A warm welcome to Founders Loft, tell us more about ”Jaapi" Thank you! Jaapi offers companies a platform that allows employees to shop merchandise "on demand." Companies use the platform as their own "wardrobe" containing branded merchandise. Employees can order hoodies, tote bags, water bottles, and other items through the platform with just a few clicks and have them shipped directly from the manufacturer, no matter where they are located.
By enabling orders of small quantities and eliminating middlemen in the supply chain, we hope to benefit both the climate and the business.
Karim, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to start Jaapi? I've had the privilege to be part of several tech startups' early growth and commercialization. While working as an employee, I've had several side projects to still some sort of entrepreneurial hunger that I've always had.
Jaapi started as a solution I created in my spare time at my latest employment. I was tired of dealing with merchandise the traditional way—including talking with multiple vendors, being forced to buy more merch than needed, and having to deal with storage and re-distributing everything to my colleagues.
I'm not going to lie; it was a tough choice to leave my job and start my own business, but my wife has been my greatest supporter.
What got you to apply for our incubator? Even though I have been involved in the early stages of startups in the past, I have never been a founder. I’m always looking to get challenged and receive feedback from other, more experienced people.
I think the coaching opportunities and the possibility to learn from other entrepreneurs at Founders Loft are invaluable.
What’s the next step for ”Jaapi"? We need to focus. We need to focus on our product market fit. Jaapi can help many different organizational functions, but we can’t afford to be all over the place. We need laser focus to have a chance at success. And I think the fastest way for us to get there is by doubling down on sales activities to get as much feedback as possible.
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