An hour is an hour.
h_OURs is becoming an app where you swap what you can do and what you have, and organise with others what you need together. You pay with time instead of money, with no ads and no data trading.
together.
Not every hour counts the same. It does not have to stay that way.
So much of what holds everyday life together never shows up on a bill. The hour someone drives a neighbour to the doctor. The evenings a board member keeps their club running. Because none of it has a price, it is quickly treated as worthless.
It is much the same with things. The drill sits in the attic while someone two houses down is looking for one. What people can do and what they have is often already there. It just doesn't reach the people who need it.
We have grown used to things counting for what someone pays for them, not for what they mean. That is not a law of nature, and it can be done differently.
On h_OURs you swap what you can do and what you have. The hour you spend helping someone counts as much as any other. To be part of it, you don't need to bring money, just the willingness to contribute.
That is why we are developing h_OURs.
You give what you can do or have, and get what you need, even if it doesn't come from the same person. The hours h_OURs credits you for it make that possible.
One platform, two areas
h_OURs is being developed as an app for iOS and Android, with a desktop version to follow.
Trade
You can do something others can't, or you have something that's just sitting around. You fix a bike or lend out your ladder, and when you need something yourself, someone else entirely teaches you Spanish. So it doesn't have to work out at the same time with the same person, h_OURs counts in hours, which makes offers comparable.
Organize
From shared tools to the neighbourhood party: this is where you coordinate what you take on together. Who does what, what is available right now, what is coming up: inventory, tasks and dates in one place instead of scattered across twenty group chats.
Connect
Connecting runs through both areas. Whether you swap or organise together, you get to know neighbours, initiatives and businesses near you who share the same idea.
What h_OURs can change
h_OURs is in the making. We start where something is missing today: money in everyday life, new blood in volunteering and a longer life for things. The figures show how big these gaps are.
For you
When money gets tight
1 in 3
people in Germany can't cover an unexpected expense of €1,300 from their own means. On h_OURs you pay for help with your time instead of money.
Methodology
Almost one in three people in Germany cannot cover an unexpected expense of €1,300 from their own means. That amount roughly equals what a person living alone should have left each month before being considered at risk of poverty. When something breaks or a move comes up, that is often exactly where it gets tight. On h_OURs you help others with what you can do or have and collect hours for it. With them, you get help when you need it.
Source: Destatis, 2025
For the community
When volunteers are missing
36,7 %
of people aged 14 and over still volunteer, down from 39.7% in 2019, and clubs struggle to find new members. h_OURs makes volunteering easier and more appealing, especially for young people.
Methodology
Around 27 million people in Germany volunteer, but their number is shrinking: in 2019 it was 39.7% of people aged 14 and over, in 2024 just 36.7%. And barely one in five organizations finds it easy to attract young members under 30. h_OURs gives volunteering a shape that suits young people: whoever helps gets hours back, tasks for events are handed out in no time, and the inventory is always in view, right down to how many benches are still missing for the neighbourhood festival.
Sources: Freiwilligensurvey 2024; ZiviZ-Survey 2023
For the planet
When people buy new what already exists
68 kg
CO₂e saved by a used wardrobe compared with a new one. On h_OURs you swap what already exists near you, and what gets swapped doesn't have to be bought new.
Methodology
A used wardrobe that stays in use for many more years saves around 68 kg of greenhouse gases compared with a new one, as much as a good 400 km by car. On h_OURs you borrow or swap what already exists in your neighbourhood and find people who help with repairs. What is used longer needs to be made new less often.
Sources: ifeu for the State of Berlin, 2019; German Environment Agency, 2024
No advertising.
No data trading.
With many free apps, you pay with your attention and your data. h_OURs is funded by a fair subscription. That is why we work for the people who use h_OURs, not for advertisers.
No advertising
No data trading
No trading commissions
No ads, no data trading, no commission on trades. We process data only to run and improve h_OURs, and share it only where operation requires it or the law demands it.
h_OURs is taking shape. Be part of it from the start.
h_OURs is growing right now, step by step, with a small team and a lot of conviction. You can be there from the very first hour, and that is exactly the opportunity: whoever supports us now secures more subscription time than there will ever be later, and is one of the people who make h_OURs possible in the first place. A door opener for you and for us.
