Car Maintenance 2.0: Revolutionizing the Auto Repair Experience
By: Ssuc Editor
Tags: Founder Stories, Startup, Cars, Vehicles, Business

Why mechanic-turned-CEO Naim Osmani left the garage behind to found MeinMech.

By Gena Olson

From electric vehicles to ride-sharing apps, technology is driving fundamental change in the automotive industry. But the experience of actually maintaining a vehicle hasn’t quite caught up with all the disruption. Enter MeinMech, a Zurich-based startup that wants to shake up the world of automotive repair.

The idea? Busy car owners can book on-demand car service directly on the MeinMech website. Once an appointment is made, MeinMech will pick up the vehicle at a time and place of the customer’s choosing, drive it to be repaired by a trusted mechanic in the MeinMech network, and deliver it back on the same day.

It’s a service that is targeting a broad potential customer base: the 1.5 million car owners in Switzerland whose vehicles are no longer under manufacturer warranty. The added value goes beyond just being a more convenient way to get cars serviced. The company, which describes itself as an “online garage,” wants to bring trust and transparency to the car maintenance experience.

“Once we confirm a customer’s order, they shouldn’t have to take care of anything anymore,” explains Naim Osmani, CEO and founder of MeinMech. “We offer reliability. We don’t want customers to waste any time. We also want them to be fully informed about costs. It’s the year 2020, and transparency is now extremely important.”

From mechanic to CEO

Naim Osmani may be just 32 years old, but he has already had two completely different careers. Since mid-2019 Osmani has been the CEO of MeinMech, but he got his start in the working world as an auto mechanic some 17 years ago. While he always kept his passion for cars, his desire to stay in the garage faded over time. “Mechanics weren’t getting enough appreciation,” he says. “In the big garages there was less and less customer contact but more and more time pressure.”

Osmani knew something had to change. He decided to go back to school — not exactly the path of least resistance for a young father of two. While he was studying at the University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration in Zurich (HWZ), the concept behind MeinMech started to take shape.

Having spent so many years in the auto industry, Osmani knew the pain points of both car owners and garages. He submitted a business concept to the HWZ accelerator program, which is run in cooperation with Swiss Startup Factory (SSUF). Max Meister, co-founder of SSUF and Lecturer for Entrepreneurship at HWZ, liked what he saw and invited Osmani to pitch. His business plan won over the jury and became the second project to win support from the accelerator, marking the beginning of a fruitful relationship between SSUF and what would later become MeinMech.

“Max introduced me to the startup world and its workings,” says Osmani. “His entire team supported me from the beginning, and without their support I would not be here today.”

Osmani’s advice for people looking to make a similar leap into the startup scene? “A lot of people are unhappy in their jobs but don’t have the courage to change,” he says. “But don’t be afraid of change. Just go for it. There’s nothing worse than being trapped in a job where you’re totally unhappy.”

Driving growth in Switzerland and beyond

Armed with an ambitious expansion strategy, MeinMech is set to grow significantly over the next few years. This year the company is hiring five new employees and will enter the testing phase for new companion services such as MeinTuner, an on-demand car personalization platform.

A countrywide rollout is also on the agenda. MeinMech is already available in much of German-speaking Switzerland and aims to establish a presence in the French- and Italian-speaking parts of the country by the end of 2020. The company’s plans don’t stop at the Swiss border, however: MeinMech has its sights set on Italy and Turkey, where it will test the waters for international expansion.

MeinMech’s growth targets may be serious, but Osmani has made the conscious decision to inject a bit of playfulness into the brand. “In the auto industry most of the marketing is very boring,” he says. “I knew if we wanted to enter the market, we would have to be a little bit cheeky.” MeinMech is intentionally cultivating a fresh, hip vibe: The company website offers playful branded merchandise (pastel pink t-shirts, anyone?) and proudly shows off their cool young team — including office dog Amelia, who even has her own Instagram account.

Coolness alone won’t get the job done, of course: Having the right team is crucial to the success of a startup. Here Osmani is convinced that MeinMech has the right people in the driver’s seat. “In a startup it’s a bit like a family,” he says. “We laugh together, we cry together, we look at the figures together. Everyone here is hungry for success. I have to remind people that they need to go home at the end of the day.”

Big potential for disrupting the car maintenance space

For proof of concept and a bit of inspiration, Osmani looks to North America, where startups that digitize the car maintenance experience have been making waves over the past few years. One such company is the San Francisco-based Yoshi, which offers an app that brings gas, washing and servicing directly to people’s vehicles in 20 cities across the US. In 2018 Yoshi attracted $13.7 million in investment from big backers such as GM and ExxonMobil.

Another player is the Seattle-based Wrench, a matchmaking service that pairs up mechanics and people in need of car repairs. The fledgling firm snagged $20 million in Series C funding last year. These signs from across the Atlantic point to enormous potential for services that can disrupt the auto repair and maintenance space — and suggest that the time is now for MeinMech to put the pedal to the metal.

MeinMech Founder and CEO Naim Osmani