This document provides an overview of an Italian startups course. It includes an agenda that covers topics like what is a startup, how to create and work on one, successful Italian startups like Buongiorno and Yoox, and startup failures. Case studies are presented on startups such as Buongiorno, Yoox, Volagratis, Jobrapido, and Glancee. The document also discusses Italian companies like Arduino, Moleskine, and unsuccessful ventures like Webvan.
Launch of product/company in term of communication, analyzing Robert Scoble’s recipe; Yellow Pages for startuppers (startup directories, tech magazines, magazines in your field/market, etc.). Discover on/off line resources, what is an incubator and what are certified incubators and which characteristics have public, private and university incubators. A new way to work – coworking - with its italian examples and finally some networking recurring events.
Founded in 2010, Applix is a company focused on Customer Interaction through mobile solutions that enable brands, publishers and institutions to create an innovative and effective digital strategy.
We are a strategic partner for some of the most important publishers and businesses, specialising in two main lines of business: Digital Publishing, Mobile & Apps, Education.
In 2011 our company gained a €3 million investment, underwritten by Principia 2 fund, the investment company AngelLab, Hyppo Corporation and private partners, laying the foundation for the roll-out and internationalisation of its products.
In 2012 and 2014 we completed the acquisition of Xorovo and bSmart, today Applix Xorovo and Applix Education, business units of the company: the former, specialising in the development of end user and enterprise solutions for mobile devices, the latter, focused on digital publishing services for education.
Our Apps have received several international awards and have been downloaded in more than 120 countries, reaching the top 10 of the Stores ranking in over 50 of them with millions of downloads.
Launch of product/company in term of communication, analyzing Robert Scoble’s recipe; Yellow Pages for startuppers (startup directories, tech magazines, magazines in your field/market, etc.). Discover on/off line resources, what is an incubator and what are certified incubators and which characteristics have public, private and university incubators. A new way to work – coworking - with its italian examples and finally some networking recurring events.
Made innovitaly - Not just the Dolce Vita - by David ButlerDavid Butler
Presentation at the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Zurich:
If you think that Italy has “only” beautiful pieces of art, wonderful and tasty food, sea and sun to offer, if you think that Italy is “…just Dolce Vita”, then this is the event for you; discover “Italy 2.0”, leave the era of Made in Italy and dive in the era of “Made Innov-Italy..not just Dolce Vita” the event organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce (CCIS) in cooperation with the Bocconi Alumni, which is thought for an international public of young and less young Swiss and international innovators doing business and having fun in the “Limmat Metropole”, eager to experience something new.
IB&II held its first Fall Symposium at the Bloomberg L.P. Headquarters in New York on November 14, 2011.
Dan Doctoroff, President of Bloomberg L.P., opened the event, which featured 13 Italian SMEs from the mobile technology, cyber security and clean tech industries, who presented their innovative products to over 250 guests.
Prior to the company presentations, a group of leading business executives participated in a panel discussion addressing the questions: “Why invest in Italy now?”.
Panelists included: Fulvio Conti, CEO of Enel SpA, Ossama Bessada, CEO of Wind Telecomunicazioni SpA, Ron Spogli, former U.S. Ambassador to Italy and current Chairman of Innogest SGR, and Gianfranco Carbonato, Chairman of the Piedmont-Turin Industrial Association.
Date: November 14, 2011 at 9:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Bloomberg, L.P, New York
InvestPost provides an innovative financial social platform and global professionals networking which allows beginners and market rookies to gain valuable information and easily communicate with other and different experts in an international environment to obtain related knowledge when using our products.
All financial information in one place!
www.investpost.com
Speaker: Alain le Loux MSc. MBA ( EIT DIgital)
Subjects:
- How to scale-up your business internationally.
- The top 10 mistakes for startups
- From start-up to scale-up
- Possibilities to do business in other countries
- Fast growth strategies
* THE NEW EXCHANGE
Creating a global exchange of innovative minds.
How can entrepreneurs, investors and enabler benefit?
What's our experience after 20 years Silicon Valley.
