A Harvard Business School consumer tech entrepreneur and an automotive industry expert from Daimler AG walk into a startup…
The outcome? Only the easiest way to repair your car, of course.
Backed by Daimler AG, RepairSmith is more than just another on-demand startup. RepairSmith is modernizing the traditional car repair experience by bringing together the convenience of a delivery service with the quality you’d expect from one of the world’s most respected car brands. And we’ve made the entire process easy from start to finish by offering upfront pricing, online booking, option for delivery or drop-off, and a full warranty.
At the Helm
The key players behind this vision? Joel Milne, CEO and Felix-Matthias Walter, Chief Commercial Officer – a match made in startup heaven.
Joel’s entrepreneurial spirit runs deep, he began programming at age 10, started college at 16, and founded his first technology company upon graduating at 21. As a consumer tech entrepreneur, Joel has raised over $100M in venture financing while scaling multiple businesses nationally serving as CEO, COO or CTO in the LA tech scene.
Joel is an angel investor and advisor to numerous startups and is active in the Southern California startup community. So, to say he’s passionate about building companies that make people’s lives easier would be a major understatement.
Complementing Joel’s affinity for top-notch consumer experiences is Felix’s extensive background in the automotive industry. From restoring cars in his parents’ garage as a teenager to senior management roles at Daimler AG, Felix brings over 25 years of automotive experience to RepairSmith.
A manufacturer trained car and heavy truck mechanic who started his career as an automotive technician for Mercedes-Benz, he worked his way up from the repair shop to senior roles at Daimler, including Corporate Strategy, Used Car Sales Management, Commercial Vehicle Fleet Support, and Product Marketing for Service and Parts. Needless to say, he knows car repair and is committed to quality when it comes to overseeing RepairSmith’s repair delivery operation, shop partnerships, and customer satisfaction teams.
With these two at the helm, RepairSmith is setting out to do what no other service is doing – and that is making car repair truly convenient.
More than a delivery service
In today’s economy, ease is what we’ve come to expect. We’re used to getting just about anything delivered. From groceries and take-out to a college student eager to help build your new bedframe, we’re used to services of all kinds, and often times, delivered by people of all kinds.
But does this so-called “gig economy” work for everything?
Not exactly. When it comes to skilled services like car repair, the gig economy, which simply means paying people by the gig, hasn’t benefitted skilled workers or customers who hire skilled workers by the gig. If you want a sandwich delivered, sure. Anybody can do that. But car repair is a specialized service. Customers want convenient, quality work, and likewise, mechanics want a steady income for said quality work.
Which then begs the question: how can a delivery service that ensures convenience also ensure quality? Oftentimes, you end up sacrificing one for the other. Cc: soggy tacos and cold ramen noodles…at your doorstep.
The solution? By taking the entire car repair process into our own hands. Whether you’re booking our delivery service where one of our expert mechanics come to you or dropping off at one of our 200+ certified shops, we’re guaranteeing convenient, quality service every step of the way.
Turning a traditionally frustrating experience into one that is convenient and stress-free is no small feat, but here at RepairSmith, we’re certainly up for the challenge.