Tecfys, home appliances and electronics by subscription in favor of circular consumption

Buy, use, discard. This is the most common consumption pattern, also for companies and for the technology they require. Standing as an alternative to this system, the startup Tecfys offers the possibility of accessing all types of technology through a subscription model, with an all-inclusive fee that covers everything from delivery to maintenance and insurance. With its technological renting model, based on flexibility for companies, the Barcelona-based company closed 2023 with a turnover of 650,000 euros, and expects to reach 1.5 million this year.

The startup, located in the Tres Torres neighborhood, has three million euros in product at its clients' headquarters. In total, there are 2,500 pieces of equipment used by 450 companies, ranging from startups to schools, large companies, third-sector entities, event organizers, restaurants, and vacation rental operators. Computers and mobile phones are the most demanded devices, but Tecfys' range goes much further: it has all kinds of technology that a company might require, from screens to water machines, refrigerators, and washing machines, as explained by its CEO and co-founder, Miquel Manzanas.

In this context of growth, the startup has recently closed an investment round of four million euros, which complements a previous one of two million more signed last year. In addition to this capital raising, Tecfys has had the support of public financial entities, such as the Institut Català de Finances (ICF). The startup closed a 100,000 euro tranche with the ICF two years ago, which it has now expanded with another 200,000 euros, with the aim of boosting its activity. Specifically, the financing it has received consists of a participatory loan IFEM, focused on companies in initial phases or in their first stages of growth.

Tecfys' model is part of the circular economy, and keeps devices in circulation that could end up in drawers, warehouses, or landfills. "When companies no longer need a Tecfys device, we look for another company to use it by adjusting the fee, thus extending its useful life," highlights Manzanas. In the event that the device can no longer be used on its platform, it is made available to the third sector, or it is transferred to the circuit for the reuse of parts and components: "With our system, technology is used for as long as possible."

The origin of the startup dates back to the quarterly meetings organized in 2019 by a group of Esade master's students as a think tank to launch ideas and initiatives. "From there the project emerged, with four master's classmates," recalls the now CEO of the company, who counts these classmates as advisors. Five years later and with a pandemic in between, the project has a team of six members. "We want to end this year with a staff of ten people," says Manzanas, with a view to continuing to increase the company's activity and to continue advancing in the circular economy.