150 200 Million in revenue with just 6 people: This is what the next decade looks like

00:00:01: Grandios, but now in English.

00:00:03: My name is Jumin Rahimi and we are back to the insides on The VTEC spools.

00:00:07: next To me is Mariano Mariano as a co-founder of VTecs one Of the largest e-commerce companies of the world.

00:00:15: Perhaps you heard about it?

00:00:17: Perhaps not!

00:00:17: But Now today We have got VTechs and Mariano here And I'm very pleased to have you on the table.

00:00:23: Hi Mariano!

00:00:24: Thank

00:00:24: you, thank for having me and if people don't hear about VTECs certainly they heard about our clients right?

00:00:29: Yeah

00:00:30: for sure.

00:00:30: yeah.

00:00:31: Oshun, Kharifur, Electrolux, KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Manchester City so many companies in the world are powered by VTec's And we're probably... The backbone of their connected commerce.

00:00:45: What I really find impressive is your yearly conference which is nearly as big of an OMR.

00:00:53: It's a VTEC day, just happened in Sao Paulo fifteen days ago and this year we reached fifty thousand people.

00:01:02: Fifty

00:01:03: five zero thousand?

00:01:06: So doubt.

00:01:07: I believe that we would have like audience for sixty-five seventy but there was no more space so it sold out nine days before the event.

00:01:18: Two hundred and eighty speakers, two hundred and forty sponsors.

00:01:23: And people coming from twenty-two countries.

00:01:27: The Latin American engineering for commerce is pretty big.

00:01:33: It's interesting.

00:01:34: many companies in the world are coming to latin america To find in our engineering the source for their growth, so it was an interesting event this year.

00:01:44: So

00:01:45: you have got all the shirts.

00:01:46: Brazilian engineering on the back right?

00:01:48: We do brazilian engineering.

00:01:49: um Brazil is uh... Brazil and Latin America are one of the top engineering sources of talents in the world.

00:01:59: we can call like China India Russia Eastern Europe And Latin America.

00:02:05: Of course You prime those engineers in England, but the source it is coming from those regions.

00:02:15: But because of the geopolitics and other four regions that I mentioned they are compromised.

00:02:23: The world just discovered that Brazilian engineering is trustful creative and highly efficient.

00:02:32: so we have seen more companies including like META on Tropic, AWS like Google.

00:02:40: They're coming down to Latin America right?

00:02:42: Coming down and hiring by thousands because it's a pretty kind of trustful land establishing engineering team.

00:02:52: so yes we are proud here in Germany in Hamburg with these Brazilian Engineering Tags.

00:03:00: I really remember last year when i went back from the last party that i joined.

00:03:06: You were sitting in the, for a year we're at same hotel.

00:03:09: And then you talked two or three hours about these differences and that was really impressive.

00:03:14: so if you get somehow chance to talk with people from other continents do it!

00:03:20: It doesn't matter what time is

00:03:21: Yeah this true right?

00:03:25: The ultimate form of blindness.

00:03:28: If you believe in your own vision

00:03:30: Totally I

00:03:33: believe the world is way more globalized than people imagine.

00:03:39: So, the best cases from Romania and the best case are from US, Mexico or Brazil.

00:03:46: You do have edge

00:03:47: cases

00:03:48: of a lot of competencies in areas so if you can join that and explore it the best... ...you will increase your profitability, increases chances for growing revenue.

00:04:01: And so that's what I really believe in global kind of... Global events.

00:04:08: OMA is slowly becoming a global event, So more and more people are discovering.

00:04:15: Web Summit is much more global right?

00:04:17: Yes yes yeah!

00:04:19: So i believe Germany

00:04:22: has

00:04:23: many things to teach the world.

00:04:26: OMA like started as marketing vent but now it entertainment, technology marketing altogether.

00:04:34: So I believe that more people from all over the world should come to OMA and I believe OMA also organize delegations for these...

00:04:45: That's a very good idea.

00:04:47: Dozens of thousands here in OMA.

00:04:50: OMAs should organise delegations so they can go to LATAN or US and increase this global reach on German market.

00:05:00: Yeah, I believe in globalization although the world is a little bit in the hiccup.

00:05:07: But

00:05:07: we already saw that in the past.

00:05:10: We shouldn't stop by doing it.

00:05:11: No!

00:05:14: That's a fact.

