Teen Entrepreneur At the Age of 16 Built Germany's Smartest Homework App Turning Student Problem into a Startup Idea

Entrepreneurship

Germany

16 Years

I'm Jakob Zick, a 16-year-old student entrepreneur from Ulm, Germany. I'm the founder of Hausi (www.hausi.app), a mobile app that simplifies homework organization for students. Entrepreneurship has been in my blood since childhood. I've always been looking for problems to solve and opportunities to create value.

My entrepreneurial journey began early. I started selling vegetables from my grandmother's garden to people in my village. As time passed, I became fascinated with technology and created research projects about autonomous buses and drones. Now, I'm building Hausi to solve a problem I face as a student: the challenge of managing homework in today's digital classroom environment.

My mission is to help students master their homework!

"It started with me forgetting my homework—and realizing half my class had the same problem."

What inspired you to start your own business?

Entrepreneurship is for me a passion like sports or music is for others. I love the process of identifying problems and creating solutions that make people's lives better.

My inspiration for Hausi came directly from my daily experiences as a student. During a typical school day, I was sitting in class with my iPad when my teacher wrote homework assignments on the board. I opened the standard Notes app to jot them down, but I didn’t enjoy it and felt disconnected from my other school tools.

Later that week, I realized I'd completely forgotten about an assignment because it was buried among other notes. This wasn't just my problem – looking around, I saw classmates using everything from paper planners to calendar apps to random notes, all with varying degrees of success. There was clearly no standard, effective solution.

What really drove me to create Hausi was seeing this disconnect between our increasingly digital education and the lack of specialized tools to support it. Schools were investing in iPads and digital platforms, but students were still struggling with the basics of assignment management.

I started talking to fellow students and discovered that 50% of them had difficulty organizing their homework effectively.

When I spoke with parents, 59% said their children needed help with homework organization.

These conversations confirmed that I wasn't alone in experiencing this problem – it was widespread and significant.

The final push came when I realized I had both the technical understanding and the firsthand experience needed to create a solution. Being part of the target audience gave me unique insights that adult developers might miss. I knew exactly what features would be useful and what would just add unnecessary complexity.

How did you turn your idea into a business?

My journey with Hausi began in the classroom when I noticed a persistent problem: despite using iPads for learning, students had no good way to track homework. This disconnect between digital learning and homework management was causing real frustration.

Validation First

Before writing a single line of code, I created a comprehensive survey that I distributed through my school's system. With over 800 responses from students and parents, I confirmed that 50% of students struggled with homework organization and 57% would pay for a solution.

This data gave me confidence that I was solving a real problem.

Building the MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

With validation in hand, I researched development options that would allow me to create a functional app without requiring extensive programming knowledge or investment. I selected a No-Code tool for development, which allowed me to build quickly and affordably.

I focused on creating the simplest version that would solve the core problem - allowing students to easily track homework by subject, with due dates and reminders. This MVP was designed to be tested by real users as quickly as possible.

Testing and Iteration

I recruited classmates at my school as my first testers, giving me immediate feedback on what worked and what didn't. This real-world testing was invaluable - I discovered that users particularly valued the simple interface and focus on essential features rather than overwhelming complexity.

Business Model Development

In parallel with product development, I designed a sustainable business model - a freemium approach with 5 free homework entries before requiring a €4.29 annual subscription. This pricing was strategic, positioning us as significantly more affordable than alternatives like other apps costing up to €47.99/year while still providing a path to revenue.

From MVP to Growth

With a working product and business model, I launched the web app version and created our website (www.hausi.app) as a central hub. Now I'm focused on growing our user base through targeted marketing at schools with iPad programs.

Throughout this journey, being both the founder and a user has given me unique insights that drive Hausi's development. Every feature and decision is informed by real student experiences - including my own.

How did you get your customers?

Since Hausi is built for students, my main strategy has been organic growth through social media and word-of-mouth marketing.

Short-term goal: Get early users to test the product and provide feedback.

Long-term goal: Partner with schools to integrate Hausi into their workflow.

How are you funding your startup?

Hausi is completely bootstrapped. The beauty of the era we live in is that digital products can be built affordably - a small pro tip: there are organizations in every region that support founders financially, which can be incredibly helpful for young entrepreneurs.

What is your average monthly revenue?

