Say goodbye to complaints about builders

- The building trade is the number one sector when it comes to issues of productivity and dissatisfied customers. At the same time, the industry is also best at neglecting to invest in IT solutions; it has spent very much less than everyone else, says Oskar Andersson, one of the founders of Cling.

So how is the company going to succeed? Contrary to popular belief, the problem is not that builders want to deceive their customers. This according to studies made by, among others, the Swedish Consumer Agency. The reason for the bad customer relationship is the lack of contracts and agreements.

- With digital services and increased transparency we can reduce complaints. We want to make it easy to sign contracts and communicate, says Oskar.

Using the Cling service builders can easily customise quotes online and send to customers. In contrast to paper based alternatives Cling allows contractors to see if the customer has viewed the proposal, receive feedback and get notifications when it’s time to follow up with the customer. If the customer decides to accept the proposal a contract can be signed with BankID, and when the work is done the invoice is easy to send.

From student to entrepreneur

It was when Oskar and his friend Rang Ali studied mechanical engineering at KTH that they were inspired to start developing a new kind of financial service. Via a master thesis in industrial management Oskar met Johan Sandmark and the team was complete. They contacted KTH Innovation for support and the idea that has become Cling started to take shape.

- We have had enormous amounts of help along the way. Anjali Virmani Paul, our coach, is incredibly smart and competent. KTH Innovation has opened a lot of doors to both events and investors. You really get a foot in the door, says Oskar and continues:

- Even though you have a particular mentor you get support from everyone at KTH Innovation because the coaches have different areas of expertise. It is great to be able to tap into that pool of knowledge. Getting support from KTH Innovation is a quality stamp, other players know that there is someone backing you.

Cling is now located at the startup hub SUP46 and will join the STING incubation process in September.

Have you got any tips to others, maybe students, who are thinking about developing their idea?

- Shoot! I would really encourage people to take the chance, especially if you attend KTH and have access to so much help and support. Being a student is really a great opportunity to start a company, and it is a great time to continue when you are fresh out of university. Look at me for example, I would be more settled as an engineer, but this is just so much more fun.

Klara Ördell
klaord@kth.se

Do you want to know more about Cling and their service? Click here!
Do you have an idea that you would like to develop? Contact KTH Innovation!