StarMaps: Four Romanian students use the stars to create unique gifts for special moments

Have you ever wondered what the sky looked like when you said "Yes" or when your baby was born? StarMaps, a small business launched by four Romanian students from Transylvania, may help with that. They make personalized maps that recreate the night sky as it appeared when a special event took place.

"A star map is that kind of gift that surprises. It is the kind of gift that makes you think: who would you give it to, what would be the date, what would be that special moment for you." - Leonardo-Mihai Marincean, co-founder StarMaps.

It was December 2019 when Horia Roman-Crisan, Ovidiu Damian, Sergiu Tritean, and Leonardo-Mihai Marincean met for coffee to discuss ideas and plans, ready to put their skills to work and start their own business. The four students were looking to start a project that was not only financially accessible but also relatively new on the market in Romania. A few weeks later, in January 2020, StarMaps was born in the city of Turda, Cluj county.

"One of us had bought a star map from abroad a few years back, he remembered the product and, as Valentine's Day was approaching, we decided to test it on the market. So we did not expect it to be successful, but rather we launched it as a test," Leonardo Marincean told Romania-insider.com.

StarMaps started with an initial investment of only EUR 100, but that's because they managed to substitute the other costs with their own expertise - they created the website, online shop, logo, and design while also focusing on promoting their service. In other words, the four students specializing in accounting, economic informatics, computer science, and marketing used their skills to cut back on the costs and boost their business.

And their plan worked. In less than a month after launch and after a first Valentine's Day campaign heavily promoted on social media, StartMaps received orders from about a third of Romania's counties. By the end of the year, the coverage increased to over 80% of counties, as around 400 people opted for such unique gifts. And that translated into sales of EUR 5,000, money that was then reinvested in further promotion and product quality.

So far this year, StarMaps already registered sales of EUR 2,500, and the full-2021 target is to at least double last year's sales and increase the number of orders to around 1,000.

"We're somehow using the snowball strategy because we're constantly investing in promotion, and so higher sales translate into a better promotion, there's a small virtuous cycle there. This year we plan to focus more on collaborations and increase brand awareness," Leonardo explained.