WHU Start-Up Receives Founder’s Award From Sparkasse Koblenz

The start-up marta, founded in 2021 by WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management alumni Philipp Buhr and Jan Hoffmann (both BSc, 2017), has recently been awarded the Founder’s Award of Sparkasse Koblenz. “Receiving the Founder’s Award means great recognition for our team for the work and vision of marta,” co-founder Philipp Buhr commented. “The fact that an institution like Sparkasse, which enjoys a high level of trust among those in our target group, has praised us also strengthens our reputation as a reliable company and spurs us on to provide even more people with the best possible support.”

This year marks the sixteenth time that Sparkasse Koblenz has given its Founder’s Award to small and medium-sized companies in five categories. Although marta is based in Berlin, the start-up’s roots are here in the Koblenz region. There has long been a close relationship between the founders and Sparkasse Koblenz, and Philipp Buhr and Jan Hoffmann couldn’t have asked for a better partner at their side as they set up their own company. “The cooperation with the local contacts was very straightforward. Jan and I had already founded companies before and while studying at WHU and had many bad experiences with other banks,” Philipp Buhr commented. “Unlike with many neobanks, we have a personal contact who can react flexibly to requests, is there for us at any time if necessary, and offers customized solutions.”

Founded just over two years ago, marta offers a platform that matches families with caregivers for the eldery. This ensures that certified professionals offer seniors individualized care right in their own homes. Matching and deployment of a suitable caregiver occurs within three to five business days and is possible nationwide. And the founders have even more plans: “The goal is to build an ecosystem in the future that allows relatives to fully manage the care of those in need of care via a single platform. This should not only improve care, but also reduce the burden on the patient's relatives.”