Andrea's Startup, the Real Deal
One company's success based on discounts, in the cutthroat world of online promotions, is the real deal. This was what Andrea Puzo was betting on. The 27-year-old Irpinia-native, with a Master of Science and Specialized Master from Bocconi, started CupoNation with three partners. Their online coupon platform features e-commerce offers, and is already active on three continents after only one year.
After graduating with a degree in Economics in Rome, Andrea moved to Milan in 2008 to attend a Master of Science in Management. After finishing his second degree and various experiences at multinationals, Andrea began to attend events related to startups. "The light bulb moment happened in Barcelona, when I was at the HP Business Academy, where I discovered my interest in entrepreneurship and digital issues in general, and in particular e-commerce. That was also where I met one of my future partners, Pedro Claveria."To specialize his education, Andrea then returned to Bocconi to attend a Specialized Master in Project and Information Management. "The Master provided me with the necessary knowledge of the IT world while I was developing various ideas. What convinced me and Pedro the most was based on the world of digital coupons for online deals, which is already a well-developed business in the US, and the US is always the precursor for successful internet ideas."The idea was developed in Berlin, with Pedro and two other partners, Maria Fernandes Antunes and Sahil Shah, who they met in Berlin, the European nerve center for incubators and startuppers. It was there that they found support from the incubator Rocket Internet, specializing in support for online business startups, and they launched CupoNation. Their site aggregates coupons for deals and promotions offered by companies for purchases on the internet, directly on brand and retailer sites, stipulating agreements with the companies themselves, as well as offering exclusive CupoNation discounts.It debuted in September 2012 in India, thanks to support from Sahil, and the success led to launching in Brazil, thanks to support from Maria, and then in Europe, where it is now available in Austria, Poland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Norway, France and Russia."After a year of activities, our balance sheet is very positive, considering that we have 80 people on the team all over the world, 332 partners and, in addition to the office in Berlin, four local offices in São Paulo, Delhi, Madrid and Warsaw," says Andrea. "The next step now is to open more local branches, including Milan, to directly oversee the area and expand our current base of retailers and offers."