AMA: Chris Tingley, founder of EVware

Serial entrepreneur, tech investor and CEO Chris Tingley shares the story behind one of his exciting ventures, EVware.

From its origins to the innovations driving EVware's mission to shape the future of electric vehicle manufacturing.

Hi Chris! Could you share the story behind your startup, including the problem you set out to solve and the inspiration that led to its creation? 

EVware was spun out of Conjure - a digital product and service agency based in London.

For the last decade, Conjure has developed digital products and services for a wide range of businesses, mostly in the mobility and automotive sector. 

Over the last couple of years, we’ve had a privileged vantage point to see this industry undergo rapid change.

As efforts for decarbonisation accelerate (the automotive sector is the second largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions) we’ve witnessed the rise of lightweight electric vehicles (LEVs) and mini and micro-mobility solutions.

But we also saw that the technology available to these new manufacturers was not on par with the technology available to the more traditional automotive industry.

This was the inspiration that led to the creation of EViware where our mission is to enable vehicle manufacturers to build the safe, intelligent, and connected vehicles of the future.

Our hardware and software solution allows these manufacturers to bring products to market faster and more cost-effectively without the need for expensive and lengthy integration projects.

Did you hit any roadblocks along the way? 

So far we’ve been lucky to not hit any major roadblocks! Funding has been a lot harder than we had hoped, but of course, the whole investment market is presenting significant challenges for everyone.

Building a strong team is essential for startup success. Do you agree?

Most definitely! I was very lucky with my new startup to be able to work with people that I’ve either known personally or worked with, or have come as highly recommended by people I trust.

The team is the lifeblood of any small business and this can’t be overlooked.

I’ve found that small teams with diverse skill sets help build really strong mutual respect between team members as there needs to be a lot of trust when tasks are delegated across the whole team.

How did you assemble your team and how do you continue to motivate them?

Clear, shared goals are the number one way to foster a productive and supportive environment. When everyone knows one or two key objectives, a good team will rally together to achieve the impossible!

It doesn’t matter how, it’s just important to get there. This is even more important in early-stage businesses as there is usually a limited amount of resources and bandwidth, so concentrating on these key goals helps to focus the organisation.

Have there been any significant changes or evolutions in your business strategy? 

Whilst we haven’t had the need to pivot just yet, we constantly evaluate if we are headed in the right direction and remain malleable to change at any time.

The team at EViware is well-versed in customer/user-centred design. This means we’ve spent a lot of time speaking to prospective customers and understanding their pain points, needs and aspirations.

This focus has allowed us to create a robust product roadmap which we are working hard on.

What are the most critical pieces of advice you would give to help them on their startup journey, based on your own experiences? 

The struggle of an entrepreneur can often be a frustrating, challenging and depressing individual struggle too, so I would advise allocating time to building a great network around you, especially having a peer group readily available.

Without a doubt, persistence, perseverance and optimism are key!

Discussing challenges, problems, and issues with people in a similar boat as you may or may not yield answers, but it will definitely help you make sense of your thoughts and arrive at the right answer. It will certainly be good therapy!

Do you have a share scheme in place? If so, what does that do for your company? 

Yes, we do. As a small startup company, the success of EVware depends on the determination and commitment of our small team.

By putting in place an EMI options scheme for all of our initial team we allow them to share in the success of the organisation.

We also find that investors are keen to see that an employee options scheme is in place as it also demonstrates to them that we take the welfare and financial success of our employees seriously.

Absolutely! What sets EVware apart from competitors? How do you maintain a competitive edge? 

EVware is still in the early stages where we have the benefit of taking a close look at what is currently available on the market and designing a product which fits underserved areas.

We’re also able to evaluate the costs and commercial models of competitors and engineer a solution that is not only attractive from a product and features perspective but also from a commercial angle too.

We’re driven by innovation and challenge ourselves to produce a cost-effective product with all the features demanded by our customers as well as a sufficient amount of future-proofing to support our customers and their products for many years as trends, business models, legislation and regulations change.

If you could time travel to any point in history to learn from or meet an iconic entrepreneur or innovator, who would it be?

I think it would have to be Archimedes. His grasp of so many different sciences was extraordinary, with the ability to innovate in any area he put his mind to.

I’d ask him how he positioned his new inventions to audiences that would have never even contemplated them before and were probably baffled by what they were!

And finally, if you could have a one-hour conversation with any historical business figure, who would it be and what would you ask them?

Probably Warren Buffett. He’s not only been a successful businessman but has also known how to make the economy and money work for him at any given moment over many decades.

I’d ask him how he works out how to adapt to the times and the process he uses to identify the fundamentals of change.

Great stuff. Thanks for your time, Chris!