The Mission Monument team with the statue of the writer and journalist Sigi Sommer.
© Mission Monument

“Mission Monument makes it possible to talk to statues”

From Ludwig II and Sigi Sommer to the boar in front of the Hunting and Fishing Museum, there are numerous statues in Munich. But while some of the kings are still familiar to us, not all of the greats depicted are always well known. And so the stories of the Schmied von Kochel, Ernest von Grossi or Liesl Karlstadt remain hidden from most passers-by. The Munich-based startup Mission Monument wants to remedy this by bringing the statues to life on people's smartphones and letting them tell their stories. The founders reveal more in this interview.

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Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem do you solve?

Mission Monument: Mission Monument makes it possible to talk to statues. This turns a walk through the city or a visit to a museum into an interactive experience. With our app, we want to contribute to a more conscious perception of public space and a contemporary discourse on monument culture. In short, we want to increase cultural education and entertainment at the same time – in a motivating and empathetic way. Our app is for everyone who is looking for cultural education and entertainment in a city, both locals and tourists in different age groups.

This is what the test version of the Mission Monument app currently looks like. © Mission Monument

Munich Startup: But that’s nothing out of the box!

Mission Monument: Yes, it is!

Munich Startup: What’s your founding story?

Mission Monument: The four of us have been friends for a long time and Jones, Simon and Will have been developing web applications and apps together for years. During a joint city trip to Regensburg, we visited the Walhalla. We were very impressed by the size and scope of the exhibition. However, we all came out with the desire to find out much more about the people behind the busts. And at that moment, the idea for Mission Monument was born, and the idea quickly turned into a concrete project and an application for the FFF Bavaria’s “Extended Realities” funding program.

Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?

Mission Monument: We are aware that many great ideas are currently competing for attention, especially in the digital sector. It is also not getting any easier to obtain funding for cultural projects at the moment. We feel both of these effects, of course. But we’re keen to delve deeper into the possibilities of cultural funding and look for partners who also bring motivation, imagination and a sense of playfulness to the table. We are enthusiastically working on using the further development of digital technologies, not just in the field of AI.

The first tour is scheduled for 2024

Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in a year, where would you like to be in five years?

Mission Monument: We would like to publish our first own tour “Munich Personalities” in 2024 and also help museums to enrich the experiences of their visitors through the customized implementation of our idea. Many more tours and museums are to follow in the years to come. We also want to make the technology for creating content so simple that customers can create and change it themselves.

Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?

Mission Monument: Munich has a lot to offer startups and doesn’t have to hide from Berlin. We have already got to know many exciting people, companies, ideas and programs, which has also advanced our product. Nonetheless, you also have to make sure that things move forward yourself.

Munich Startup: Public transport or bike?

Mission Monument: If it’s somehow possible, then definitely by bike!