How can every entrepreneur around the world leverage global connections?
* GLOBAL ACCELERATOR
Running the first global online accelerator so every entrepreneur can join, no matter where they are.
Main topics are Bold visions, disruptive business models,
zero budget go-to-market strategy, traction and growth
hacking, fundraising,
* INTERNATIONAL TRADE FOR EVERY STARTUP
Building the first global trading & transaction system for
young entrepreneurs using blockchain technology.
Getting business rolling into almost any country faster than ever before imaginable - at nearly no cost.
Presentation in Social Business Forum Milan 2012 about success stories of the use of Enterprise Social Networks in companies that evolve towards business 2.0, towards social business
Launch of product/company in term of communication, analyzing Robert Scoble’s recipe; Yellow Pages for startuppers (startup directories, tech magazines, magazines in your field/market, etc.). Discover on/off line resources, what is an incubator and what are certified incubators and which characteristics have public, private and university incubators. A new way to work – coworking - with its italian examples and finally some networking recurring events.
Founded in 2010, Applix is a company focused on Customer Interaction through mobile solutions that enable brands, publishers and institutions to create an innovative and effective digital strategy.
We are a strategic partner for some of the most important publishers and businesses, specialising in two main lines of business: Digital Publishing, Mobile & Apps, Education.
In 2011 our company gained a €3 million investment, underwritten by Principia 2 fund, the investment company AngelLab, Hyppo Corporation and private partners, laying the foundation for the roll-out and internationalisation of its products.
In 2012 and 2014 we completed the acquisition of Xorovo and bSmart, today Applix Xorovo and Applix Education, business units of the company: the former, specialising in the development of end user and enterprise solutions for mobile devices, the latter, focused on digital publishing services for education.
Our Apps have received several international awards and have been downloaded in more than 120 countries, reaching the top 10 of the Stores ranking in over 50 of them with millions of downloads.
Launch of product/company in term of communication, analyzing Robert Scoble’s recipe; Yellow Pages for startuppers (startup directories, tech magazines, magazines in your field/market, etc.). Discover on/off line resources, what is an incubator and what are certified incubators and which characteristics have public, private and university incubators. A new way to work – coworking - with its italian examples and finally some networking recurring events.
Made innovitaly - Not just the Dolce Vita - by David ButlerDavid Butler
Presentation at the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Zurich:
If you think that Italy has “only” beautiful pieces of art, wonderful and tasty food, sea and sun to offer, if you think that Italy is “…just Dolce Vita”, then this is the event for you; discover “Italy 2.0”, leave the era of Made in Italy and dive in the era of “Made Innov-Italy..not just Dolce Vita” the event organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce (CCIS) in cooperation with the Bocconi Alumni, which is thought for an international public of young and less young Swiss and international innovators doing business and having fun in the “Limmat Metropole”, eager to experience something new.
IB&II held its first Fall Symposium at the Bloomberg L.P. Headquarters in New York on November 14, 2011.
Dan Doctoroff, President of Bloomberg L.P., opened the event, which featured 13 Italian SMEs from the mobile technology, cyber security and clean tech industries, who presented their innovative products to over 250 guests.
Prior to the company presentations, a group of leading business executives participated in a panel discussion addressing the questions: “Why invest in Italy now?”.
Panelists included: Fulvio Conti, CEO of Enel SpA, Ossama Bessada, CEO of Wind Telecomunicazioni SpA, Ron Spogli, former U.S. Ambassador to Italy and current Chairman of Innogest SGR, and Gianfranco Carbonato, Chairman of the Piedmont-Turin Industrial Association.
Date: November 14, 2011 at 9:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Bloomberg, L.P, New York
InvestPost provides an innovative financial social platform and global professionals networking which allows beginners and market rookies to gain valuable information and easily communicate with other and different experts in an international environment to obtain related knowledge when using our products.
All financial information in one place!
www.investpost.com
Speaker: Alain le Loux MSc. MBA ( EIT DIgital)
Subjects:
- How to scale-up your business internationally.
