7 minute read
The Hotseat with Greg Chen, CEO and founder of Mobiz, which recently scored R18-million from Kalon Venture Partners for its US expansion.
Mobiz goes global
I AM 39 YEARS OLD, AND SO FAR
IN MY CAREER… I have founded a company that has elevated SMSes to be more powerful than email, and our technology has reached half the South African population. Our company takes 5% market share within our industry and is currently raising our second round of capital to expand into the US.
WHAT EXCITES YOU MOST ABOUT THE R18-MILLION INVESTMENT
BY KALON IN MOBIZ? I’m excited
to take bold steps to expand into other markets and customer segments. It’s fantastic to know we have the confi dence of our very knowledgeable investors.
WHAT IN YOUR VIEW ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IN TAKING YOUR OFFERING GLOBAL?
Objectively evaluating the product market fi t from scratch. It was an important lesson that strong product market fi t in one market does not simply translate into another.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS YOU’VE LEARNED ON YOUR BUSINESS
JOURNEY? Ask more questions. Fail forward. Complacency is moving backwards.
THE QUALITY YOU MOST RESPECT
IN PEOPLE IS… Focus.
YOUR PET HATE IS… When people
say, “Got it,” when they don’t ‘got’ it. There’s no shame in not understanding something; it’s better to ask more questions, even if it feels ‘dumb’. I try and encourage my staff at Mobiz to ask more questions, as a deeper understanding leads to more accurate and powerful results.
Greg Chen
Mobiz, a South African tech start-up founded by GREG CHEN around the reach and accessibility of the humble SMS, recently scored R18-million from Kalon Venture Partners that will allow it to expand to the US. It was during the pandemic in 2020 that Mobiz grew significantly, as organisations needed to engage with customers.
WHAT SCARES YOU MOST? Forgetting
to smell the roses until it’s too late. Being a start-up founder, it is easy to get caught up in the daily grind.
YOUR BEST QUALITIES ARE…
Big-picture thinking, generosity and a good instinct: I trust my gut.
YOUR WORST QUALITIES ARE…
Not being present enough – I tend to live in my head sometimes. I talk too fast. I’m disorganised, but I’m working on it.
YOUR PERSONAL MOTTO IS…
Be normal and get stuff done.
A PERFECT DAY WOULD BE…
A Saturday with my son. After a busy week, I get to relax and spend some quality time with him and my wife.
IF YOU COULD HAVE DINNER WITH SOMEONE LIVING OR DEAD
IT WOULD BE… Living, because dead people are an inconvenience to have at dinner.
THE GADGET/S YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT AND WHY… USB-C
dongle, because Apple doesn’t make it easy to plug and play.
YOUR ADDICTION IS… Thinking of
other tasks while on a task. It’s like I have a million browser tabs open in my mind and keep opening more.
YOUR DEATH-ROW MEAL WOULD BE…
Fried chicken, cheesy fries and Coke.
YOU THINK 2021 WILL BE…
Too short. With exciting product launches planned, great new customers, important investor raises, and an ever-expanding #MobizFam – there just aren’t enough months in the year.
STRAP
Header here Header FUTURE FUTURE FUTURE FUTURE FUTURE FUTURE FUTURE FUTURE OF OOH WEBINAR here Header here Tractor Outdoor launches new platform ‘The Future of OOH’ Tractor launches webinar and free e-guide on how to leverage new technologies to deliver more impactful DOOH campaigns
Net ligenis et et latia exerem voloreria ide sumquas re ipsa il ipsam inia sum International research indicates that one of the biggest stumbling blocks the global digital out NAME OF WRITER of home (DOOH) industry currently faces is a lack of education around the new technologies that exist, which have the potential to massively benefit advertisers through allowing them access to real-time data and insights. Mc Connell explains that through the Future of OOH webinar - which is the first in a planned series - the media owner aims to create a platform to educate brands, agencies, marketers and media owners on the exciting new technologies that have emerged. “These tools have the potential to unlock enormous opportunity for marketers; delivering measurable, dynamic campaigns based on real-time audience data.”
TEcta sed eumque of c tem In a collaborative effort to educate the local outdoor industry and its stakeholders on the is aut qui non re, qui dit, latest innovations within the DOOH realm, vendio es molum fuga. media owner Tractor Outdoor recently hosted a Name pos sit mostotatates free webinar titled ‘The Future of OOH’, together ex et, invendit labores id with its partners Broadsign, AdMobilize, minctas eres ma volupta turestore Voodooh and Hivestack. of cab oreriatur? The webinar, which was hosted on Wednesday 9 Dolorestia nosam nis el invendic June, featured presentations by Joe Cotugno, tecabor re quam etSenior Vice President: Operations at Broadsign; Joe Mora, Head of DOOH: EMEA at AdMobilize; Keith Nilsen, founder at Voodooh; Romulus Stoian, Global Director: Publisher Solutions at Hivestak; and Tractor’s own Sales Director, Lizelle Mc Connell.
Mc Connell explains that through the Future of OOH webinar - which is the first in a planned series - the media owner aims to create a platform to educate brands, agencies, marketers and media owners on the exciting new technologies that have emerged. “These tools have the potential to unlock enormous opportunity for marketers; delivering measurable, dynamic campaigns based on real-time audience data.” Tractor Outdoor has also created 'The DOOH Playbook’, a free how-to guide covering the A-Z of DOOH advertising. “The Playbook unpacks a number of pertinent topics, such as ‘Why DOOH needs to be part of your omni-channel strategy’, ‘How to create the perfect DOOH media plan’, ‘How to conceptualise creative content in a way that generates returns’, ‘How to integrate technology into your campaign planning’ and more,” says Mc Connell. Tractor Outdoor’s Commercial Director Remi du Preez explains that unlocking innovation in order to create impactful campaigns that deliver real results is a key focus of Tractor Outdoor’s business, and “we constantly seek to identify new technologies and platforms that will allow us to deliver on this goal. “We pride ourselves on being one of the forerunners in introducing new tools and technologies to the local industry; driving education, but also helping marketers bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and application."
Tractor Outdoor’s free DOOH Playbook can be downloaded here.
Tractor Outdoor has also created 'The DOOH Playbook’, a free how-to guide covering the A-Z of DOOH advertising. “The Playbook unpacks a number of pertinent topics, such as ‘Why DOOH needs to be part of your omni-channel strategy’, ‘How to create the perfect DOOH media plan’, ‘How to conceptualise creative content in a way that generates returns’, ‘How to integrate technology into your campaig planning’ and more,” says Mc Connell.
ABOUT TRACTOR OUTDOOR:
Established almost two decades ago, Tractor Outdoor is a national Out of Home (OOH) media owner, which specialises in connecting brands to consumers through its network of traditional and digital inventory, as well as its transit networks and ambient platforms. Tractor Outdoor owns one of the largest Digital OOH networks in South Africa, and is a member of Outdoor Measurement Council (OMC), the Out of Home Media South Africa (OHMSA) and the Interactive Advertising Bureau South Africa (IAB SA).
Header here Header here Header here
NAME OF WRITER
TEcta sed eumque offic tem is aut qui non re, qui dit, vendio es molum fuga. Name pos sit mostotatates ex et, invendit labores id minctas eres ma volupta turestore officab oreriatur?
Dolorestia nosam nis el invendic tecabor re quam et
