⚡ How a Shoe Company Beat Amazon at E-Commerce

Morning Innovators ⚡ In less than 5 minutes, we’ll cover…

🥳 The best funding opportunities, events and jobs in the start-up world
📰 The biggest news stories in the start-up world
👟 How a shoe company beat Amazon at e-commerce
🥭 How parking tickets made Tango go viral
👀 Our favourite start-up to keep an eye on this week
🔗 A tool for shortening URLS

✨ Last weeks most clicked link was this article about Episode 1 Ventures announcing their £76m third fund.

⚡ Also a huge thank you to everyone that attended our first start-up social. Our next event is on the 9th May. There’s just a few tickets left if you want to come. If you’ve clicked on the link above and the event is sold out, you’re able to join the waitlist which means you’ll be told as soon as a ticket becomes available!

Happy hustling,
Rich & Gary

🎤 Events/Opportunities

🅰️ Ascension VC, a London-based early-stage venture capital fund, has announced a £17 million first close of its new institutional impact fund.

🍃 Clean Growth Fund, a UK clean tech venture capital fund, is seeking to invest in early-stage clean and climate technology companies in Wales and South West England. It’s hosting a day-long event at Newport’s Tramshed Tech Innovation Station on 16 April 2024.

🐦 Frontline Ventures has raised a fresh $200m across both of their funds, Seed and Growth. They back the highest-potential B2B software companies in Europe and have a strong track record of helping start-ups get a Series A.

💸 Chris Ganje is on the lookout for founders after venture investment between $100k - $1.0m and have an MVP.

💼 Job opportunities

👕 Operations Analyst, In Print We Trust
🍕 Tech Lead, Martee's
🛍️ Partner Development Manager, Shopify

🌊 Fintech company Tide has appointed a UK and Europe CEO as the company prioritises expansion into international regions. UKTN

💳 Payments start-up GoCardless' net losses increased by just over a quarter as the 13-year-old company continues to operate in the red, but it’s still eyeing profitability in 2025. Sifted

🕸️ London-based spinout Oriole Networks has raised £10m to build optical networks between GPUs in AI clusters. Sifted

🪶 Eight months after acquiring credit card start-up X1 for $95 million, Robinhood announced today the launch of its new Gold Card, with a list of features that could even give Apple Card users envy.. TechCrunch

👟 Zappos: Revolutionizing E-Commerce with a Culture of Customer Delight

In the start-up ecosystem where innovation and speed often overshadow foundational business principles, the Zappos saga stands as a testament to the enduring power of exceptional customer service. At its inception, Zappos, led by the visionary Tony Hsieh, didn't choose to merely participate in the e-commerce race; they decided to redefine it, by placing unparalleled customer service at the heart of their mission. This wasn't just a strategic differentiator; it was a cultural cornerstone that would eventually command the attention of industry titans, including Amazon.

One of the most emblematic stories is that of a woman who purchased several pairs of shoes for her mother with severe medical issues. The ease of ordering, the empathetic interaction with customer service, and the no-hassle return policy provided her with a glimmer of comfort during a difficult time. When Zappos learned about her situation, they went above and beyond, arranging for a bouquet of flowers to be sent to her, showcasing a level of empathy and care that transcended transactional relationships.

Another remarkable instance that encapsulates Zappos' customer-first ethos occurred when a best man, in a pre-wedding panic, realised he'd ordered shoes of the wrong size. With no time to spare, he contacted Zappos in desperation. Not only did Zappos expedite the correct size with overnight shipping, but they also waived the cost, ensuring the wedding went off without a hitch. It's stories like these, where Zappos employees empowered by the company's culture, took initiative beyond the call of duty, that built an indelible brand loyalty.

Zappos' unique approach also extended to their employee training and corporate culture. Unlike conventional call centres focused on minimising interaction time, Zappos celebrated lengthy, genuine conversations with customers, fostering a sense of community and connection. They famously set a record for the longest customer service call, lasting over 10 hours, emblematic of their commitment to go to great lengths to satisfy and understand their customers.

Moreover, the Zappos culture book, an annual publication, encapsulates employee perspectives on the company's values and ethos, serving as a tangible manifestation of their collective commitment to customer service excellence. This practice not only reinforced their core values internally but also served as a powerful recruitment tool, attracting individuals who shared their customer-centric vision.

Zappos' unconventional strategies, such as the offer to pay new hires to quit after their initial training, underscored their commitment to a cohesive, customer-focused team. This bold move ensured that only those genuinely aligned with Zappos' values and mission remained, further entrenching their culture of excellence.

For start-up founders, the Zappos story serves as a powerful reminder that in the age of digital detachment, human connections and genuine empathy can be a company's strongest USP.

As you navigate the complexities of building your start-up, ask yourself how you can embed a culture of customer service excellence that not only satisfies but delights your customers. How can you create an environment where every employee is an ambassador of your core values, willing to go the extra mile to make a customer's day? Remember, in the end, businesses may be built on products and services, but they thrive on relationships and reputations. How will you build yours?

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Want to make your customer’s heart drop before you woo them with some free product, all whilst going incredibly viral? That’s exactly what Tango did!

Sometimes, you just have to go out and get right in front of your customers, like this example from Tango. For the launch of their new product, Tango Mango, they went out to the streets and placed these ‘parking tickets’ on people’s cars. These parking tickets actually turned out to be vouchers for a free Tango Mango! We’re not actually sure what the legalities are surrounding giving out fake parking tickets to random people, so maybe don’t do parking tickets. On top of that, they filmed the reactions of the people receiving these parking tickets and made a viral Tiktok out of it.

How can you do something similar?

Each week we’re featuring one start-up we love. We’d love this to come from community recommendations, so if you know a start-up doing something awesome who deserves a shout-out, please reply to this email. 

Rovar specialises in crafting immersive, interactive experiences that blend the digital and physical realms. Leveraging augmented reality, Rovar enhances visitor engagements at leading destinations, including historical and cultural attractions. Collaborating with international brands like Game of Thrones Studio Tour and Emirates Airlines, Rovar reimagines visitor experiences on its dedicated platform, making storytelling seamless and engaging for customers.

Each week we highlight our favourite tools - either something we’ve been using in our businesses, or tools that our innovator community have recommended.

Dub.co is an open-source link management platform designed for modern marketing teams. It offers more than just shortening URLs; it includes a suite of powerful tools for enhanced marketing, such as detailed analytics on link performance, customisation options for branded links, free QR code generation, and features for team collaboration. Dub.co aims to give marketing teams "superpowers" by making their links more effective and insightful, supported by user-friendly analytics covering geolocation, device, and more.

Next week we’ll be looking at how the founder of a famous camera company failed multiple times before hitting gold with wearables. As usual we’ll also be highlighting our favourite start-up of the week, funding opportunities, and plenty of awesome tips, tricks and tools.

P.S. Connect with us on LinkedIn…