Founding story July 2021 - Graphmasters
What for some is utopia, Graphmasters founder Sebastian Heise has set himself the task of creating a world without traffic jams and free-flowing traffic. To achieve this, he and his two co-founders, together with their now 52-strong team, are focusing on networked navigation. The basis for this is the NUNAV technology they have developed. Unlike conventional navigation systems, each vehicle is assigned an individual route. NUNAV distributes the traffic across the entire road infrastructure. By combining this with AI-based traffic models, traffic forecasts and real-time traffic information, which is synchronized several times per second, NUNAV users are no longer stuck in traffic jams, consume less fuel and arrive at their destination more punctually. What sounds simple has already been tried and tested in practice!
Sebastian, how did the idea come about?
A good ten years ago, my co-founder and I were sitting in a pub looking out of the window. There was a traffic jam on one side of the street, while the street on the other side was empty. We asked ourselves whether there was a better way to do this. So the idea was born almost on a beer mat. We submitted it to a Microsoft competition and won against global competition in 2012. That was crazy. In addition to good funding, there was a lot of publicity. We then had to set up very quickly to turn the idea into reality. The first three employees were so convinced that they quit their jobs and started working for us without a salary. And today we have four locations in Germany, the UK, Switzerland and Austria.
Who benefits from your technology?
All those who participate in road traffic. The navigation app is available to private individuals free of charge. In addition to the state of Lower Saxony, customers include large logistics companies, courier services and organizers of trade fairs, events and concerts. Individual and digital parking and guidance systems are created here with additional functions. The technology has already been used at the Maschsee Festival. We are talking to major car manufacturers and dream of our technology being installed in every vehicle at some point. If you consider that around 300 million liters of fuel are pointlessly burned in traffic jams every year in Germany, then we have the motivation. We are already planning 24,000 routes per minute, saving 7,716 tons of CO2 every year.
What tips do you have for other founders?
Courage and also a bit of negligence. Mirror your ideas with others, try them out and don't be afraid that the idea could be stolen. Take part in all kinds of competitions. It makes you fit.
Contact details
Graphmasters GmbH
Hollerithallee 17
30419 Hanover
Tel: +49 (0)511 760 80 333
Graphmasters.net
Sebastian on the cooperation with hannoverimpuls:
We have been benefiting from their services for many years now. Whether it's for funding advice, trade fair appearances or as a door opener. And we have a great landlord in the TECHNOLOGIE ZENTRUM (TZ) in Marienwerder, who always helps us when we need more space. With 78 offices, eleven workshops and eight laboratories, hannoverimpuls' TZ offers innovative, technology-oriented companies and start-ups in the science park the opportunity for optimal business development.
Katrin Gehrke, Head of the TECHNOLOGY CENTER about the founders of Graphmasters:
Sebastian Heise and his team have done pretty much everything hannoverimpuls has to offer. They were part of Plug & Work, won the start-up prize in the Startup-Impuls competition in 2013, have participated in Gründen heute, have been represented at trade fairs, have taken part in funding programs and, above all, have used our network to their advantage. The development speaks for itself. And we are delighted to have Graphmasters with us, a company that is constantly growing.
Photo credit: Graphmasters