Underdog Founders - Nuno spins-off Zomato from global HQ to realize his vision
How do you build something new when you’re tied to a global brand?
Growing up, Nuno was convinced he didn’t want to work with people.
He wanted something remote that gave him independence and connection to different cultures. Translation happened to fit the bill.
With his degree in hand, he started getting clients.
The work ticked almost all his boxes, but not knowing when the next pay check would come was stressful.
It was time try the 9-5.
He landed a job at IKEA, in the translation department.
At IKEA, everyone spends part of their time working in sales.
Having successfully built his career to work remotely and avoid routine customer interactions, Nuno found himself doing exactly that.
That’s when everything changed.
Surprisingly, he loved the role.
Nuno, who broke away from Zomato HQ to launch DIGin
With a newfound energy for connecting with others, Nuno continued to build experience across departments.
IKEA was great, but the food and beverage world was always in the back of his mind.
So when Zomato Portugal approached him in 2014, he joined the marketing team and moved up all the way to the top - CEO.
Zomato set out to be the go-to app for every foodie. The Google Maps to browse all restaurants and get access to exclusive deals.
Business was great, until COVID hit.
Zomato, HQ’d in India, restructured with a new focus - including retiring all international markets.
The leadership team saw an opportunity.
They acquired Zomato Portugal, bootstrapping everything.
Nuno even sold a few properties to put fresh capital into the company and buy out the HQ.
Zomato had brand awareness, but their vision was bold and new.
They needed to break away from the old to make space for the new and so DIG-IN was born.
COVID changed the food industry. There was an opportunity to analyze digital data in a new way.
They could give specific market insights to restaurants, brands, and consumers.
This meant less waste and streamlined ordering.
Plus, the ease of ordering or making reservations for customers in-app was trending. Everyone won.
So far, at the helm of DIG-IN, Nuno has:
Streamlined the process to launch in a new city - from 30 days down to just 48 hours.
Grown a new revenue stream, with data analysis becoming 30% of their 700k in ARR.
Won the title “Entrepreneur of the Year” back in 2022, by the same organization that rejected his first business idea years ago.
People often think that founders need an original idea to make it as entrepreneurs, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Ideas are a dime a dozen... execution is all that matters.
Sometimes, global HQs don’t have what it takes to win regional markets.
When that happens, if you want to take the wheel, don’t doubt yourself and just go for it.
Underdog Founders 22 - Nuno Fernandes, DIG-IN (previously Zomato Portugal).
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