As Hausi is in its early stages with the MVP currently being tested by initial users, we don't yet have significant revenue to report. However, we have a clear monetization strategy based on our market research.

Our revenue model uses a freemium approach with a free tier allowing up to 5 homework entries and a premium subscription priced at €4.29($4.64) per year. This pricing was strategically chosen based on our survey showing that over half of students would pay for such a solution.

How are you doing today and what plans for the future?

Today, Hausi is in an exciting early stage. We've developed our MVP as a web app that's already being tested by initial users. The feedback has been encouraging – users particularly appreciate the simple interface and our focus on essential features rather than overwhelming complexity.

My plans for the future center around helping students organize their homework effectively, but Hausi is just the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey. While I'm fully committed to growing this company, I see it as the perfect entry point into the world of startups rather than the only company I'll ever found. It's given me invaluable firsthand experience in product development, user research, and building a business from scratch – lessons I plan to apply to future ventures as well.

I've also learned that founding a successful startup always involves a bit of luck in finding the right timing – launching when the market is ready and the problem is most pressing. With the increasing digitalization in schools, Hausi arrived at exactly the right moment.

What advice would you give to budding founders?

Based on my experience founding Hausi at 16, here's my advice for young entrepreneurs:

Start with a problem you personally experience: The most authentic businesses come from solving problems you understand deeply. As a student, I faced the homework organization challenge daily, which gave me insights no outside developer could have.

Validate before you build: Our survey of 760 students and parents confirmed the problem was widespread and that people would pay for a solution. This validation gave me confidence before investing significant time and resources.

This sounds boring but is the MOST IMPORTANT thing I've learned. If you build something no one likes, you waste your time, energy, and resources on a solution nobody wants. Market validation isn't just a business exercise—it's the foundation of everything that follows.

Focus is a feature, not a limitation: In a world of complex, feature-rich products (not just apps everywhere), there's tremendous value in doing one thing exceptionally well. Hausi succeeds because it focuses exclusively on homework management rather than trying to be an all-purpose educational tool.

Build for your users, not for investors: As a young founder, it's easy to get caught up in what sounds impressive to potential investors. Instead, focus relentlessly on creating value for your users. The business success will follow.

Embrace your youth as an advantage: Being young often means you're closer to certain problems and markets than adult entrepreneurs. Use this proximity to build more relevant, authentic solutions.

Find mentors who complement your skills: I've found that experienced mentors are incredibly open and willing to share core tips that help you avoid simple mistakes, giving you a much better start. Their insights help you navigate pitfalls while you remain in the driver's seat.

Start small but think big: We began with a focused MVP at one school, but our vision extends to international markets. Having this long-term vision guides our short-term decisions.

Be patient with growth: Building a sustainable business takes time. We've mapped out a five-year growth strategy rather than pursuing explosive but unsustainable growth.

What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve learned about entrepreneurship?

Most things don't work out the way you plan. You have to be adaptable and willing to pivot when needed, turning unexpected challenges into opportunities rather than roadblocks.

Are you currently hiring?

I’m looking for students or young entrepreneurs who are interested in programming or social media marketing to join Hausi. Open to remote collaboration! Will you be the next co-founder of Hausi?

What is your proudest achievement so far?

My proudest achievement with Hausi has been seeing the tangible impact on students' daily lives. For instance, one student who had been consistently forgetting assignments told me they hadn't missed a single homework deadline since starting to use Hausi. Moments like these validate everything I've been working toward.

What role has your family or support system played in your entrepreneurial journey?

My family has been crucial to my entrepreneurial journey. My parents have been my first sounding board for ideas and helped me navigate the legal and financial complexities of starting a business as a minor. Their support has given me the confidence to balance entrepreneurship with school.

I've also been fortunate to have two experienced mentors who've founded multiple companies. They provide guidance in areas where I lack experience and have connected me with valuable networks. Their encouragement keeps me motivated during challenging periods.

My school has also been supportive, allowing me to test early versions with students and gather real-world feedback. This testing ground has been invaluable for product development.

This support system has helped me find balance between building Hausi and maintaining my education, reminding me that entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint.

Where can we find you?

Book Recommendations

Living a Self-Made Life by Torben Platzer
Steve Jobs by Jessie Hartland

Podcast Recommendations

OMR Podcast
Business Class Podcast
My First Million
Diary of a CEO (DOAC)
Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator by Tim Urban (TED Talk)