For Tim von Toerne, it’s always been about curiosity. Tim’s hyper-curious nature has led him to start five different businesses. He is a self-proclaimed early-stage die-hard.

Tim is the Co-Founder and COO of Kopernikus Automotive. He and his business partner share a background in software and a love for cars. This made building a self-driving software company a no-brainer. We find out what drove them to make this idea a reality.

We discover how they came up with the idea for Kopernikus. We learn about the challenges and risks they faced in building a technology for a market that doesn’t exist yet. Tim stresses the make-or-break nature of getting the right people involved from the start. This is something that’s been a challenge for him, particularly with the unknown nature of his business. He shares his advice for building a team with the right mindset to weather the early, uncertain stages.

To finish off, I ask Tim what the best moment he’s experienced in his business is, how he’s able to carry on through tough times and we hear his number one piece of advice for anyone starting a business, which is not one to be missed.

In this episode, we cover -

• Essential attributes for a founder.
• How did Tim come up with the idea for his business?
• The state of self-driving car tech today and predictions for the industry’s future.
• How to build a team of like-minded people for a startup in its earliest stages
• The goals and ambitions for Kopernikus.
• Tim’s favourite moment in the startup journey so far.
• How to cope as an entrepreneur when you feel like giving up.
• Tim’s number one piece of advice for someone starting a business.

LEARN MORE

Kopernikus Automotive - https://www.kopernikusauto.com/

Mont Ford - https://montfordrecruitment.com/

Mont Ford on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/mont-ford-recruitment/

CONNECT

Tim on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/timvontoerne

Jordan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanluxford/

LISTEN

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1BbzuvWRR4TcU9IN0IG74C

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@startupstoriespodcast

Captivate - https://startup-stories.captivate.fm