Fluster seeks to fulfill the need of urban people seeking new roommates or room rentals in a more convenient way. It helps to save time in their search for what really matters to them.
Founder, David Dal Busco
Name: Fluster
Location: Zürich
Website: https://fluster.io
Service offering: An improved marketplace for roommates and room rentals
Founder Interviewed: David Dal Busco
This article is part of our Business Startup Spotlight series featuring entrepreneurs and their companies. We hope that these founders’ interviews will inspire and motivate you as you undertake your own entrepreneurial journey.
Tell us a little about yourself with a focus on what motivates you.
I grew up in the French part of Switzerland, more precisely in the canton of Jura. If you are reading these lines with a bit of French accent in mind, I will not argue; you are totally right.
My background in software engineering with an executive master in business and administration. I like to think that I am kind a Swiss pocketknife when it comes to software product development. From brewing the coffee for the first pitch meeting to delivering the product on time and within budget, I can handle any tasks related to product development.
When did you establish your company and where did the idea originate?
I moved to Zürich two years ago for a new position in a local startup. To do so, I also had to find a new flat and new roommates. This turned out to be a boring and time-consuming quest. All platforms and solutions of the market were frustrating to me because I had to spend a considerable amount of time, hours, even weeks, to find the right match.
After thinking about this issue, I decided to quit my new job and create Fluster. It is an improved marketplace for roommates and rooms rentals with plenty of unique features focused on the users’ interests. I help people facing the same issues I did to find rooms or roommates quicker.
What need or needs does your company seek to fill for its customers?
Fluster seeks to fulfill the need of urban people seeking new roommates or room rentals in a more convenient way. It helps to save time in their search for what really matters to them.
What is the one thing that sets your company apart from its competitors?
It may sound cheesy, but I am unlike my competitors or even the rapper, 50 Cent. I do not personally care about “Getting rich or die trying”. My only concern is supporting people when they struggle to find a new roof over their heads or new roomies. I have built a solution which offers unique features to address these issues, and will continue to develop new features and ideas to achieve this goal.
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What was the biggest challenge you faced while getting your company up and running, and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge was and continues to be the chicken and egg problem as it relates to marketplaces. It is still difficult to reach enough users willing to advertise their room rentals with my solution and in turn build enough content. This is my biggest concern from day to day.
Are there resources you have utilized that other founders might find compelling or useful?
Fluster is a mobile application developed with the open source framework, Ionic. To give back to the community, I try to be relatively active on different channels. For example, I have currently visited the forum devoted to this technology 540 days in a row. I have provided 103 solutions. I have also recently created a meetup group here in Zürich around this technology and ecosystem.
What steps have you taken to secure funding for your company and what, if anything, would you do differently if you had to start over?
I did not secure foreign funding to create my startup, at least not yet. I am using my savings and working on the side to finance my project.
If I had to start over, I would probably do the same. Even if it is probably not the easiest way to spread the word to reach a huge number of users, I do believe in hard work and that risks should be taken to achieve goals; otherwise, the process would be meaningless to me.
Have there been any questions you have had as an entrepreneur of a fledgling startup that you had a particularly hard time finding the answers to?
Many questions are difficult to answer and push me towards countless hours of reflection and analysis. Not being an entrepreneur in my field of activity has given me a hard time. The exception to this may be when I feel insecure about the possibility of success, but fortunately I have got a strong will.
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What is the most helpful tip or “hack” you’ve ever learned, stumbled across, or been given?
Once I was volunteering in Nepal and had to help to prepare the dinner. After cutting an onion, tears began to flow down my face. At this point the local cook gave me the most valuable hack ever: do not cut dry onions. First, put them briefly under water because when they are a bit wet, they retain the sulphur that normally flows through the air into your eyes. Since that day, I have never cried again while cooking.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your company?
If you have any marketing and/or advertising hacks to share, you are someone who wants to invest in my company, or simply have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. I would love to hear from you! I am always looking to learn, even if it is only another culinary hack.
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Are you familiar with other startups you believe should be spotlighted? If so, we would like to hear from you. Tell us about them in the comments below!
Sandra Sloan
Sandra has previous supply chain and business operations experience which she is leveraging as an author with FundingSage focused on spotlighting entrepreneurs and their startup efforts.
