Nexo is a platform for easy access to technical and public services

Yet Startup Many have entered the field of technical and public services. Many of them have failed, but there is still competition for a share of this market among other startups. Some have preferred to provide only one specific service, but others like startup Nexo have tried to create a bigger market by covering various services. As in the Nexo platform, in addition to building technical services, home services and matters related to facilities, financial, commercial and legal services are also covered. We spoke with Mohammad Ghanbari, the co-founder of Nexo, to learn more about the market of service startups and Nexo.

Mohammad Ghanbari

I am Mohammad Ghanbari, born in 1957, graduated in hardware from Tehran Azad University, South Branch. From 1980 to 1982, I was working in Asalouye in phase 4 and 5 projects, and due to the use of software systems, the project was finished earlier than the deadline, and by stealing from their work system, we created a software called IPMS (Iranian Industrial Project Management). ) we produced. In 1989, we founded the company “Saman Andisheh Setia”, which was specialized in the field of IPMS and was well received by the oil and gas industry. Currently, this software is used in 23 mega projects in Iran, and Setia is a well-known brand in the field of project management software.

The end of Satya

Since 1996, there have been problems in the field of oil and gas, for example, due to the lack of new projects in Iran, the Setia market currently does not have much feedback. Another thing is that due to the limited and specific nature of the market, Setia had no room to grow and had grown enough.

First Satya and then Nexo

Nexo is a system for providing technical and specialized services online, one side of which is experts and the other side is people. The main service includes 8 types of service intervals such as technical, entertainment, financial, etc. Our goal is to become a portal for any kind of service that a citizen needs. The wide range of our services is also because, according to experience, startups that have grown in the world in the field of services have provided a wide range of services; Because in services, repeatability of purchase is very important. Some financial services, such as paying bills, buying phone charges, transportation services, etc., have high purchase repeatability, but the need for services such as technical building services may occur once a year; Therefore, the market in technical building services may be large; But its repeatability is very low, and people install the application when they feel the need for its services at least once a month, and we increased the repeatability by expanding the range of services. We are still trying different services and getting feedback from users to reach the real market needs.

Nexo’s difference

We give the service the values ​​that are missing in the traditional service market so that the user prefers the online market to the traditional market. First, the main price of services in the traditional market is not clear. Second, in the traditional service market, quality has no definition, and quality is defined according to a person’s reputation; If we do not have a reliable person, the final quality will be ambiguous. Third, the speed of action in finding a reliable service provider is both qualitative and ethical. Users can see the profile and resume of the service provider as well as the opinions of people who have received services from that person. In the application, the user searches for the desired service and registers his request, and this request is shared between the service providers close to the customer; The service providers inform the user of their proposed prices, and the user chooses one of these people, and if the user is not satisfied with the service provided, we send an expert to verify it, and finally, it leads to warranty issues, etc.

In order to select service providers, in addition to the initial interview, we take a test of no bad background and no addiction. People must have a business license or skill card. In addition, we ensure the correctness of their residence. We contact their former customers and evaluate the service provider from a qualitative and ethical point of view, and after accepting them, we ask the customers for their level of acceptance. These strictures have caused half of the experts to drop out and reject them in these stages.

Competition

More than 40 startups have entered this field. 2 startups are ahead of the others and some are in the growth stage like us. All startups in this field have all the services we provide; But what causes customer loyalty is the real performance of the platform in providing a variety of services and creating confidence in customers.

Team

I, Mr. Amin Heydarpour and Mr. Saeed Fekursani, Startup co-founders We know that Setia company was also managed by the same members. Mr. Fekursani is in charge of support management in Setia and also in Nexo. I was the CEO at Setia and I am in charge of executive management and software infrastructure at Nexo. Mr. Heydarpour is active in technical discussion and quality control system. After some time, the graphic, branding and marketing teams joined us and now the team consists of 12 people.

Enter the market

In the first three months of our activity, we did not proceed in a particular way and we only got to know the market in order to know people’s expectations and improve the services. In January, we deployed the marketing team and planned in the field of digital marketing.

Attention to customers

We first had a completely dynamic and flexible website; After that, we launched a test website based on customer feedback, and we are launching a new website based on the results we got from the test website. In the same way, we made changes in the application according to the feedback; Because no matter how ideal a system is set up, it must first be accepted by the user and be practical. In B2C systems like our system, unlike the B2B system, the user has a high power of choice, and if the customer does not like your system, he will easily choose another set in this field.

Fundraising

To date, Nexo has been funded by Setia; But from this stage onwards, due to entering the stage of market expansion, it will not be able to cover the costs and we are looking for attracting investors. We also got help from Amirkabir Samsung Center and settled there. This center, the space of which is provided by Amirkabir University and its costs are provided by Samsung, not only does not charge the teams, but also pays for it and has provided a lot of help to the teams, including our team. Our main discussions in attracting investors took place during 6 sessions at the Innotex exhibition, three of which reached the second stage.

Challenge

One of the biggest challenges – which we have not encountered yet and we will definitely face in the future – is dealing with the traditional market; Because startups in the service field are not yet big enough for the traditional market to feel threatened, and as soon as this feeling of danger is formed, the challenges begin. Due to its vastness, the service sector will not have a private trustee for support in this situation, and there is no codified law for this sector. For these reasons, we will definitely encounter big problems, but recently, a working group was formed by the Internet Business Association and Mr. Alfat Nasab in order to compile a regulation in this area and inform groups such as places, FATA police, etc., and this action It has caused the sensitivity and entry of these collections into the field of services.

income generation

We had been able to generate income from the beginning of our activity and due to the increase in requests, the income is also increasing; But to reach the break-even point, we need capital and a two-year opportunity.

Advice

Personally, I do not see the startup field as a transparent and ideal field. On the other hand, there is no unit in the field of business in the university, and everyone thinks that by having an idea in this field, they will achieve success and money; While the market needs other things besides the fan. Even if the idea is formed and reaches the stage of growth, the rules and our traditional market will challenge it.

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