While conversational commerce has already been successfully integrated into the marketing mix in Asia and South America, the discipline is still in its infancy in this country. But Artjem Weissbeck, founder of Charles, wants to change that. With his SaaS company, he has developed a tool that links online store APIs with the WhatsApp API to enable shopping experiences in the messaging app. Complementing this, Charles can also be used to fully map customer support in the app. In the interview, Artjem talks about why he left Kapten & Son, what the early days with Charles were like, and how a funding round in the SaaS space works. He also discusses with Johannes Kliesch how Charles can be used and what hacks he has for companies that want to start in the area of conversational commerce, using SNOCKS as an example.

(00:06:30) How did the beginnings with Kapten & Son go?
(00:14:20) How did Artjem get the idea to start Charles?
(00:18:28) Why do you develop a new business idea from a well-functioning business?
(00:23:06) How many shares do you have to give away if you want to raise money but don't have a presentable product yet?
(00:25:53) How do you proceed once you have raised the first money? What are the next steps?
(00:28:28) When was Charles able to onboard the first customer on its own software?
(00:30:08) What happens in the second round of funding?
(00:34:58) What are the typical concerns of potential customers regarding conversational shopping via Whatsapp?
(00:41:08) What are the costs of conversational shopping via WhatsApp and Charles?
(00:50:50) What was Artjem's Why Not Moment?