Tarek Garir - Cruising Around Hamburg the Smart Way

After meeting with Flemming Kühl I hurry back to my hostel. I have an incoming Skype call with Tarek Garir. We were supposed to meet in person, but something else came up. After finding a reasonably (but not really) quiet corner of the hostel lobby I take the call. Tarek is punctual.

– Hi, sorry for doing this via Skype. I didn’t realize that it was my mom’s birthday today. We just had dinner.

I laugh and ask him to send her my best wishes. I don’t want to keep Tarek from his mom longer than necessary, so we jump right into it.

– So, my idea is called Skujou. It’s like scooter and joule, the unit of energy, combined. It is an electric scouter, made to make our lives easier.

I ask Tarek how he came up with the idea.

– I have lived in Hamburg my whole life, and I have been trying different ways of getting around. For some time, I used my car, but it was expensive and it was nearly impossible to find parking space. Moreover, it is bad for the environment. Then I tried biking, but who really wants to step into the classroom all sweaty? Not me at least. My last try was to go by public transportation, but it wasn’t flexible enough for me. I was just not satisfied with any of the alternatives. Then one day, I just realized the perfect solution that is flexible, convenient and environmental friendly. The solution is the Skujou Cruise.

Tarek sends me a link to the project, which is not yet fully launched. And it sure looks promising.

– I had a Kickstarter campaign up and running this summer, but we did not really reach our target. But hey, I’m not giving up, this just postponed the launch slightly.

Tarek is currently a student, but still no newcomer when it comes to entrepreneurship.

– I founded the site Lass mal Essen a couple of years ago. The idea is for people to sign up, cook and have dinners together with new people. The site is still up and running, but right now I’m focusing more on Skujou.

I ask him what he thinks about the startup community in Hamburg.

– To be honest, it doesn’t really interest me to go the startup events that are arranged all around the city. I believe that it is a mutual admiration society, and I try to focus in my stuff instead. In my opinion, if you are at all those events, your business is likely not doing well, since you have the time to do it. But that’s maybe just me.

I thank Tarek for the nice talk and for being able to steal him a couple of minutes from the birthday party.

I realize it’s time to start packing my stuff for tomorrow’s long journey towards Berlin, and I hurry up to my (and seven other people’s) room.