Every week we feature a new startup at Fundsup that forces a radical breakthrough. This time we chat with Philip van Gorcum, Founder of Ervio.
Philip, what exactly are you doing?
Ervio is a subscription model for laptops with monthly payments. Thus, laptops as a service – for a fixed period, on a contract basis during which we retain ownership. The subscription includes software, helpdesk, maintenance, and repairs.
Where do you see its main application?
More and more, consumers and businesses want to pay for what they exactly want, and for the period that they need it for. Besides, they also want to reduce unnecessary waste. Our service will fit in today’s economic landscape in which you see the rise of the ‘circular economy’. People tend to move away from traditional ownership (“buy and own”) and care more for the use of a product or service. Good examples of the shared economy are mobility-as-a-service (Swapfiets) or accommodation-as-a-service (Airbnb).
“In the Netherlands alone, we dispose of 150 million kilograms of electronic waste each year!”
What problems do you solve?
Ervio focuses on both B2C and B2B since considerable advantages exist for both markets. For individual consumers, the advantages include a lack of high upfront cost for buying technology, no maintenance- or repair-related risk, and always having an up-to-date product.
For small businesses, the laptop-as-a-service model means no upfront investment in hardware, the flexibility in adapting to business growth, and predictable costs on financial balance (cash flow management).
As a plus, all consumers participate in a more sustainable business model, because of the re-use of the product at the end of the cycle.
What is the impact of your business?
In the Netherlands alone, we dispose of 150 million kilograms of electronic waste each year! With a circular business model, at the end of the lifecycle for the consumer, the product can be recycled either by re-using the components or refurbishing the product. The European Commission marked the circular economy as a priority and the Dutch government has the ambition to strive for a fully circular economy in 2050.
Where do you stand right now?
The concept has been proven with the first 100 subscriptions in the first year. We see that there is a demand from both consumers and small businesses for an all-in-one subscription without any hassle. So far we only offered refurbished HP Windows laptops, but we would also like to expand with Macbooks.
What would be the ideal investor match?
I am looking for an investor/partner that is willing to take on the challenge to bring laptops to the market in a different way. Thus disrupting the current market with laptop subscriptions. Ideally, an investor has an affinity with the electronics market and has the network and knowledge that could help us to scale up.
Best of luck with everything!
Thanks, check out our pitch deck in the Fundsup app: https://api.fundsup.co/go/zfdsihdNT8