- The top 10 mistakes for startups
- From start-up to scale-up
- Possibilities to do business in other countries
- Fast growth strategies
* THE NEW EXCHANGE
Creating a global exchange of innovative minds.
How can entrepreneurs, investors and enabler benefit?
What's our experience after 20 years Silicon Valley.
How can every entrepreneur around the world leverage global connections?
* GLOBAL ACCELERATOR
Running the first global online accelerator so every entrepreneur can join, no matter where they are.
Main topics are Bold visions, disruptive business models,
zero budget go-to-market strategy, traction and growth
hacking, fundraising,
* INTERNATIONAL TRADE FOR EVERY STARTUP
Building the first global trading & transaction system for
young entrepreneurs using blockchain technology.
Getting business rolling into almost any country faster than ever before imaginable - at nearly no cost.
Presentation in Social Business Forum Milan 2012 about success stories of the use of Enterprise Social Networks in companies that evolve towards business 2.0, towards social business
Davide Sher: Milano Hub nel presente e futuro della stampa 3D/Additive Manuf...Manifattura Milano
Intervento a “Manifattura Milano Camp 2018”, evento del Comune di Milano dedicato alla nuova manifattura 4.0 e all'artigianato digitale - www.manifattura.milano.it
Analysis of Italian Crowdfunding Market (November 2013)twintangibles
Ivana Pais (Cattolica University) and Daniela Castrataro (twintangibles) wrote the updated edition of the “Analysis of Italian Crowdfunding Market”, to date the most complete report on the sector.
Recap on storytelling.
We analyze the current landscape, starting from Cluetrain Manifesto, through some definitions (social networks, networked publics).
How we can create an effective message: personalization, groups, behaviours, communities, immediacy, perfect timing, different techniques and styles.
Then some essential rules, regarding listen and conversation, the blur between public and private, goals.
The age of artificial intelligence, deep dives on machine learning and deep learning. Machine perception and applications. How company use AI in their businesses. Case study: Netflix.
Storytelling fundamentals (from Propp to Andrea Fontana) and examples. Marketing perspectives on storytelling. Storytelling with data techniques. Hints and examples
Visual communication of qualitative and quantitative data (v. 2021 ITA)Frieda Brioschi
Visual systems and preattentive attributes. Quantitative data visualization, chart selector. Some useful tactics. Qualitative data definition and examples. Qualitative metaphors. Data visualization & journalism. Common kinds: mind maps, flow diagrams, words cloud, user journey, tube map, maps. Qualitative chart chooser.
Survivorship bias applied to information. Cognition, how we learn, sensation and perception, experience. Human sight and visual perception, visual memory. Gestalt principles. Machine perception.
Linked Data and examples, why they matter. Data driven strategies. Data mining: laws and applications. Data aggregation and fundamentals of data representation (table, bar chart, histogram, pie chart, line graph, scatter plot). Data science definition and job roles (who does what).
Introduction to data classification. Back to origins: history of libraries and their classification methods. Some examples of classification in different areas.
How to collect and organize data (v. ITA 2021)Frieda Brioschi
Overview on data collection methods and a deep dive on data (primary Vs secondary, qualitative and quantitative). Bias. Data processing and structured, unstructured, semistructured data. Example of personal data tracking.
The age of artificial intelligence, deep dives on machine learning and deep learning. Machine perception and applications. How company use AI in their businesses. Case study: Netflix. Basic tools for data manipulation and data visualization.
Recap on storytelling.
We analyze the current landscape, starting from Cluetrain Manifesto, through some definitions (social networks, networked publics).
How we can create an effective message: personalization, groups, behaviours, communities, immediacy, perfect timing, different techniques and styles.
Then some essential rules, regarding listen and conversation, the blur between public and private, goals.
Storytelling fundamentals (from Propp to Andrea Fontana) and examples. Marketing perspectives on storytelling. Storytelling with data techniques. Hints and examples
Visual communication of qualitative data (v. 2020 ITA)Frieda Brioschi
Qualitative data definition and examples. Qualitative metaphors. Data visualization & journalism. Common kinds: mind maps, flow diagrams, words cloud, user journey, tube map, maps. Qualitative chart chooser
Visual communication of quantitative data (v. 2020 ITA)Frieda Brioschi
Quantitative and qualitative data recap. Visual systems and preattentive attributes. Quantitative data visualization, chart selector. Some useful tactics.
