Nacho Cove
Nacho Cove is making communication in enterprise faster and more reliable, starting with email. Employees receive between 150-300 emails per day, but with Nacho Cove’s AI-enabled email, employees can ensure that important messages don’t get lost in all the other emails.
At whom is your startup aimed?
Large enterprise companies and their employees. Over 50% of employees time (and hence company payroll) is spent on email related activities. This time can be reduced if smart-email clients could help assist the employees in their communication activities.
How does your startup stand out against its competitors?
We have a simple mission, giving employees back time during their day so they can get more of their role, job, and function done. Everything we do is focused on that goal, its not just about making a better email client, it’s about making email better.
Where did the idea for the startup come from?
As we looked at the impact of enterprise mobility and it’s inability to improve the lives of large company employees, we realized that while being mobile is nice, it would be better if users could also be more productive. We realized that we could architect a product that allowed employees to be more productive, whether mobile or in office, and that this is a product that we wanted to use.
Did you have any concerns when starting your business, if so what were they?
Of course I had concerns … I worried form the very beginning about whether we could build a product that people love. I always worry about our cash flow, and how long we had to get users engaged with the product. The list of worries and concerns that a startup founder has our almost endless, which makes it really important to be totally committed.
What is your business background, and what got you interested in startups?
I’ve worked in software product development for quite some time, with my most recent (pre-startup) role as Senior VP, General Manager at a publicly traded company. In that role I oversaw several hundred personnel and was responsible for a large percentage of annual revenues. For as long as I remember I have always tinkered with and/or created little products, from software products to standup surfing products. I almost cannot help myself, everywhere I look there are cool little problems that need solving and that will make life better. In 2010 I launched Nukona, which was subsequently acquired in 2012 by Symantec. In 2013 my co-founder and I launched Nacho Cove.
How did you initially raise funding for your company?
Nacho Cove has been funded by some pretty cool angel investors, including the UCSD Triton Technology fund.
What has been your greatest achievement so far?
That’s a pretty hard one to answer. I’ve been very fortunate in having a strong team around me and who have made the products we’ve built over the years really great. On reflection, I think the relationships I’ve formed over the years have been what I value most.
How have you kept your business relevant and engaged with your audience over the last three years?
Our current company is just launching our products now, so there really is no answer here.
How long has your business been in making, and who is the team behind the business?
Nacho Cove was formed in 2013 and spent over 18 months in stealth mode, working on the core technology behind the products. The team members are all former colleagues that have worked with my co-founders (Steve Scalpone and Jeff Enderwick) at other startups that we have done.
In the coming year, what would you like to achieve with your business?
This year is all about user adoption and ensuring that our products are solving problems for end users.
Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to someone thinking about starting a business, what would it be?
Make sure that you have a driving passion for the business you are building, it’s not enough to just show up to work. When you are building something from nothing, it takes almost everything you have.