As part of my continuous strive for improvement and in line with the passion I have for startups, I decided to do this series which will hopefully interview as many startups from Station F’s Future 40 2021 list as I possibly can get my hands on (hopefully all of them). These startups are really trying to change the world as we know it one startup at a time. Soon so many of them will need your support for exposure as they embark on their primary investment rounds.
For my first interview, I was lucky to have met Antony Chamieh during an English for business class at the American University of Beirut when we were still in our undergraduate phase. We reconnected later on again in France only surprised to see this new innovative concept that he’s working on. Antony is a great example of how to move from corporate to startup and how market opportunities can be your beacon to a new future.
Tell us about yourself & what did you study?
Hello Yahya, thank you for having me. My name is Antony Chamieh. I am a 28 years old French-Lebanese currently based in Paris. I was born and brought up in the UAE where I’ve spent most of my school years. I then moved To Beirut to connect with my roots and got a business administration bachelor’s from the American University in Beirut and followed I- with a Master’s in Management from IE Business School in Madrid.
Why did I study business? I initially decided to study business as I did not have any particular subject/field that I was passionate about, nevertheless I understood that studying business would give me all the tools, frameworks, and strong basis that would allow me to be polyvalent and could be used in any industry I would like to work in later.
My first work experience was in a Management Consulting firm in Dubai in which I learned a lot thanks to a terrific team and worked on interesting projects in diverse industries: oil and gas, nuclear power plant, retail, FMCGs etc… After 2 years and a half, I was hungry for a new and more “hands-on” challenge; and this is what took me to Delivery Hero-Talabat. There, I got to work with a very young and dynamic team on the new upcoming trends such as quick commerce, online food delivery, cloud kitchens etc… The exposure to these innovations is what made me aware of the opportunities that lie in this market.
Can you tell us a little more about your Startup?
Imagine owning the best burger brand in Miami. And then, in a matter of weeks and with no required investment, you find yourself selling your burgers on delivery platforms across Europe. Isn’t it the dream of all restaurant owners? To get their food out there, for the whole world to enjoy?
After an exponential growth during the Covid19 crisis, the online food delivery market currently stands at +$120 Bn worldwide. This market is forecasted to grow to a staggering $200 Bn by 2025.
This online food delivery growth also showed the real limitations for the expansion of the traditional brick-and-mortar restaurants. This is when at Food7Go we decided to build the marketplace for online Food & Beverage franchising. Food7Go will allow food brands to launch globally in a timely manner, with no risk, and at low cost.
Our B2B2C sharing economy model uses the existing ecosystem and infrastructure to deliver our solution. This allows all stakeholders involved to gain greatly from our solution with the following key takeaways:
1) The food brands: they expand at no risk and low costs
2) The kitchen operators: launch the franchised brands in their kitchen allowing them to increase revenue and utilization of existing resources.
3) The customer: enjoys a wider variety of offerings, competitive prices and a seamless delivery experience.
Our solution is delivered via an integrated set of platforms and APIs relying heavily on data and automation. The latter enables all Food7Go stakeholders to benefit from our data-driven approach for forecasts, insights, and machine learning.
In order to deliver the best on our vision, we have assembled a terrific team with the most relevant skills and capabilities that would allow Food7Go to become successful.
How did the idea of your startup come up?
Having worked in the industry for a couple of years, I was closely following the innovations of cloud kitchens and its evolution – looking closely to the general direction of the industry and its unit economics which are very challenging and need to be mastered in order to be able to be viable in the long term. Nevertheless, the main catalyst for the creation of Food7Go was the Covid 19 crisis and the havoc it came with regarding the traditional F&B industry, while simultaneously skyrocketing the online food delivery model. This solution which might have been considered a luxury prior to Covid, is quickly becoming a necessity in the post-Covid world.
What is your secret sauce to getting to where you are?
I would recommend everyone to always keep an open attitude towards learning and upskilling. You will always learn something no matter your position or the industry you are in, and all these experiences can always be beneficial later on in your career.
Here are some lessons I’ve learned in the past year since launching my venture:
1) Part-time entrepreneurship is rarely possible and is a no-no for investors.
2) Ideas are great but are worthless, what matters is implementation.
3) Be ready for it, as it will always be tougher and longer than what you expect.
What would you advise people that are currently struggling to do something with their passion?
I will avoid any cliches regarding this question. I believe unfortunately that not everyone will be able to make a living from their passion. This does not mean giving up on it but this does mean that this passion might remain like a hobby.
Obviously from an entrepreneur’s perspective, it would be a dream to be able to build a successful venture around a passion of yours. Unfortunately, a passion is personal and the problem/diagnostic might not be shared /relevant to the rest of the market, and monetizing might not always be possible.
This might sound counterintuitive but a lot of entrepreneurs I’ve met recently are not necessarily passionate about the industry they are in. Nevertheless, they found a clear opportunity in a relevant market and have built a strong value proposition.
Where do you see yourself in the organization in the next 10 years?
By God’s grace, my team and I will be leading a unicorn and would have taken our solution globally introducing lovely brands worldwide and benefiting local ecosystems, host kitchens, and customers alike.
Could you tell us what skills people need to have to be where you are?
I have compiled a list of what I believe are helpful skills for entrepreneurs (especially CEOs):
-Empathy
-Time management
-Communicating, listening and networking
-Resilience / patience
-Teamwork, leadership skills, and delegating
-Analytical and problem-solving skills
-Critical thinking skills
– Strategic thinking and financial planning skills
If you would go back to high school or college today what would you do differently that would help you in your career right now?
I would have learned how to code as it would have allowed me to be more in sync with my CTO regarding our product, improvements, and required timelines.
For more information on Food7go for to: https://food7go.com/
Are you part of Station F’s Future 40? Feel free to email me at yahya.alfreh@gmail.com so we can arrange an interview for you!
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