Renting Over Purchasing Consumer Electronics? Trust Emendu.

More and more people are choosing to rent goods over purchasing them; vehicles, mobile phones, laptops, servers or even real estate. Consumer electronics Renting gives you the chance to stay up-to-date with the latest technology without having to buy or dispose of obsolete equipment. You want it? You rent it. Emendu is a smart tech solution provider, offering the best nationwide choice of technology equipment for long-term hire or short-term rentals.

Getting to know the CEO

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your entrepreneurial background.

I am Aldebarán Bermell, CEO at Emendu. During the early days of my studies, the idea or the concept, if you like, of entrepreneurship had already caught my attention. It was for this reason that I began to do my research and learn more about the startup world. 

Together with a university friend we started hobby-level projects. We gradually began to monetize and we actually ended up founding companies. Those projects were focused on ecommerce and marketplace above all, in different sectors like fitness, technology, beauty industry, textile industry and cryptocurrencies.

My last business was a marketing agency. I managed to scale it and hire a team. That was well before joining Demium. There came a moment when I felt I wanted to try doing things differently but I was missing so much information.

Meet Emendu

Q: What's the elevator pitch for Emendu?

Emendu is the manage marketplace for consumer electronics accessibility. Why do I say this? Because everything revolves around this mission: to make access to consumer electronics easier than ever. To be more specific, we offer accessibility to computers, phones and other devices with a monthly subscription and insurance included. No ties, no strings attached. You can use the type of device you want, when you want and for as long as you want to.

Why are we a manage marketplace? Because we do not buy the technology in advance, but we have a collaboration relationship with various specialized stores. These partners provide the devices and we deliver the process, organize the marketing strategy and supply the platform. So they get extra profit from the devices and our scalability as a company becomes more relevant.

Q: What’s the best part about creating Emendu?

For me it is everything, although it sounds as idyllic as being on a movie set… Be that as it may, Demium has supported us a lot during the ideation phase. As I was telling before, Emendu was conceived to make access to technology easier than ever, and with that in mind I myself nowhere but where I am today as CEO at Emendu. Finding a business model is difficult but validating it ended up being successful. We validated pretty quickly. In a matter of 1 week we made three different landing pages and cold traffic ads. The results doubled our expectations. 

After that I started calling all these potential clients and asking why they were interested in our services. The ideation phase is very rewarding because you are discovering new things and beginning to shape what you like best. It’s more rewarding to start because you already have a goal. If you do not have the determination and commitment, it is very likely you’ll get lost in the way, stumbling through the ideation phase. Starting the project it is a lot of fun because you begin to see what makes sense, and what doesn't… this is when the quest for a solution commences. Having your first customers even if you’re not getting paid at all is worthwhile. In our case we also talk with the stores, since we are a Marketplace we have 2 types of customers.

Team building is great too. We have created a passionate, engaged team. I wouldn’t like to leave out the market launch, verifying that numbers make sense and every hour you invested finally paid off. Whoever thinks that creating a startup is dedicating 4 hours and that investment rounds and clients from heaven are going to rain on you, is very wrong. 

The early mornings without sleeping because the web doesn’t work, the calls with providers at 3 in the morning (this has actually happened to me)… everything makes sense, it was all for the best. We are in the growth stage right now, and it is even more rewarding. I’m passionate about what I do. I go to bed thinking about what the next day will bring. I honestly feel very lucky.

Emendu & Demium

Q: Why did you start with Demium?

I really came to Demium to learn and get together with people much better than me, with much more experience... and that is exactly what I have achieved. In the end, what Demium has given me is the professionalization of the business. Not only on an Emendu level, but also on a personal level. All this thanks to the incubation program, the people involved in it, the entrepreneurs and the people at Demium but also mentors. This also helped me to meet new business contacts. I’m so pleased to see everything Demium has done for Emendu. I think that in that sense there is a lot of meritocracy. When they see that a team is working, and moving forward, they get more involved, even though they do a job and spend a lot of time with all the startups in the incubation program. Professionalism, learning and contacts epitomizes what Demium means to me. 

Q: How was your experience during the incubation program?

It has been very similar to the AllStartup Weekend. The incubation program is a teaching hub, one that requires dedication and rewards you with massive personal development. During the first months of the incubation program they give you very interesting inputs. Demium does not always tell you what to do, you are the entrepreneur after all; what they do and quite frankly they always ace it, is that they become the helping hand you need and teach you things you had no idea about before. It's a bit like a college degree. The university gives you the academic background you need but it is up to you to find a job 3 months, 1 year or 4 years after graduation. It depends on your on-going professional development and how you choose to apply the academic knowledge to the job you do. Demium gives you a basis to build on and the pedestal to stand upon, in areas like financing, marketing, management or technology. They adapt a lot to the profile of the entrepreneur. 

You’ll be mentored by senior executives with professional experience. And it’s the latter that marks all the difference. You’ll need guidelines if you lack the experience. Having a project manager who is external to the company, but who is also internal in the sense that he is very supportive; one who helps you trace and lead the course of action, can be very beneficial to entrepreneurs who still haven’t set up their business.

Q: One Word to describe Demium's incubation programme

One word to describe the incubation programme? Learning. I can’t describe Demium in one word but if I had to, that word would be: skills. Very talented people work at Demium. Also Jorge, the founder, who is supporting me a lot. They are experts in their field and you learn a lot just by talking to them. 

It is a constant mentoring. But Demium won’t do things for you, quite the contrary. Demium provides you with the tools you need to achieve what you are willing to achieve.

Q: Think about where you were before you started with Demium, and tell us your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs or someone considering starting their own thing.

Just give it a go. Better to fail than not try at all; little maybes and what-ifs won’t do any good. Keep an open mind. Get ideas on the fly. Learn from everything they tell you. 

I would advise you to join Demium. You will learn a lot, meet new people, highly skilled professionals who will tell you success stories about startups like Landbot, Citibox, Swipcar or Singularu. Just being able to speak with such inspiring is mind-blowing.  

On the fence about joining Demium? Think of it this way, if you’re 100% sure you want to launch your product and feel something is missing, you’re most likely missing the Demium Factor. They are bound to give you the push you need and the mentoring to motivate and excite you. They’ll be your perfect ally, and your safe haven!

https://emendu.com/