Survivorship bias applied to information. Cognition, how we learn, sensation and perception, experience. Human sight and visual perception, visual memory. Gestalt principles. Machine perception.
Data mining, phases of the data mining process and its laws (according to Thomas Khabaza). Classical data aggregation, summary statistics and fundamental representation (tables, bar charts, histograms, pie charts, line graphs). Introduction to data science: definition, applications, process and roles.
Linked Data and examples, why they matter. Data driven strategies. Data mining: laws and applications. Data aggregation and fundamentals of data representation (table, bar chart, histogram, pie chart, line graph, scatter plot). Data science definition and job roles (who does what).
Introduction to data classification. Back to origins: history of libraries and their classification methods. Some examples of classification in different areas.
How to collect and organize data (v. ITA 2020)Frieda Brioschi
Overview on data collection methods and a deep dive on data (primary Vs secondary, qualitative and quantitative). Bias. Data processing and structured, unstructured, semistructured data. Example of personal data tracking.
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
Biological screening of herbal drugs: Introduction and Need for
Phyto-Pharmacological Screening, New Strategies for evaluating
Natural Products, In vitro evaluation techniques for Antioxidants, Antimicrobial and Anticancer drugs. In vivo evaluation techniques
for Anti-inflammatory, Antiulcer, Anticancer, Wound healing, Antidiabetic, Hepatoprotective, Cardio protective, Diuretics and
Antifertility, Toxicity studies as per OECD guidelines
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docxvaibhavrinwa19
Acetabularia acetabulum is a single-celled green alga that in its vegetative state is morphologically differentiated into a basal rhizoid and an axially elongated stalk, which bears whorls of branching hairs. The single diploid nucleus resides in the rhizoid.
Safalta Digital marketing institute in Noida, provide complete applications that encompass a huge range of virtual advertising and marketing additives, which includes search engine optimization, virtual communication advertising, pay-per-click on marketing, content material advertising, internet analytics, and greater. These university courses are designed for students who possess a comprehensive understanding of virtual marketing strategies and attributes.Safalta Digital Marketing Institute in Noida is a first choice for young individuals or students who are looking to start their careers in the field of digital advertising. The institute gives specialized courses designed and certification.
for beginners, providing thorough training in areas such as SEO, digital communication marketing, and PPC training in Noida. After finishing the program, students receive the certifications recognised by top different universitie, setting a strong foundation for a successful career in digital marketing.
A Strategic Approach: GenAI in EducationPeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
3. 1. Italian Startups
Today's table of content
1. About us
2. This course
3. Successful italian startups
4. #EpicFAILS
5. Spotlime
6. Lessons learned
3
8. 1. Italian Startups
Startup 360°
• what is a startup
• how can I create mine
• what I don’t need
• what I need to know in advance
• useful tools
• net*
• ..in Italy?
8
9. 1. Italian Startups
HowTo
• work
• work better
• design
• communicate
• present yourself and your idea
• (pitch)
9
11. 1. Italian Startups
Buongiorno
Buongiorno is an Italian company that provides content
(such as games, music, and information) for mobile
phones.
Buongiorno started out in 1995 when current chairman
Mauro Del Rio started sending humorous e-mail
messages with the subject "Buongiorno" to 11 friends.
The business expanded quickly—by 1998 he was
sending e-mail newsletters to 25,000 people.
11
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buongiorno
12. 1. Italian Startups
Buongiorno
Del Rio launched Buongiorno SpA to provided services
for the telecommunications market, beginning a policy of
growth through international acquisitions, the first of
which was of the Spanish company MyAlert in 2001.
Buongiorno merged with Vitaminic in July 2003 to form
Buongiorno Vitaminic SpA. The company continued with
its policy of acquisitions, the most significant of which
were the Italian company Gsmbox in 2004, and the
French company Freever in 2005.
