March 2015

STRIC

TLY C

ON

FEDEN

TIAL

FROM IDEAs TO

WHERE IS THE REAL VALUE?

EXECUTION:

Mattia Perroni,

Country Manager

WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE HOUZZ ITALY

• Undergrade at Bocconi University of Milan and Master of Business Administration at Koç University

(Turkey), Fudan University (Shanghai), Recanati University of Tel Aviv

• 2 years of Strategic Consulting at L.E.K. Consulting in London and Munich offices

• Founded two companies, one operating within the LED and Digital signage e-commerce market in

Italy, the other active in the digital advertisment industry

• Joined Rocket Internet in 2011 in Manila, Philippines for 1 year, launching «Lazada», now the

biggest online retailer in South East Asia

• Moved to Egypt in 2012 as CEO of Jumia Egypt

• Moved to Berlin in Jan 2015 as Country Manager of Houzz Italy

• Love football

• I personally think that energy, passion and dedication are the keys to success

5% OF COMPANIES INCUBATED ARE WORTH MORE THAN 40m$

AFTER 10 YEARS, EQUAL TO 0,4% OF THE APPLICANTS*

100%

7%

0.4%

Source: *http://fundersandfounders.com/

STARTING UP A COMPANY IS THE RISKIEST JOB IN THE

WORLD

HOW CAN WE BETTER EXECUTE?

EGYPTIANS ARE AMONG THE BEST “IDEA-ERS” IN THE

WORLD, HOWEVER THEIR GDP FROM YOUNG COMPANIES IS

ONE OF THE LOWEST WORLDWIDE (1/2)

EGYPTIANS ARE AMONG THE BEST “IDEA-ERS” IN THE

WORLD, HOWEVER THEIR GDP FROM YOUNG COMPANIES IS

ONE OF THE LOWEST WORLDWIDE (2/2)

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE IDEA, BUT ABOUT SEVERAL OTHER

FACTORS, BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL TO THE

ORGANIZATION, BUT PLANNNABLE..

Idea10%

Market30%

Execution30%

People30%

IN THE VERY FIRST MONTHS...

• HOW LONG DO YOU SPEND DECIDING WHERE TO SETUP YOUR COMPANY?

• HOW LONG DO YOU SPEND UNDERSTANDING WHO ARE THE PEOPLE YOU NEED?• Are you really getting the best

out of your people?• «what you can start up here, you

cannot start up there»• HOW LONG DO YOU SPEND

PLANNING / TESTING?

Most factors are not controllable, but by focusing on their planning we can minimize the risk of failure, just make sure you have the right people in the right place with the

right processes, if you also have a good idea that does not hurt

EGITUSISTUDEPH

EGITUSISTUDEPH

EGITUSISTUDEPH

LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS, LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS

AND LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS, THEN WOW THEM WITH

ANSWERS

TIME• Do you have enough time to listen to your customers?• What are the tools you developed in order to analyse feedbacks and

translate them into actions?• How many focus groups have you run with your customers?

• Is the development of your app/website driven by your customers? • How much of your time is allocated to software development?

WHY DOESN’T THIS HAPPEN ALTHOUGH EVERYONE KNOWS?

DEVELOPMENT

PRESSURE• Are you the only one choosing the roadmap or are you developing what

your investors want to see to finance you?

YOUR REVENUE STREAM IS CRYSTAL CLEAR AND

STATISTICALLY PROVED

Free ServicesPaid Services

Survey, A/B Testing,

Benchmark

• Test your revenue stream at a very early stage• Take a statistical sample of your customers and build a case study on

how they react to the paid services and if they would use it• Find a company with the same revenue stream concept

By statistically prooving your revenue stream at an early stage, you gain more time to focus on your customers and have less pressure from your fund

HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PURSUE YOUR IDEA AND YOUR

CUSTOMERS’ FEEDBACK

RAISE OR EXECUTE?

TIME

• Are you executing to raise or are you raising to execute?• Most times you are the one who knows your business best if you have

started it for passion or for a need so give yourself the chance to be able to execute

• Few entrepreneurs have started their business with enough money to pursue their dream

Do not leave your job until you have enough money to actually make a business by yourself and not in someone’s behalf...or find the right investor

MOST SUCCESFULL STARTUPPERS ARE MOVED BY EITHER

PASSION OR PERSONAL NEEDS

«DON’T ENTER IF ALL WHAT YOU WANT

IS TO EXIT»Houzz early investor

HOUZZ’S CEO EXPERIENCE: ADI TATARKO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COYlFGL3bdg

Min 4:50 to 7:15

THANK YOU

Mattia Perroni

Country Manager – Houzz Italy

mattia@houzz.com

for