00:05:15: So Philip if you hear that delegations into countries are very good idea?

00:05:21: That's great idea.

00:05:22: Please organize your delegation to Vitek's day.

00:05:24: Well were gonna welcome you in Lahtan and know best of Latin American engineering

00:05:29: And if we can grab that engineering part because engineering and AI is really changing the world.

00:05:37: So this what in Germany you think of course, when thinking about sovereignty data protection?

00:05:44: How's it in Latin America?

00:05:46: so how are looking on the topic?

00:05:48: A.I.,

00:05:48: and I was changing your life?

00:05:52: It's to the word.

00:05:53: as Internet was through a world into thousand right The top ten companies in the world.

00:06:01: In the two thousand was oil company and after ten years they were not even listed in a top-ten.

00:06:09: The Top Ten Companies in the World right now may Not be listed in ten years time.

00:06:17: So for any company in the word, in Any category if you want to guarantee that You will Be one of the companies there You need to embrace a hard move.

00:06:31: you Need to embrace AI in every single process of your company and that means?

00:06:37: You need transform your company from inside out.

00:06:41: Yeah, I it is a CEO game

00:06:44: totally.

00:06:45: It's top-down thing.

00:06:48: don't expect Two thousand people who just absolve the best of AI.

00:06:54: AI should be mandated And the adoption curve will define what are other companies that will survive or not.

00:07:03: So,

00:07:05: yeah... The adoption curve of the whole company?

00:07:07: Of some people and all employees?

00:07:09: What do you think?

00:07:10: I

00:07:10: believe it is on a process level for the company.

00:07:14: It's not only in employee levels but also in the org chart as well.

00:07:19: In how they manage them, their sales, etc.

00:07:23: It's in the way you set a bar from your team.

00:07:26: With AI, like I do have kind of code internally.

00:07:32: that said before AI good timeline would be thirty days for decision.

00:07:40: with AI time line is just twenty four hours and it can be explored.

00:07:45: at most.

00:07:47: we are transforming VTEC inside but also we are transforming the product for our customers.

00:07:53: Yeah, we saw that!

00:07:54: Everything.

00:07:54: so... We just launched VTECs AI workspace where our customers can build agents and get new agents built from SI's.

00:08:02: yeah they're ready to run activities for them.

00:08:06: So you stop hiring services by using services on a SaaS basis.

00:08:16: This is one of the launches.

00:08:18: uh..we are launching also a CMS that you manage by AI on a home base.

00:08:24: So, it will transform the way you build your storefronts.

00:08:28: so recommendations personalization hyper-personalization everything is an AI native.

00:08:36: right now I believe we'll generate great results for our customers in world of AI where LLMs are diluting the power of traffic layer.

00:08:51: Yeah, so what I mean is like Google and meta used to be like the duopoly on the traffic

00:08:59: But that was changing.

00:09:00: now

00:09:00: it's changed.

00:09:01: So no you have a tropic.

00:09:03: we have like other Other companies open AI and tropics becoming like land-of-traffic And they will dilute the power off matter in google end with dance The retailers and brands will win.

00:09:19: So now to be agnostic the channel, To have every single channel available in BtoB and BtoC In a very simple way It is a must.

00:09:31: Until AI era.

00:09:33: You could choose your channels.

00:09:36: Now you can't Because don't define how your customers BtoBe or BtoSee How they gonna access your company.

00:09:44: So, all you are in all channels or out of market.

00:09:50: And Vitex I believe is well-positioning because we serve BtoC and BtoB with an OMS altogether...

00:09:58: You have got the marketplace additional?

00:10:00: We do have a Marketplace Integrations Out and we're a marketplace suite aswell so that can run every type of commerce on one single platform without over head of midwars layers multiple stacks.

00:10:15: So we are migrating a lot of companies coming to VTECs because they're fed up with running thirty softwares, twenty-five softwaers or ten softwaurs plus twenty apps.

00:10:27: They just don't want these anymore.

00:10:30: and Because of security in privacy?

00:10:32: They just want something that is simple

00:10:35: Works

00:10:36: And do the job that customers expect.

00:10:40: The funny thing So the Mach-A lines, which you joined quite early right?

00:10:44: But he quit there.

00:10:46: Mach line was really hip for a while.