12
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buongiorno
17. 1. Italian Startups
Buongiorno
In 2006 the group Buongiorno delivered almost 1.4 billion
"digital objects" (ringtones, Java games, wallpapers,
etc.) to over 60 million end users (unique mobile phone
numbers).
As reported on the 2009 balance sheet, the Buongiorno
group has a net worth of around €158.1 million and
revenues of about €259,5 million.
In 2009 the Buongiorno group employed 1000+
employees.
17
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buongiorno - http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buongiorno
18. 1. Italian Startups
Yoox
YOOX Group S.p.A is an Italian internet mail order
retailer of men's and women's multibrand clothing and
accessories. Founded by Federico Marchetti, a former
investment banker, in Zola Predosa near Bologna in
2000, Yoox Group has become a profitable e-commerce
company that serves "more than 100 countries
worldwide".
18
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YOOX
19. 1. Italian Startups
Yoox
It has established itself amongst the market leaders with
the multi-brand stores yoox.com, thecorner.com and
shoescribe.com
Since 2006, YOOX Group designs and manages mono-
brand online stores for fashion brands looking to offer
their latest collection on the Internet (Emporio Armani,
Diesel, Valentino, Moschino, ecc.)
19
http://www.yooxgroup.com/en/press_area/press_kit/yoox_group.asp
20. 1. Italian Startups
Yoox
As reported on the 2011 balance sheet, Yoox group has
a net worth of around €10 million and revenues of about
€291,2 million.
!
In 2011 the Yoox group employed 469 employees (+26%
than 2010).
20
http://cdn2.yoox.biz/yooxgroup/pdf/Bil_YOOX_11_07tris_lr.pdf
21. 1. Italian Startups
Volagratis
The website was created in 2004, spawning from the
success of low-cost flight companies.
Low-costs were usually not considered in the traditional
channels of distribution (booking sites and travel agencies):
an hassle for the customer willing to book a flight, who had
to check all the companies' sites one by one.
This intuition pushed the founders to “ride the wave”,
gaining instant success. Later, they broadened the range of
services offered, including hotels and full holiday packages,
therefore improving the perceived value of the service.
21
http://bit.ly/1cNQDgv
22. 1. Italian Startups
Volagratis
2004 – First incorporation of the society, with 50.000 €
capital, by two founder (Marco Corradino and a business
parntner), one employee
Sale of first flight
2005 – Scheduled flights are introduced (CRS)
First internal customer service, with four employees
2006 - Bravofly Group is constituted, service for the
European market starts, in four languages
22
http://www.volagratis.com/content/it/chisiamo.html
23. 1. Italian Startups
Jobrapido
“Jobrapido is one of the largest job search engines
in the world, delivering 660m visits per year in more
than 50 countries. It helps job seekers search
millions of jobs globally, and provides employers
with access to one of the world's largest candidate
audiences.”
23
http://www.evenbase.com/
24. 1. Italian Startups
Jobrapido
“Looking for a job on the web is annoying”. From this
thought of Vito Lomele (an engineer from Conversano,
who lived in UK and Germany) was born the idea to limit
to the minumum this unavoidable phase: “I was looking
for a job, and I realized how it was difficult and
complicated. So I said myself: there are no search
engines for job offers? I'll make one”
!
Started in 2004, in 2006 became a company
24
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobrapido
25. 1. Italian Startups
Jobrapido
With the project growing, more people and money were
needed: 200k € were raised from some friends, including
the former boss, and 150k € were invested by an
european entrepreneur, Oliver Samwer.
2011's turnover was 24 million Euro, with 3 of net profit;
660 million users, 80 employees from all over the world.
In 2012 Evenbase, from the publishing group DMGT
(Daily Mail and General Trust) bought out 49% of the
company (it is said, for 30 millions), leaving Lomele at the
helm with 51%.
25
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobrapido
26. 1. Italian Startups
Glancee
Glancee is an app that let you discover people nearby
who share friends and interests with you. Behind the
scenes, Glancee uses Facebook to find common friends
and Wikipedia to match users based on interests
relevant to one another.
