An interview with Tamás Vecsernyés, CEO of Seyu Solutions

Building a startup requires one to be an expert in a certain field, well-connected and persuasive, but above all: brave. Throughout the history of IseeQ we have stumbled upon many great companies and learned to admire the success they achieved. This time we interviewed Tamás Vecsernyés, co-founder of Seyu Solutions. What are the greatest challenges of building a team and working in a startup? How can one innovate in the 21st century, and how can you keep up with the challenges of our generation? Let’s see from the perspective of someone who’s been through all of that.

It all started with an idea in 2017: giving modern opportunities for people to support their favorite athletes, teams or clubs, and uniting fans all over the world. Today, Seyu is present in 11 countries, 19 different sports fields, and is made up of a team of 17 sports-loving individuals, having participated in over 250 events together. Their mission is to make sports events accessible for the millions of fans who cannot make it to the arenas and stadiums. As their success shows, ideas can turn into something outstanding really quickly. Finding what you are truly passionate about and figuring out how you can turn it into a product or service is not an easy task at all, but can be more than rewarding if you don’t give up. Seyu now allows supporters to actively become part of the events remotely, by sending a (branded) selfie with a supportive message to appear live on the screens of the venue. By monetizing these selfies, sports teams gain a more utilized fan base, more impressions on social media and higher levels of engagement from their fans.  As this business setting has never existed before, the potentials of the company are among the highest in the European sphere. The team managed to find something that crowds enjoy, while also making them feel they are part of a team’s success, resulting in active and satisfied customers.  But the ambitions of the team are even higher. Their goals include participating in huge worldwide events like the 2022 Qatar World Championships and Olympic games, while constantly developing their services even further. By constantly aiming to sell for bigger markets, Seyu developed its business to be easily scalable. This is one of the best solutions not to limit your business to a certain market or sphere, it leaves room for development and new challenges at all times. But first, you need to start with a small group of people with the biggest enthusiasm.

Why is networking important for a startup?

Tamás started his company with Ervin Kovács and Péter Kerekes in Budapest. Involving other talents to cover parts of the business is standard practice for founders, and it proved to be one of the most challenging parts of the beginning. A good programmer claimed to be the hardest to find. The market is constantly full of knowledgeable experts, but people with inner motivation to do their jobs are still quite rare. Funding a company means bringing something you have dreamed of into life, so the emotional charge of the project is also enormous. “I’ve looked all around on professional networking sites and events, but eventually my personal network brought me my partners.” According to our experience here at IseeQ, a great team fit and someone with high levels of motivation to work for the common goals is hard to find, but in the long run, they will determine the success of the company. We all agreed that spending adequate time on the search is essential.

The challenges of running a startup

Running a startup that grows rapidly is quite the challenge. The swift changes that are partly consequences of the sudden growth demand new solutions each time. Companies that involve innovative technologies must keep up with the latest industry trends and standards, many of which are digitalization-driven. “To remain authentic, it’s not enough to convince decision makers that what you do is good. You will have to open the eyes of industry experts to the benefits of your service, that allows them to integrate innovation into their field.” If you introduce a novelty, you will inevitably have the ungrateful task of constantly educating your target market about the benefits of your solutions, simply because of the rapidly changing customer expectations. There are countless opportunities, many potential customers will fall in love with your product, and projects can also fail sometimes. And even if you do everything right, many of your attempts will not convert into sales. But remaining positive is one of the most important drivers of future success. Resilience is a skill that comes with practice, but it teaches you to look at the bigger picture, and see new possibilities where others end.

The importance of personalization and innovative technology

For companies with a strong technological focus, the biggest technological challenge is often the creation of a reliable system that aligns perfectly with the users’ needs, one that has a stable backend. Seyu needed a software that helps them display the pictures on different digital platforms in the stadiums, which is also easy to tailor to the needs of customers. Personalised solutions tend to be more appealing in the market, and companies that are able and willing to take new ideas into consideration are heavily sought after. Tamás describes the moral of their adaptability as such: “It’s not about having a blue colored jersey, as not every team plays in blue.” It’s important to understand the “color” of the players of your target market, and try to create something that is unique just for them.

The role of a modern workplace

In today’s world, a product is not the only thing a company should work on in a modern way. Employees, especially members of younger generations have an increasing demand for a healthy company culture, flexible terms and a forward-thinking management. We at IseeQ experienced that firms that operate on such values usually show them as early as the hiring process. Aside from one’s professional skills, a startup should also focus on the character of the applicants during the selection process. Candidates have to be open for education and strive to grow together with the company.

To further emphasise this practice in order to achieve a great team, Seyu also conducts a motivational map analysis on each (future) employee, to discover their drives and comfortable environments. Each team member can work either from the office or from home, are surrounded by a team or left alone based on how one functions the best.

How to become a successful startup leader?

It’s important for leaders to believe in leading by example, and carrying the torch in new business environments. “Having been a leader in the past 3 years, I learned to look at the bigger picture and become more patient on the way. It’s easy to panic in new situations, but being responsible for a whole team teaches discipline, and helps with remaining in a positive mindset.” Time management is another skill one can master by being a head of a team. Structuring one’s day efficiently can be key to managing a diverse circle of tasks and employees, while also determining new goals and projects. Withstanding the pressure with a strong team behind one’s back is just as important, especially for startups. The quick growth results in exciting new challenges, that aside from being a great adventure can be really pressing to deal with. But by keeping your eyes on the prize, everything is possible.

We are thankful to Tamás for sharing his valuable insights, and we wish Seyu the best of luck for the upcoming challenges!