Andrea Tassistro of Foodetective .
Tell us about yourself?
So my name is Andrea, I’m 30 years old and I was born in Geneva, Switzerland, but I have very strong Italian roots because of my parents Mario & Alessandra.
I have 3 wonderful siblings, Giovanni, Camilla & Lorenzo with whom I grew up. I did my studies first in Geneva & then as a boarder in Lausanne where I did my Swiss Maturity.
I then took a working gap year to finally enrol at the University of Westminster in London to study Management with Entrepreneurship.
From there, my humble yet intense Entrepreneurial life started.
What do you think is the single biggest misconception people have when it comes to startups?
To me the biggest misconception in startups is that most people think start-ups are built, grown and sold overnight for billions of dollars…
If you could go back in time to any moment from your journey, and give yourself one tip, what would it be?
Be patient. As founders (specially first timers) we tend to get over excited about what we’re building. Building a long lasting business takes an enormous amount of time. “Good things take time, great things take a little longer.“
What makes you stand out as an entrepreneur?
My resilience & adaptation. I truly don’t believe I’m smarter, wiser or have any specific intellectual characteristic that makes me stand out as an Entrepreneur.
But, looking back, I realized that what made me stand out from other entrepreneurs is that I never back down. “The first rule of business is, to stay in business“.
What are some of the best working habits you’ve gained over the past couple of years?
Look, I try to be consistent & organized. By consistent I mean that I have a daily routine. I try to avoid long meetings as much as possible.
I always respect deadlines no matter what they are (small or big tasks, important or less important).
Always try to overcome problems by anticipating. I have a zero email inbox policy (everyday at midnight) and tend to classify every folder, email, files extremely precisely.
Give us a bit of an insight into the influences behind the company?
I’m a big fan of Airbnb, Square, Dyson, Rippling & Tesla. Since the beginning these were our models and what we aim to aspire to become.
To us, they’ve all nailed one thing. Their product. And I personally believe that an outstanding product enables seamless distribution, great marketing and a sense of community.
Blended together these aspects often lead to exceptional growth and financial returns. PS: Huge heads to Figma and the team who recently showed us how it’s done.
Where do you see your business in five years?
Our vision is to create a Super App connecting the entire industry ecosystem end to end (from production to consumption). Powering millions of merchants, entrepreneurs and businesses all around the world to work more efficiently and transparently.
In 5 years, Foodetective will be 10 years old and by that time we’ll be integrated with any tools, suppliers and services providers. Providing businesses around the world with a single yet intelligent interface to manage and automate the entire operations.
What do you think the biggest challenge will be for you in getting there?
I think the challenge will be human. Aligning different cultures, habits, partners & investors towards a single vision.
Talk to us about your biggest success story so far?
To me the biggest success story is the team we’ve built. Having the privilege to work and collaborate with so many different individuals on something that was just a presentation a few years back is already a success and what I value the most.
How do clients and customers find you? Are you much of a salesperson for yourself?
We’ve automated quite a lot of things in order to make sure merchants know we’re here to support them.
They usually find us online, on socials, on their emails, or directly in their restaurants. One thing that works really well are client referrals.
I have to say that I’am less intense then when I started. But everywhere I go is “a potential client“ right ?
What one tip would you give to fellow startup founders?
Realize what you’ve achieved since the inception of your company and try to imagine what it will be in a year or two. Stay positive, enjoy the ride and learn as much as possible.
And finally, what do you hope the future brings both you personally, and your business?
I hope Foodetective becomes an eternal company supported by a strong & international community of users.
Always on the cutting edge of innovation and as agnostic as it can be. Personally I hope to grow as a human being, keeping the learning curve as steep as possible.
Surrounded by smart & enthusiastic people with whom we can push the boundaries of our vision & mission to support merchants in their daily operations.
Follow Foodetective on Twitter or Linkedin.
