With its app by the same name, the Munich startup Repure aims to support its users’ health with Ayurveda. The app offers practical examples, exercises and daily, customized tips. The articles and video content come from a renowned Indian Ayurveda expert.
Munich Startup: Who are you and what do you do? Please introduce yourself!
Repure: We are a mixed bunch that couldn’t be more different in some areas: Karl Seidemann, 60 years old, construction and real estate industry; Karin Kahofer, 52 years old, cosmetics industry; Michael Frick, 40 years old, design & brand development, communication; Toni Huber, 42 years old, digital marketing & social media communication; and Sophie Kahofer, 26 years old, project management.
A good year ago, the idea was born to help as many people as possible live a happy and healthy life with Ayurveda. The Ayurveda expertise comes from our team member Vaidya Prathmesh Vyas (the word ‘Vaidya’ refers to a person who practices Ayurveda and has completed the multiple years of study in India or Sri Lanka, note from editor), one of the most internationally recognized Ayurveda scholars from India. Making that knowledge accessible and appealing to our Western lifestyle is our common goal. For the initial stage, we were able to win over Leo Widrich, the founder of the app “Buffer” as our coach. Our varied fields of experience put us in an excellent position, and we were able to quickly develop the app and put it on the market.
Repure increases awareness of your own body
Munich Startup: What problem does your startup solve?
Repure: We live in a world where the majority of us shirk the responsibility for our own health and put it in the hands of doctors or pharmacies. Very few of us still listen to our bodies or have an understanding of interdependences in our bodies. That is exactly where Repure wants to increase awareness. With our daily routines, we provide short tips and recommendations each day that anyone can easily try and work into their everyday lives without any major resources. For concrete issues, our essential articles help by offering customized Ayurvedic recommendations.
The primary objective of Ayurveda and consequently the Repure app is to lead a balanced life and make preventive provisions for your health. We want to support our users in doing that and offer daily guidance.
Munich Startup: But that’s nothing out of the box!
Repure: Of course it isn’t! We didn’t reinvent Ayurveda. But we are reinterpreting it. It is easier to understand than ever with as few foreign words as possible and one thing above all else: no pressure! We want to show people how easy Ayurveda can be and how easy and wonderful it can be to lead a healthy life. Ayurveda is not a dogmatic diet. Ayurveda feels good, and Ayurveda is as individual as each and every one of us. With our daily routines, we become an everyday companion to our users and help them lead a healthier and happier life.
Munich Startup: Was there a point when you nearly failed?
Repure: We actually did have to cancel an entire video shoot because our Vaidya lives in India and wasn’t able to get a visa. We then internally questioned the videos as a whole and started to even doubt if we should do them at all. In the end, however, everything with the visa and video shoot worked out and we are extremely happy with the results!
From the app to their own products
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, and where in five years?
Repure: Our aim is for the app to be an enrichment for as many people as possible so that as many people as possible use the app and do so regularly. In a year at the latest, we will be able to offer our users an Android version in addition to the existing iOS app as well as an English version of the app. We are also working on further personalization of the content.
Where we see ourselves in five years? With our Ayurveda app, we will continue to introduce as many people as possible to the positive aspects of Ayurveda, giving them the opportunity to learn as much as possible about themselves and their bodies. We are also planning an Ayurveda Center, a series of our own Ayurveda products to use with our tips and daily routines and, with one of the most comprehensive pools of knowledge in the field of Ayurveda, want to guide people around the world every day and help them live happier and healthier lives.
Targeted founding in Munich
Munich Startup: How do you view Munich as a startup location?
Repure: Munich is the best city in the world! We also feel that people are open-minded to our app and our fields of interest here. That was also the reason why we chose Munich as our “homebase.” And as it should be with new work, our team members are not only in Munich but are also located in Salzburg, Innsbruck, Passau, Vienna and India. We all meet up regularly in Munich and talk in person about all of the topics involving Ayurveda and Repure.
Munich Startup: Get up early in the morning or pull all-nighters?
Repure: Both. Because we are all so different, we have both early birds and night owls in the group. And even if it isn’t always easy, that might be one of our greatest strengths: the diversity we offer as a team!