One of the most important, although least highlighted, stops on a B2B start-up’s journey to success is their proof of concept (PoC). PoCs, and pilot programs, provide companies the opportunity to verify their value; often times, a PoC can be the launching point for a company to gain significant traction.
Proov plans on making this a liquid marketplace, where supply and demand can meet seamlessly. A place where PoC’s can happen easily and quickly. The company founders Toby Olshanetsky and Alexey Sapozhnikov are infectious with enthusiasm and believe that they have an opportunity to set a global standard.
More specifically, here are 5 reasons we chose to invest in ProoV:
Planning
Before they even put together a plan, Toby and Alexey spent 3 months traveling around the world speaking with enterprises and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). By doing this, they came out of the trip with a true and deep understanding of the needs of the players in this space. We loved this bottom-up approach, as it emphasized the need for a company like ProoV.
Speed
After they returned from their trip, Toby and Alexey hit the ground running. When we first invested in them they only had a mockup demo and lofty vision, that was December 2015. By now, they launched their beta version 3 months ago – and ProoV already has a significant number of enterprises and start-ups/ISVs utilizing their platform. At Mangrove, we want companies who are prepared to work hard and grow quickly, and it is already evident to us that ProoV embodies this wholeheartedly.
Vision
“Dare to Dream” is the Mangrove theme, and the Proov guys took it to the extreme.
They saw themselves as THE Platform for PoCs with thousands of Enterprises and tens of thousands of ISVs, which will set industry standards in many categories.
We challenged them to ‘Sell’ their concept to real Fortune 1,000 Enterprises – and they did, beyond all expectations!
ProoV provides a solution to a very real, and strongly felt, pain. One of the best things about ProoV is that they deliver a solution to both sides of their market – the tech start-ups and the enterprises. Tech start-ups procure the ability to validate their products, while enterprises gain access to revolutionary technology. We have already received overwhelmingly positive feedback from both sides, and feel confident that ProoV’s planning, in combination with their desire to grow quickly, excites their customers as much as it excites us.
Team
When we first met Toby and Alexey we quickly learned that they were strong leaders who had a clear vision, and were ready to build a big business. Importantly, both of them have significant experiences on both sides of their marketplace. Both Toby and Alexey have been CEOs and co-founders of numerous start-ups, as well as held significant positions in larger enterprises. Their passion and energy is infectious, and we are happy to welcome them to our Mangrove family.
Disruptive
We use this word at Mangrove a lot – but we never say it without meaning it. The Pilot-as-a-Service that ProoV provides is genuinely unique and revolutionary in their space. Their early traction is indicative of the potential they hold. They add a tremendous value to the world of PoCs, and we are excited to be a part of their journey moving forward.
“The gull sees farthest who flies highest”