00:10:49: but if I'm now looking on mach aligns it has also really a downside because If we're thinking about AI You have to connect all data silos with perhaps not same data and It's getting a mess.

00:11:03: so to work on that

00:11:05: Yeah when do you have limited freedom?

00:11:09: You have a chaotic environment.

00:11:11: at any time you allow unlimited freedom.

00:11:15: You will end up with the chaos That happened before in the on premise Happened like three.

00:11:27: In the last like three four years we've had less approach.

00:11:31: now it's happening again with AI.

00:11:33: so The Mac Alliance was a great concept But with a great concept that provides unlimited freedom to compose, the stack became something very heavy to maintain.

00:11:47: So we were proud sponsors and members of Mac Alliance but as you know... The reason why left is because we didn't see any more this complexity paying off for our customers.

00:12:04: And the value are also complexity, right?

00:12:06: Yes.

00:12:06: So we switch gears and now we believe that simplicity one stack that serves all the channels That serves all languages have multiple payments and then runs OMS.

00:12:23: That's how you're gonna Deliver it to bottom line.

00:12:27: at The end of the day It is a game of profitability.

00:12:32: If you do not reach ten to twenty percent profitability as a retail or a brand, You're out of the

00:12:38: market.

00:12:39: and it's

00:12:40: pretty fast.

00:12:41: It is pretty fast.

00:12:43: So the companies that they learn on how to operate with less people doing two-time sales They will be out of pocket.

00:12:53: so The idea is Vtex needs to guide our customers And deliver them the framework on how to do it.

00:13:01: The clients, they want to be guided and we are in our statement that the backbone for connected commerce has always been with a same vision.

00:13:12: since nine years ago We defined at the back bone for connective comments And means that you will test multiple channels.

00:13:20: You would ask multiple languages?

00:13:22: He'll test mood full payments and multiple sources In a very simple way all connected to a very kind of a strong hardcore spine.

00:13:32: That's V-tex, so I believe the world now is coming to where V-Tex is positioning and that's why it takes... It's really well in capturing new demands as much as the city when they realize that they want to unify all their experiences The tour experience at the park, catering, hotels, ticketing like every merchandise or retail everything in one platform, they just saw VTECs as the main competitor for that and thats why they chose us.

00:14:05: And

00:14:06: do you already feel their advantage having only one?

00:14:09: Well I have two of these experiences called phase-one.

00:14:13: it's already live.

00:14:15: They are able to provide them with a retail experience and tour experience.

00:14:20: Now they're going aggregate all other experiences into same kind of checkout.

00:14:25: so its gonna be interesting because If you are a fan of any sport clubs in the world, You're fed up.

00:14:34: You're tired from having like... The loyalty program URL.

00:14:38: Totally.

00:14:39: The ticketing URL.

00:14:40: The merchandising URL and every single thing have one platform at once checkout.

00:14:48: At end of day just one consumer One fan to one club Should be one software running all these Including me-to-be Almost just a city B to be.

00:15:00: also we're gonna go through VTEC.

00:15:01: Yeah, so At the end of the day The world where Every single department inside the brand-new retail has its own software I believe this age is already gone.

00:15:15: That was though the prime off mark.

00:15:17: yeah like every single area you have your own Software but he went up paying too much.

00:15:24: what maybe we pitch here at half foul.

00:15:27: So the local soccer club here, it is twelve years ago.

00:15:31: It was quite a long time ago and we had the ticketing.

00:15:36: We have the shop And other stuff.

00:15:39: They try to find us somehow Has for ID.

00:15:43: Till today they'd have not done The funny thing.

00:15:47: so...we were much too expensive.

00:15:50: So we made this.

00:15:51: We got our free, took a series And the cheapest guy won.

00:15:57: So they never mentioned it.

00:15:58: But the funny thing is that, they looked at paya München and then numbers merchandising are really going up And guess what?

00:16:07: I think there's a correlation.

00:16:09: At end of day The world is going for What i call the concierge economy The concierged economy.

00:16:16: It is for every brand and retail on earth To sell time to their consumers.

00:16:23: If they facilitate, if they streamline... ...if they simplify the journey.

00:16:28: The customers just want what they need and as less clicks They have in between What do you mean?

00:16:36: And to delivery.

00:16:38: that's what I watch.

00:16:39: so sometimes we over complicated Just because we believe the customers would like too.

00:16:47: but no No this is like be simple.

