A chat with Vittoria Zanetti, Co-founder of Poke House

Endeavor talks about… is a monthly column created to explore relevant topics for the Italian startup and scaleup ecosystem, share data and let you know the amazing people who give life to the Endeavor network as entrepreneurs, board members, and mentors.

This month we had a chat with Vittoria Zanetti, Co-founder of Poke House, the “food tech” which is effectively industrializing the production of “poke bowls” for food delivery platforms with over 80 stores in the word.

Tell us about yourself: where do you come from and what is your background?

I lived in Mantua and both my parents were in the food business as producers. You could say that food is in my DNA. I have traveled a lot, mostly in America, where I discovered different and innovative restaurant formats. This led me to the dream of bringing fast casual food to Italy. While waiting to make this dream come true I did many jobs; the last one was at Calzedonia as a Public Relations & Events Manager. This experience taught me a great deal, but in the end, even though I had nothing in my pocket, I decided to leave in order to pursue my real goal.

I should like to point out that on many occasions I have also worked as a waitress, head waitress, and bartender. I consider this experience fundamental for those interested in doing business in the food sector because it gives you an idea of how things work from the perspective of the staff and shows you how to interpret their needs.

Poke House is the company you started when you joined Endeavor along with your partner, Matteo Pichi. What inspired you to throw yourself into this venture?

As I said, I have always wanted to create something of my own in the food industry, but the trigger was meeting Matteo Pichi, my partner. Matteo was the Country Manager for Glovo, but he too had dreams of starting a company. I was looking for someone to take care of the administrative side and he was looking for someone to take care of the operational side. We found a balance in each other. From the first time we talked about the idea of Poke House, only one month passed before we opened the first dark kitchen for delivery, whereas it took six months to study the concept of the store. In four years we have expanded to 80 stores, opening one a week in 5 countries. In other words, everything has happened very quickly since we found each other.

What is your role in the company?

In addition to my strategic role as co-founder, I am extremely focused on the product, which is the part I enjoy the most. In the beginning, both Matteo and I did everything, but as we become more organized, we carve out the space we feel the most comfortable working with, and I love dealing with food & beverage, the in-store experience, developing different menus for different countries and so on.

Your sector is the most traditional one, even more so in Italy. What is meant by “innovating food” and in what ways is this innovation carried out?

For us, it means many things. For example, the fact that we introduced an American retail method, trying to make it even more dynamic and technological. The dish itself is innovative because the bowl with all the necessary nutrients was not so widespread in Italy until a few years ago. Being “Instagrammable” also means keeping up with trends. We created a brand that could work using technology alone, without retail, and that is what allowed us to grow during the pandemic, whereas others had to close their businesses, unfortunately.

Closing the first round, with MIP, was tough because of Covid.
I won’t deny that it was a difficult moment, but instead of giving up,
we focused on our main strength: our people.

How did you get the initial investors to trust you?

Closing the first round, with MIP, was tough because of Covid. The pandemic had just broken out and in the middle of the lockdown they were no longer sure of investing 5 million, with all the businesses closed without knowing if and when things would resume. I won’t deny that it was a difficult moment, but instead of giving up, we focused on our main strength: our people. We wanted to show that our team were able to face any circumstance by continuing to reinvent themselves, that we were more than “just poke”. So, in 48 hours we all got to work and created three brands, three online businesses that worked perfectly from every viewpoint, from the business plan to the creative aspects. When we showed them to the investors, they were convinced immediately.

That consumer habits are changing, due to digital disruption but also to the pandemic, is a known fact. Does this also apply to your industry?

We were born as a brand that “influences” people, from the concept of the stores to the look of the bowls. Everything is very “Instagrammable”. I believe that many people, who would never have eaten so much raw fish before, thanks to the combination of social media and delivery have become curious and are now regular customers.

So what needs to be in the “toolbox” of someone who wants to launch a startup?

You have to always believe in your idea, even in times when it seems as if things are going badly. This is what gives you the strength to react and adapt quickly to changing situations. Also, don’t think that you can do everything by yourself, or that you can find a partner who is identical to you. You need someone to act as a counterbalance, someone who can compensate for you in times of downturn and give you the right push, someone who understands you even if they don’t agree with you on everything.

What is the difference between a successful startup and one that fails?

Definitely, luck. However, another problem that I think a lot of startups have is that they are created with only one focus: money, money, money. The only thought is to earn as much as possible and as quickly as possible. When you found a startup, your ultimate goal should not be to make money but to realize an idea and bring it to success, not only financially. Focusing only on the financial side of the business makes you lose your direction, and the starting idea becomes distorted, losing its uniqueness.

How do you choose collaborators?

Basically, we have to like them. We receive thousands of resumes, and from competent people too, educated people. There are plenty of them… but very few have that spark. We want people who believe in our project, who can identify with our vision. I carry out interviews not so much to find out about a person’s career path, but to understand their energy, what their work-life balance is, whether they can be aligned with us.

Let’s talk about mistakes: which ones did you make and what did you learn from them?

I am of the opinion that you have to try everything, otherwise you won’t learn. In fact, we have made many mistakes. Personally, in the past, I put too much trust in the people I worked with. I made them my friends, and that changed our working relationship. When you have a company you consider your team a second family; it is natural to let yourself go with them. However, a workplace is a workplace. The right thing to do is to keep a healthy distance.

I have to be honest: I thought Endeavor would be one of the many companies with good values, but not very practical. Instead, since the first selections I realized that it was a whole other world. That first phase has already enriched us with knowledge and contacts. We have started making contacts with fantastic entrepreneurs from all over the world. It has been a surprise.

What has been your experience with the Endeavor selection process?

It has been a great experience! I didn’t know what to expect. It was Matteo who knew the reality of that situation and some of the people within the network. I have to be honest: I thought it would be one of the many companies with good values, but not very practical. Instead, since the first selections I realized that it was a whole other world. That first phase has already enriched us with knowledge and contacts. We have started making contacts with fantastic entrepreneurs from all over the world. It has been a surprise. We are just at the beginning and I think we shall have many more opportunities to use this network to study, receive support and extremely valuable advice.