Digital Scratch Cards

Interview With rublys Founder And CEO Manuel Zwittag

Gambling has fascinated humankind since its invention. With a flick of the wrist, amazing prizes can be won. Let’s be honest, who’s never bought a lottery or raffle ticket at least once at a fair or Christmas market? The Austrian startup rublys has made a lottery scratch card app for smartphones, which beckons with prizes. We spoke with founder and CEO Manuel Zwittag

What is rublys and how does it work?

Classic advertising is generally considered boring and annoying. rublys is different thanks to its playful approach to mobile marketing, bringing lottery tickets to the smartphone. It works just like real lottery scratch tickets. But instead of money, users can win real prizes or products from companies ranging from the most disparate industries, such as a restaurant gift certificate in your neighbourhood or an online shop.

How did your idea for rublys come about? How did it all begin?

The idea for rublys kind of came at me sideways. We were working on another project that was also focused on lottery scratch tickets, among other things. One of my partners said that we should concentrate exclusively on lottery scratch tickets. So we did that, and delved into our idea with rublys.

Why did you want to become a founder and what do you find fascinating about it?

It was always my dream to eventually have my own company. I knew for sure that I didn’t want to be work for anyone else. As a founder, you always have the opportunity to do what you want, with the feeling that it’s the right thing to do. You make your own decisions and have all the freedom you want. That’s what I find fascinating and motivating. Of course it’s hard work, but it’s worth it and is a lot of fun.

Why did you apply at Techstars METRO Accelerator and what do you hope from the program?

The Accelerator is on one hand a great opportunity for us to build an international network, which will help us grow outside of Austria. On the other hand, we can identify new contacts and bring them in partners on our project.

What do you especially like about the program and what helps you most?

In the past weeks, we’ve gotten a lot of feedback on our project that really has helped us keep developing. The mentors are experts, they know what they’re talking about and share their experience with us. The exchange with other start-ups is also very helpful. We’re all sitting in the same boat and help each other out. I really like that.

What do you want to achieve next with rublys?

First of all, we want to expand. Germany is our starting point. We want to continue to strengthen our brand awareness and reach a higher number of users. We want our app to be as successful here as it is in Austria. More countries should follow in the course of the year.