Digital Transformation in action: a look at Keeepr

We are human. And, at Arion, we are aware of the impact that technology can have on our lives as such. That’s why we aim to become a globally recognized digital transformation powerhouse very soon. We understand the transformative power of technology from within and, in these uncertain times especially, focus on the impact that this power has over our everyday lives. That’s why we spoke with Hubertus Crain, founder and CEO of Keeepr, about digital transformation, Keeepr’s trajectory and future and entrepreneurship. Keeepr is a technological approach to nurturing different types of relationships by offering reminders and recommendations.

The starting point

Hubertus started his career some 15 years ago in different tech companies and settings. Eventually he landed a position as Operations and Logistics Manager for Uber in Germany, back when the company was taking its first steps in the country. That job demanded many hours of work and effort from Hubertus, who in 2018 found himself drifting apart from a romantic relationship he was involved in. “That’s when the idea came to me”, he explained. “I was very heartbroken and realized that maybe if I had shown my partner how much I loved her things would have been different. I also realized that because of the lifestyle I was living I would have needed someone or something to remind me to do these things”.

He started from a very rough idea and decided his first move was to find cofounders to take his idea to the next level. But he quickly realized that was tricky: the first people he chose to bring on board were also ex-Uber employees, but all of them had the same kind of profile as Hubertus. That’s when he understood the value of a strategic partner and decided to find someone with a technological profile in order to bring about the materialization of his idea.

From idea to reality

“At first we found a UX designer in Serbia and discussed functionalities we expected to include. He came up with a framework with UX design that we loved because of how user friendly it was”. But because this idea was bootstrapped at first, Hubertus decided against finding a CTO. “I instead found another co-founder, also ex-Uber, who is based in the US and is currently working on all of the contents that we currently have in the app”.

“What we did was find a strategic tech partner in the US that took the framework the designer had made and started to build an MVP. That process took about 6 months. That partner is now a big part of how we work, because together we pay attention to what attracts our users and where we have opportunities to improve different aspects of the app”.

What lies behind this statement is the value that a strategic partner can bring to the table, in a way that widens the entrepreneur’s (or company’s) point of view and offers more than solid technological knowledge. A good strategic partnership is one that offers new insights based on experience and trajectory, as well as knowledge of both the industry and the market that will hold it. At Arion, our technical expertise coupled with our understanding of industries and businesses makes us a prime candidate to accompany those entrepreneurs and companies in their way to flourishing with all their potential.

The new normal

“If 2020 taught us one thing is that remote working can work. For example, Keeepr never had an office space, even before Covid. So the virus, which meant I had to move back to Germany from New York, didn’t affect us significantly. And I think Covid is also part of what is making us grow. In a pandemic people realize how precious their personal relationships are”.

In this new normal, Hubertus is optimistic and believes that many great tech things are coming our way. For him, technology is helping humanity learn faster, adopt different things and make our lifestyle better. He imagines that, in the future, his generation will face the same tech challenges than his parents’ generation currently faces. Hubertus sees Keeepr as part of this digital transformation. “Keeepr is relevant for the second stage of relationships. The first includes the apps that people use to find others. You have Tinder, Bumble and others where you find matches, but then you need to build that relationship and keep people together. This is a new market with not many tools so far, with a positive impact on humanity and society”.