00:16:50: It is inside-out normally.

00:16:52: Yes, you think we need to do that because out of the finance department right?

00:16:59: You said regarding AI a lot was changing and you build some things as...you built an AI workspace.

00:17:06: perhaps it can mention two or three things Because you've built great thing there And at so important people see what's possible already

00:17:15: now.

00:17:16: The AI Workspace opinionated AI building where you can create your agents.

00:17:27: You already have some agents created by VTECs, you'll have the agent's created by the ecosystem of VTecs and then you're going to create your own agents that work to co-pilot together.

00:17:40: so it works.

00:17:41: or get your SCO better ,get connections with UCP get your connections with any marketplace, or get your catalog improved.

00:17:55: Or find you a new source on seller!

00:17:58: Or Find You A New Channel Marketplace... ...or whatever it's necessary for you to amplify the channels.

00:18:06: The AI workspace It is the biggest launch VTex has in the last ten years and I believe that this is future proof to our customers, who really wants to access AI.

00:18:20: To be in a secure and private-secure environment.

00:18:29: The problem with AI is that it's too much freedom.

00:18:33: So every single corporate in the world now is facing the paradox of should I give my team unlimited freedom on AI?

00:18:44: Should they regulate how we use AI?

00:18:46: At the end of the day, you need to be in a middle.

00:18:49: So you need allow them create but also an environment that secure what they can do and thats VTAC's AI workspace.

00:18:57: It reminds me a bit on Domino Lotus Notes.

00:19:02: Domino in their best years not now because what did it have?

00:19:06: They had system structure everything was at one place and you could make a lot of things.

00:19:13: That's why it is still living in some companies, so I want to take the positive thing out.

00:19:18: It

00:19:20: was really great!

00:19:21: And this ecosystem

00:19:24: game

00:19:25: will be unlocked by AI.

00:19:27: So its gonna be Romanian company creating something that would get your catalog better... ...and just accept the tasks they are proposing for you.. ..and don't need to hire anything.

00:19:41: that's gonna be inside VTEC.

00:19:43: I foresee a hundred, two-hundred million dollar operation to run by six or ten people.

00:19:51: That is where the AI workspace will land.

00:19:57: It's going create superhumans who are managing really large operations with very lean team.

00:20:08: Yeah, and that means at the end profitability.

00:20:11: Right?

00:20:11: So they want to first companies That goes through that path.

00:20:17: They're gonna discover this operational framework.

00:20:19: yeah that allow them To buy others an expand in organically.

00:20:24: so I believe In the next four years we are going to go into High-efficient mode.

00:20:32: The world will find more profitability But then if for a year's time interest rate would come down little bit And then the M&A will be a booming.

00:20:40: Yeah, and when that happened Who is gonna win?

00:20:44: It's going to be the ones that can leverage The profitability and apply the framework of AI framework and scale up.

00:20:54: So consolidation we are three four years ahead of a big consolidation so

00:20:59: you should remember this one.

00:21:00: That's pretty important.

00:21:03: What I also want to come back to the AI workplace.

00:21:07: We do have good Something what we call it brights and bright is something where you can see the digital digital body language.

00:21:15: So if I click fast or scrolling fast, so slow You can recognize that people want to buy as they are searching for something Or there comparing And based on your platform in the workspace.

00:21:28: You can send the informations To all of other systems.

00:21:33: Yes They use them.

00:21:35: This is powerful because We made And that was okay, but it's a super pop-up for everyone.

00:21:41: That

00:21:41: is

00:21:42: my act as an agent.

00:21:43: you know like... You can cluster rise in their kind of expectations or boxes

00:21:51: to

00:21:52: allow the marketing team work better and then there will be an agent!

00:21:55: Yeah

00:21:56: and thats pretty great.

00:21:57: so I think time has over.

00:21:59: people are already looking here.

00:22:02: Thank you Mariano!

00:22:05: Yes, thank you.

00:22:06: Always a pleasure!

00:22:09: One day I'm going to do this speaking in German.

00:22:11: Yeah okay

00:22:12: one day

00:22:13: In Sao Paulo or Brazil?

00:22:16: I will visit you

00:22:17: Visit come

00:22:18: Sure if your learning German i'll speak Portuguese.

00:22:21: Perfect

00:22:22: Okay

00:22:23: Thank You Mariano.