Kickdown, a Hamburg-based auction platform for enthusiast cars, has closed a seed funding round of 1 million euros. A number of business angels are involved, including Dirk Steiger (founder of Zeit für Brot), Dr. Christian Schulmeyer (co-founder of Empolis) and other entrepreneurs from the software, agency and private equity sectors.
Kickdown offers full-service for car fans
Kickdown, founded in 2020 chiefly by Moritz Helbich, is an auction platform that specialises in enthusiast automobiles, such as classic cars and sports cars. What sets the startup apart from many other car marketplaces is its full-service approach. Kickdown first checks whether a vehicle is suitable for the platform. If this is the case, videos and up to 200 photos are created and all relevant data is recorded for the sales profile. The sales process takes place as an online auction that extends over a period of seven to ten days. After the auction ends, Kickdown assists with the handling of the sale and also organises the transfer if required.
According to the company, Kickdown has already realised an auction volume of over 60 million euros, and 40 million euros are planned for 2023 alone. This is to be achieved with over 30,000 registered users, the majority of whom are male and aged between 45 and 55. On average, more than 30 auctions take place every week.
