In a few words, can you describe Smeetz's background and activities?
The adventure began 6 years ago. Initially, we presented ourselves as a B2C platform for booking leisure activities, with dynamic pricing. The main problem was that Switzerland is a small market, so we quickly switched to SaaS. We offer a unified commerce solution for different activities ranging from museums and amusement parks to leisure centres. The added value is to offer them a single software package to improve their sales and marketing through data analysis. So we offer these one-stop services to small and medium-sized players who don't necessarily have the budget to have several digital tools.
How does Smeetz stand out from the competition?
In a nutshell, there is the old software, which is specialised in one area and not connected to each other. This prevents correct data analysis, which is the opposite with our unified solution. The customer journey is studied and we adapt our strategies accordingly. What's more, machine learning and LLM allow us to adapt our solution to a multitude of business models.
You completed the LeadiNNg to Scale-Up programme this year. How did you find out about it?
The programme was recommended to me by another start-up - Tayo Software. However, the thing that convinced me was the notion of community. After all, you learn a lot by meeting new people. And this 3rd edition's cohort was really relevant and rich, so I made the right choice!
What lessons have you learnt?
I studied at EPFL, so my background is more scientific, but the management aspect of the programme was very useful. These concepts are important if you want to be a good leader. Two courses stood out for me: one was devoted to the theme of self-awareness, knowing how to recognise your emotions so that you don't let yourself be guided by your emotions. The second was on corporate values and culture, given by Jim Pulcrano and complemented by the CEO of MindMaze. I found this theoretical-practical formula enormously useful.
Would you recommend the programme?
Totally ! The organisation of the programme, the quality of the courses offered by IMD, the network created, etc. LeadiNNg to Scale-Up is really a relevant programme for fast-growing companies.