It is a social discovery tool that reveals the hidden
connections we share with the people we stumble upon
everyday in bars, campuses, even grocery stores.
26
http://www.crunchbase.com/company/glancee
27. 1. Italian Startups
Glancee
Founded in 2010 by Andrea Vaccari, Alberto Tretti and
Gabriel Grisé, it was bought out in 2012 by Facebook.
It was bought before having earned any money, and
without having received any funding.
27
28. 1. Italian Startups
Glancee
“We are therefore very excited to announce that
Facebook has acquired Glancee and that we have
joined the team in Menlo Park to build great
products for over 900 million Facebook users.
We've had such a blast connecting people through
Glancee, and we truly thank our users for being a
part of the Glancee community.”
28
http://www.glancee.com/
31. 1. Italian Startups
Timbuktu
In 2011 they won “Mind The Bridge”, then took part in
“500startups” program, where they raised $515K and
won Best Design Award at LAUNCH Education.
31
!
http://timbuktu.me/blog/category/startup/
32. 1. Italian Startups
AppsBuilder
“AppsBuilder is the new cross-platform tool to
create apps in a cost-effective way and without
having any coding skills. The project was born in
2010, when the two computer engineers Luigi Giglio
and Daniele Pelleri acknowledged the mobile as the
major technology shift of our times and decided to
develop a do-it-yourself app platform to create, edit
and promote mobile apps with no programming
skills at all.”
32
http://www.apps-builder.com/en/about
34. 1. Italian Startups
Balsamiq
“Balsamiq is the maker of Mockups, the rapid
wireframing software that combines the simplicity
of paper sketching with the power of a digital tool
so that teams can focus on what’s important. We’re
a fast-growing, but small and personable company
that competes on usability and service. We believe
work should be fun, and that life is too short for bad
software.”
34
http://www.balsamiq.com/company/press
35. 1. Italian Startups
Balsamiq
Balsamiq was profitable in 3 weeks after launch.
(it was developed while Peldi was working for Adobe in
the US, coding at night)
35
!
36. 1. Italian Startups
Passpack
“Since 2006 Passpack is the leading innovator in
web-based password management and secure
collaboration. Passpack employs the highest grade
encryption systems, coupled with security patterns
built specifically for the Internet to guarantee
complete data privacy. Businesses worldwide trust
Passpack to protect their logins every day.”
36
http://www.passpack.com/en/media/
37. 1. Italian Startups
Passpack
2006: Passpack, the free online password manager, launched
and immediately started to grow.
2008: Passpack incorporated with headquarters in Italy.
It received seed funding from Zernike Meta Ventures
S.p.A (ZMV), representing Ingenium and members of
Italian Angels for Growth.
2009: ZMV renewed their dedication with additional funding.
2010: Founders move to California, and release Passpack
Mobile.
37
http://www.passpack.com/en/company/
39. 1. Italian Startups
Arduino
39
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arduino
Arduino is a single-board microcontroller, intended to make the
application of interactive objects or environments more
accessible. The hardware consists of an open-source
hardware board.
Arduino boards can be purchased pre-assembled or as do-it-
yourself kits. Hardware design information is available for those
who would like to assemble an Arduino by hand. It was estimated
in mid-2011 that over 300,000 official Arduinos had been
commercially produced.
40. 1. Italian Startups
Moleskine
40
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moleskine#History
The present Moleskine notebook is fashioned after Bruce
Chatwin's descriptions of the notebooks he used in his travels. In
The Songlines Chatwin tells the story of his original supplier of
notebooks, a Paris stationer who in 1986 informed him that the
last notebook manufacturer, a small family-run firm in Tours, had
discontinued production that year, after the death of the owner.
In 1997 a small company based in Milan, Modo & Modo SpA,
reintroduced this notebook, and establishing the Moleskine
trademark and starting production of Moleskine notebooks with
5,000 pieces. In 1999, Modo & Modo SpA started distributing
outside Italy. In 2004, Moleskine notebooks arrived in Japan, and
from there Moleskine started distribution to the rest of Asia.