• Dabei sein, bevor es alle sind
• Support us and secure subscription time at the best rate
• Subscribe to the newsletter and don't miss a step
- Closed Alpha: When the first closed test version starts, you are in before it goes public.
- Zero-Hour collection: Limited merch for everyone who joins early.
- Community forum: Have your say, get exclusive insights and help shape where h_OURs is heading.
- 30.000 € MVP
- 80.000 € Closed Alpha · crowdfunding
- 250.000 € Beta
- 385.000 € Rollout funded
Support h_OURs and secure the best subscription there will ever be.
Now is the best moment to join. With your contribution you secure subscription time in advance, more for your money than ever again. You make h_OURs possible and get more back than everyone who comes after you.
Your contribution secures you two things: months that are already paid for when we launch, and a monthly price for the time after that, locked in for you. The more you support us, the more months you get and the less you pay each month later on. That's how we say thank you to everyone who makes h_OURs possible from the very beginning. The price list shows exactly how it's calculated, with examples.
1 · Choose an amount
your choice, from €1
2 · Get your code by email
your personal code, valid without a time limit
3 · Redeem it in the app
at launch you unlock your subscription time
Tell us what h_OURs needs to do
We are glad about everyone who takes the time for our survey. Only with your feedback and lots of exchange can h_OURs become a good product for everyone. The survey takes seven to nine minutes; at the end you can leave your email address if you like, and we will let you know when the alpha starts.
Subscribe to the newsletter
Sign up to our list and don't miss a step. You'll be the first to hear when we launch, what's happening and how you can use h_OURs.
How we handle your data is set out in our Privacy Policy.
The faces behind h_OURs
These are the people developing h_OURs.
- Rooted in volunteeringIn a community club, sharing your time with others is second nature. That's exactly what we want to bring to other areas of life.
- Developed in RostockIn the Hanseatic city, between an industrial park and a nature reserve, a platform is taking shape that is meant to grow far beyond Rostock. Rostock has a charm of its own, and a piece of it is in h_OURs.
- Where we're at homeWe start where we know the worries and ideas of our neighbours: in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and in Atlantic Canada.
MN
Martin Neßmann
Spent many years on the boards of cultural and community associations. Bringing together events, volunteers and tight budgets showed him what people need in everyday life.
He is at home on the Baltic coast and in Atlantic Canada, and in both places he has seen the same thing: those who help get helped. h_OURs grew out of that experience.
GM
Gunnar Meinke
Master of Laws, currently working on his doctorate in law. He is responsible for the legal foundations of h_OURs and supports the management in day-to-day business. From the terms and conditions to the privacy policy, every legal text crosses his desk.
MN
Márk Németh
Bachelor in Software Engineering and more than six years in professional software development. He has been developing together with Hannes for two years, and the two are a well-practised team. Márk makes sure that what looks good up front runs reliably behind the scenes.
HK
Hannes Kasstein
IT specialist with more than six years of experience in front-end and back-end development. As co-developer of the Karls app, he worked on one of the most-used theme park apps in Germany. At h_OURs, he makes sure the app is easy to use and responds quickly.
GN
Gabriele Neßmann
Qualified business administrator with more than 30 years of experience in accounting, tax and HR administration. She makes sure the numbers at h_OURs add up and the processes behind them hold.
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Marketing & Social Media
This position is still open. If you would like to make an idea with a clear stance visible and help shape it from the start, get in touch.
Want to get involved on a bigger scale? Let's talk.
h_OURs is at an early stage, and right now it is being decided how fast and how far we can go. That is why we are looking for people who want to contribute more than a support contribution: investors, business angels and private backers who believe in our idea and want to be in early.
Those who invest become part of something that is just emerging, with the prospect of sharing in its success.
Want to support us, but not with money? Experience, contacts and reach move us forward just as much, and sometimes a door that opens is worth more than any amount.
If you'd like to support us, we'll find a way that works for both sides.