deeploi
[Julian] We are a team of 30 people from 12 nationalities and have offices in both Berlin and Munich, which makes the general working setup hybrid and flexible. Our employees are given high responsibility and ownership from day one. What unites our team is a strong team spirit and commitment to our vision of creating a completely new category of "IT-as-a-Service".
This can only be achieved with strong collaboration. The working culture is fun, open, feedback friendly, but dedicated. We believe that our culture of continuous improvement is one of the key elements that make us stand out in the market.
How are you funded?
[Julian] In February 2023, a few weeks after the launch of deeploi, we raised a Pre-Seed Round of €3M with Cherry Ventures, a leading early-stage VC in Germany. This funding played a crucial role in helping us define our idea more precisely, rolling out our product and enabling us to build a great team at an early stage. In just 10 months, we were able to raise our Seed Round of €6M. This round was led by Atomico, with contributions from Cherry Ventures and existing business angels, bringing our total funding to €9M.
What has been your biggest challenge so far and how have you overcome this?
[Philipp] Interestingly, our major challenge isn't sporadic but continuous, maintaining focus because we’re addressing each customer challenge one by one. Perhaps the most significant challenge overall lies in creating a focused product in a market that is rapidly evolving. Our goal is to develop a platform that simplifies this complexity and generates real value, instead of introducing further hurdles and loops - as we observe some of our competitors doing. We achieve this by closely collaborating with our customers, listening to their feedback and implementing it in our products and partnerships.
How does deeploi answer an unmet need?
[Philipp] The shortage of skilled IT workers is a problem not just in Germany, where a recent Bitkom study predicted a shortage of over 600,000 IT workers by 2040, but throughout Europe. As a result, SMEs, who typically do not yet have the capacity or resources to hire a dedicated IT function, face significant friction, security risks and expense in managing their tech stack. We aim to solve those challenges and automate IT workflows. This reduces the workload for (accidental) IT workers, allowing them to focus on key tasks and initiatives.
What’s in store for the future?
[Julian] In the future, our single-user interface will provide easy access to all data and become the primary access point for any existing vertical IT solution. Initially focused on agencies, consultancies and start-ups, our future plans are to expand to a wider market segment. As we continue to integrate more tools into our interface and the product evolves, it will target additional audiences, such as larger IT teams looking to reduce repetitive tasks. Starting with SaaS + Service, we provide immediate value to customers and gather direct feedback. Over time, we plan to add even more automated processes to the platform. Future plans include increasing the number of integrations, workflows and partnerships.
What one piece of advice would you give other founders or future founders?
[Julian] Fundraising will teach you a lot, as it is a big learning process itself, so we started discussing our 60-80% ready pitch deck version with angels & VCs from our network already - to ensure we get early feedback and involvement. It is super important to present your vision & product clearly. At the same time, investor questions help to dive deeper into certain areas around your company. They will question all of your assumptions and that can oftentimes make you even more confident about what you're building. In the end, it's about the balance of knowing what you want and still being open for input all the time.
[Philipp] Believing in your product vision is the first step towards making it a reality. The fact that it hasn't been done before doesn't necessarily mean it's impossible. Committing to your vision is crucial, as it helps attract the right investors, partners, and team members for your endeavour.
And finally, a more personal question! What’s your daily routine and the rules you’re living by at the moment?
[Julian] I start my day by taking a stroll to the office with my dog, which helps clear my mind. In addition, I strive to maintain a balance between diligent work and taking necessary breaks, as well as ensuring I get enough sleep. Sundays are typically reserved for a 2-3 hour block of time where I plan for the upcoming week and catch up on any unfinished tasks from the previous week. This routine allows me to approach Mondays feeling calm and prepared.
[Philipp] Currently, my primary focus is on getting enough sleep as I have a very young son 🙂 Generally, my challenge is to balance work and friends and family while taking a little time for gym workouts as well.
Julian Lübke is the cofounder & CEO and Philipp Hoffmann is the cofounder & CPO of deeploi.
