Photo of the meeting organized at his Pi School by Marco Trombetti, founder of Translated, a former startup now evaluated more than 300 million.
I had the honor and pleasure of participating in a meeting with Federico Marchetti, the sole Italian founder of the only Italian startup that has become a “unicorn”, i.e. that has exceeded the value of one billion: Yoox, the Italian company that invented the e-commerce of fashion, luxury goods and design.
There were three concepts that Federico repeated more than once, points dear to iMasterminds that would be worth further exploring with our protagonist, namely:
- Disruptive innovation
- Sustainability
- Management team diversity
DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION
- “I have always dreamed and traveled into the future. I did it as a child when I tried to invent things that didn’t exist and I did it when I grew up, living every day as if they were tomorrow and not today, because innovation is my prime mover”.
- “When I created Yoox in 2000, I chose a home page so innovative as to seem absolutely crazy, but without which it would never have become a startup sold for 5.3 billion”.
SUSTAINABILITY
- “It dates back to 2009 when it was clear to me for the first time that sustainability would become the real issue that not only fashion but society as a whole would soon have to deal with”.
- “Today I mainly dedicate myself to teaching and to my new project, Moder Artisan, which has become a reality after having proposed it to the then Prince Charles of England, committing myself to the creation of new professionalism and sustainable luxury”.
MANAGEMENT TEAM DIVERSITY
- “I understand numbers and I know how to interpret them, but I don’t like finance. It is creativity that makes the difference, what a company can do if it enriches itself with the most diverse people possible”.
- “When I started up, Elserino Piol (venture capital pioneer in Italy – ed) gave me some money and promised to give me a second tranche once the website was launched, the first 500 orders were received and the team was set up, with CTO, CMO and Logistics Manager; and I did it by bringing on board the most diverse people… but if I told you how I recruited them, you wouldn’t believe it”.
What struck me most about Federico Marchetti is the fact that, despite being a man who has undoubtedly come a long way in life, and – let’s say it! – even at a young age (Yoox was founded when he was thirty), he remained humble, smiling and absolutely authentic. These are characteristics that unite him to the landlord, Marco Trombetti, another formidable character, of which, however, I will tell you another time. Both say they have faith in technology, but believe even more in people: because they are the ones who, in the end, make the difference. And I think this element is the foundation of their success. And also of their smile: spontaneous, sincere and unconventional: in short, out of the box, just like them.
Pier Ludovico Bancale
