SAPATO.RU has been named one of the 30 most promising startup teams of Runet
July 21, 2011. Team of the online shoe retailer Sapato.ru has been recognized one of the most successful teams of the Russian internet market. It has been nominated as a “Success Team” by the internet recruiting agency PRUFFI.
Sapato.ru was launched in June 2010. Currently it is one of the leading footwear e-shops in Runet, offering its buyers a collection of more than 5700 model (shoes and accessories) from 200+ world brands for women, men and children. Within a year of existence a number of its active customers has reached 100 thousand people and the investments have totaled $20 million.
Using public information, PRUFFI Agency assigns Runet teams a bi-annual ranking. Assessment of project teams, including project director and key managers, is carried out in accordance with the special point awarding methodology.
The basic criteria for inclusion in the ranking are: term of project existence, amount of investments and number of staff members. Based on these factors, companies get on the list of nominees (this time 127 players have been chosen). Consequently, a level of professionalism and professional prospects of each of these companies are qualitatively assessed by the invited experts, represented by the top specialists and manages of IT and internet companies such as Microsoft, Yandex, Mail.ru Group, Almaz Capital Partners, etc.
Experts analyze three qualitative factors:
• First, points are awarded for team stability and cohesion, based on the analyses of each team member work experience in the project.
• Second, professional competence and successful experience of a team leader, including specialized education for the subject matter of the project, is assessed.
• Third, team professional activity, including participation in specialized events, publications in influential or specialized for startups media.
This summer, as a result of the complicated calculations, a list of the 30 most promising Runet startup teams was formed. Sapato.ru has headed a “Success team” nomination having scored 246 points.
Commenting on the success of his team, Matthieu Lannegrand, CEO of Sapato.ru, said: “This rating is just another proof of what I was confident in from the very beginning. We have succeeded in solving the main task for any startup, having created a highly experienced and, what is most important, highly motivated team. Not every day the opportunity presents itself to take part in creation of the first Russian internet footwear store and teach everybody to buy shoes online. We all are fascinated by the process”.