PAMETNA HRVATSKA Šimatović, Tarnovski

Guest Šimatović, TarnovskiHosted by Boris ŽivkovićMay 3, 2026

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

The electric scooter market is crowded, often generic. Yet, Ivan Šimatović and Nikolina Tarnovski of the Croatian startup Iddi chose to enter it, not by building a cheaper version, but by rethinking the entire experience. They designed the country's first locally branded electric scooter, not as a standalone device, but as part of a comprehensive rental package. This includes a robust, safety-focused scooter, its charging station, and an app that doubles as a localized tourist guide. Their approach reveals how to stand out in a saturated category: by integrating hardware, software, and a specific use case into a single, cohesive offering. Their conversation offers a blueprint for entrepreneurs looking to carve out a niche in established markets, emphasizing the importance of solving a complete customer problem rather than just selling a product.

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

Iddi's 'Rola' isn't just an electric scooter; it's a package of hardware and software — the scooter, its charging station, and a location-aware app. When entering a crowded product category, the play isn't to build a better version of the existing thing, but to define a new, more integrated solution for a specific customer.

Ivan Šimatović explains that their scooter design began by identifying the 'shortcomings' of existing models, especially around safety and integration. The most fertile ground for a new product isn't an empty market, but one crowded with competitors whose solutions still leave obvious gaps.

The Iddi scooter includes features like turn signals and dynamic speed limits that automatically adjust to dense urban areas. When the public has a negative perception of a product category, addressing those core concerns directly — even if it means adding seemingly basic features — becomes a powerful market differentiator.

Iddi's app acts as a hyper-localized tourist guide, offering navigation to natural sights, events, and even 'hidden gems' specific to each rental location. The real value of a mobility solution isn't just getting from A to B; it's revealing what's between them, turning the journey into a discovery.

Iddi chose a rental-only model, retaining ownership of all equipment and partnering with tourist businesses for placement. Instead of trying to sell units in a crowded retail market, they focused on selling a *service* and an *experience*, allowing the product to serve its intended high-usage, shared-economy purpose.

The Iddi scooter was engineered specifically for the rigors of rental, designed to pass through 'many hands throughout the day.' Building for the shared economy means designing for extreme durability and ease of maintenance, not just individual ownership.

Iddi proudly calls its Rola the 'first Croatian electric scooter,' with the entire construction made locally through cooperants. In a globalized market, a strong local origin story and domestic manufacturing can create a powerful brand identity, even if some specialized components must be sourced internationally.

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Šimatović, Tarnovski

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