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Pioneers & Protagonists

10 questions for Philipp Rogge, founder of frents

The easiest way to explain frents is …
a social network for things. Members display personal belongings on virtual shelves and define how they are can be shared, either with a circle of friends or the local community. Resources otherwise unused and hidden behind walls are activated and brought to life creating enormous possibilities for everyone.

The idea came…
the staggering moment when I realized the inefficiency of our society. I needed a bike and was standing in a plaza with loads of bicycles, but wasn’t able to use a single one of them because I didn’t know who to ask. Everybody uses Twitter to share thoughts, Foursquare to share locations, Facebook to share party pictures… So why not share real things with friends and neighbors for real mutual benefit?

I believe it’s the right moment for frents to take off because…
people are realizing the benefits of sharing, and social networks provide the necessary trust. Frents members are inspired by collecting and presenting their things, and having access to the items of their circle of friends and their neighborhood.

Favorite frents success story so far…
was being awarded the most innovative Content Startup in Germany by eco, the German Internet Industry Association, in April 2011. It was certainly the first time I was able to rent out my projector to someone outside my “circle of frents”, and see him so happy with it!

The biggest challenge to overcome is…
unlike other services, users on frents add items to their inventory because they want to display their collection. They value their items highly and are happy to show them off on nice virtual shelves. Frents is not just as a sharing and lending platform, but rather a comprehensive network of ‘things’. The challenge is to cater to all interests and tastes to build rich content in these areas but also help members discover new products, styles and ideas.

A unique factoid that surprises people about frents is…
in recent months, every new member on frents added an average of five items to their inventory in the first session alone. Frents is also absolutely free of any costs, so users can earn money without spending any.

Frents is different to networks like Neighborgoods and Snapgoods because…
it is a social network and approaches sharing from that direction. We tap into Facebook Connections so there are massive possibilities not only to share items, but also discover what else people have in their collections. See what great films your friends have, browse through their shelves, leave a comment, rate the things you like, discover friends’ tastes and get inspiration from like-minded people. Step into a world of social discovery!

It’s 2015 and frents has achieved…
a rich network of items in your neighborhood. It will be THE place to register your things on the web, and will be a source of information and inspiration for you and your network.

Another example of Collaborative Consumption I admire is …
Airbnb, because they made sharing sexy!

Archive of Pioneers & Protagonists Interviews

  10 Questions for Benita Matofska, founder of The People Who Share

  10 questions for Marta Nowinska, founder of Swapsity

  10 questions for Ryan Rzepecki, founder of SocialBicycles

  10 questions for Jamie Wong, founder of Vayable

  10 questions for Theo Kitchener, founder of The ShareHood

  10 questions for Kelly Scales, founder of Bid & Borrow

  10 questions for Campbell McKellar, Founder of Loosecubes

  10 questions for Marcio Nigro, founder of Caronetas

  10 questions for Jess Ratcliffe, founder of GaBoom

  10 questions for Philipp Rogge, founder of frents

  10 questions for Tim Hyer, founder of Rentcycle

  10 questions for Barbara Pantuso, founder of Hey, Neighbor!

  Ella T. Gorgla, Founder of I-ELLA

  Cathy Tao, co-founder of Tourboarding

  Mike Karnjanaprakorn, cofounder of Skillshare

  Juha Koponen, Founder of Netcycler

  Michelle Shearer, Founder of MamaBake

  Leah Busque, Founder and CEO of TaskRabbit

  Ron J. Williams, founder of SnapGoods

  Stephen Rapoport, founder of Crashpadder

  Anthony Eskinazi, founder of ParkatmyHouse

  Drummond Gilbert, founder of goCarShare

  David Mahfouda, Founder of Weeels

  Andreas Randow, Founder of StudioShare.org

  Emma Jamvold, Founder of SwapItBaby

  Dave Llorens, CEO of One Block Off The Grid

  Orli Cotel, co-founder of Swap for Good

  Owen Rees-Hayward, Co-founder of Thingloop

  Juliette Anich, Co-founder of The Clothing Exchange

  Keara Schwartz, Founder of Share Some Sugar

  Hans Schoenburg, co-founder of GiftFlow

  Meriel Lenfestey, Co-founder of Ecomodo

  Steve Sammartino, Founder of rentoid.com

  Micki Krimmel, Founder of NeighborGoods

  Shelby Clark, Founder of RelayRides

  James Reinhart, Founder of thredUp

For a complete archive of Pioneers & Protagonists Interviews click HERE.