41. 1. Italian Startups
Moleskine
41
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moleskine#History
In 2006 the French investment fund Société Générale Capital
purchased Modo & Modo SpA, and invested in its expansion. The
company name changed to Moleskine Srl. !
In July 2012 Moleskine collections were distributed in 22,000
stores across 95 countries.!
In 2011, Moleskine production extended to new categories with the
new writing, travelling and reading collections, launched at the
Milan Design Week 2011.!
In March 2013 the company announced that it will go public at the
Milan, Italy, stock exchange.
43. 1. Italian Startups
LoveTheSign
43
http://www.lovethesign.com
LoveTheSign it’s an italian online home design shop.
In 2013 received 1 million € by some investors (United Ventures,
Novus Ventures etc).
In its catalogue:
• temporary selling (up to 60% cut off)
• best design firms
• young designers self production
• cool craft product
counting about 5000 products and 220 brands.
54. 1. Italian Startups
Webvan
Born in 1999 as a online shop and delivery service for
groceries in Silicon Valley, California.
Founded by Louis Borders, a successful entrepreneur
(founder of Borders Bookstores)
Promised 30 minutes deliveries anywhere in town, 24/7.
Within an year and still in the red, it expanded business
to 10 major US cities, aiming to reach 26 biggest cities in
the country.
54
55. 1. Italian Startups
Webvan
Gained 375 million $ in investment money within 18 months
(from Goldman Sachs, Yahoo, Sequoia Capital etc)
Worth 1.2 billion after two years (despite no sustainable
revenues)
13 million sales in its first 6 months (despite reporting 35 million
losses)
Over 2000 employees, presence in the most important US
markets (west coast)
Bought out its direct competitor with 1 billion $ in stocks
55
56. 1. Italian Startups
Webvan
Huge investments in infrastructure (inspired by Amazon)
300,000-square-foot distribution centres (the “most
automated in the world”)
Lots of advertising
200 trucks for the Atlanta area only (grand total actually
unknown)
Refitted company headquarters → 92.000$ for 115 chairs
(800$ ea)
56
57. 1. Italian Startups
Webvan
Grocery business in the US works on razor-thin margins
2-3 cents per dollar are considered good margin 1 cent
per dollar is common
Burned through 1 billion $ in investment money without
achieving a sustainable business model
No one on the board had any experience in management
Operating expenses much higher than traditional
channels
57
58. 1. Italian Startups
Webvan
Ultimately:
• bad management decisions
• customers' advantages did not justified higher prices
• too much money avalaible induced lavish spending
• dotcom bubble collapsed
LARGEST DOT COM FLOP EVER
According to CNET
58
66. 1. Italian Startups
Don't do it!
Galatea's 5 points against founding a startup:
1. A startup is not only a good idea
2. A startup is an enterprise
3. A startup is a work group
4. A startup must have a good product
5. A startup is stressful
66
http://www.techeconomy.it/2012/10/10/lorgia-della-start-up-e-sei-consigli-per-non-fondarla/
72. 1. Italian Startups
Zombie?
• You don’t want to get out of bed in the morning
• You don’t want to go out in public for fear you’ll have to
explain what you do
• You haven’t hit 10% week-over-week growth on any
meaningful metric (revenue, active users, etc)
• You’re working on the same idea after 12+ months and
still haven’t launched
• You’ve launched a consumer service and have less than
2% week-over-week growth in signups
72
http://www.daniellemorrill.com/2013/03/zombie-startups/
73. 1. Italian Startups
Zombie?/2
• You’ve launched an enterprise service and have
less than 2% week-over-week growth in revenue pipeline
• You are the CEO and hole yourself up in the offices
so you don’t have to talk to employees and can read
TechCrunch
• You’ve hired consultants to figure out revenue,
culture, or product in a company of less than 10 people
• You’re at SXSW right now reading this post and
trying not to cry
73
http://www.daniellemorrill.com/2013/03/zombie-startups/