OUR FOUNDER OF THE WEEK– Every Tuesday, Founder of the Week looks at how a successful member of Egypt’s startup community got their big break, asks about their experiences running a business, and gets their advice for budding entrepreneurs. Speaking to us this week is Samy Swellam (LinkedIn), founder and CEO of online car marketplace Hatla2ee.

My name is Samy Swellam and I’m a French-Egyptian entrepreneur. I studied programming and graduated from the Epitech IT school in Paris. I began my career in Paris and was able to land the position of CTO at Juritravail, a legal firm that focuses on labor laws and impacts over a million lives in France. I worked there for four years before deciding to make a change and launch Swellam Solutions, delivering services for programs in Paris. I had to close Swellam at some point and got rehired in my position at Juritravail.

Despite the fact that I had to close down Swellam Solutions, I never gave up on my dream of being an entrepreneur. By 2011, I was able to launch Hatla2ee. It began as a side project but by 2015, I realized that I had over a million visitors per month, which was a turning point for me — it was time to give Hatla2ee my all and delve deep into it.

Hatla2ee was up and running by 2016 and acquired USD 200k in its initial seed funding round in 2017 by Numu Capital. We managed to persevere and develop into what we are now regardless of the fact that the company was founded during a period of crisis after crisis, which delayed me in many aspects of the business and created struggles to stay afloat.

Starting Hatla2ee was my dream, but I had to make significant sacrifices in both my professional and personal life to get to where I am now. When it was still a side project, I would work a 10pm-3am night shift on Hatla2ee every second day. I also had to give up my position as CTO in a reputable company in Paris. It was incredibly difficult for about five years, but it was well worth it in the end.

The best aspect of my job right now is engaging with inspiring individuals. My team members come in every day eager to create and expand on the company’s offering. This motivates me to achieve more and to never stop looking for ways to develop.

The worst part of my job has been managing our income and cash flow through crisis after crisis, including the devaluation of the pound, the coronavirus pandemic, the “Let It Rust” campaign, and, most recently, the restrictions on imports and lack of cars in the market. Despite the difficulties, Hatla2ee has always maintained a low employee turnover rate and a smooth and positive work environment.

Hatla2ee’s competitive edge is the ease and visibility it offers to people looking to buy or sell their cars. We’re currently the largest platform in the market, with the most listings.

The daily KPIs I concentrate on are the number of new cars registered into the system, the volume of traffic to the website, and the number of potential buyers contacting sellers.

Hatla2ee just received a six-figure investment from Jungo, and Afrimobility. We are also in the midst of finalizing a USD 2 mn round, which we will use to continue our growth in Egypt, and prepare for our expansion into other countries.

I’ve always been a keen observer of my surroundings. I get inspired by everything around me and everything I do, whether it's attending a conference, reading an article, or simply keeping up with other businesses.

A local startup I’m particularly fond of is Rabbit. They are doing an excellent job advertising their products and services, and their user-friendly app has me using it on a regular basis.

In my spare time, I enjoy playing rugby. I’m a huge sports fan and rugby has always been my go-to sport. I dedicate the rest of my free time to my family.

I enjoy what I do so much that I can't imagine doing anything else. However, if I were to make an exit, I would look for a new startup idea — and there are many gaps in the market right now.

One piece of advice to someone who is starting their own business is to hire the right team — one that complements rather than competes with one another. I think that’s the most important factor in a company's success.