Who is Armaan Mehta and Karan Gupta, and how did each of you get into the tech industry?

We’re friends who met at the London School of Economics as students nine years ago. Little did we know then that we’d start up a business together! After graduating we started working in different areas of finance and technology. Coincidentally, both our roles involved working on new marketing solutions, and researching the beauty space. But it wasn’t until talking to a mutual friend who works in the beauty industry about her frustrations that the lightbulb pinged. We realised that our combined experience would put us in the best possible position to tackle one of the biggest pain points she mentioned: product sampling. That conversation planted the seed for Odore.

What unseen opportunities did you spot that sparked the launch of Odore

Product sampling is involved in so many aspects of the beauty industry. From the minis which are sent out with online orders and testers available in stores, to the freebies which are distributed in magazines and samples which can be claimed through influencers’ codes and affiliate links. Not forgetting the latest sampling phenomenon: beauty boxes. Product samples are everywhere. 

And therein lies the problem. Their impact is limited by the fact that customers are overwhelmed by options which aren’t necessarily relevant to them, and brands are unable to track the outcomes of the samples they distribute. Given that brands invest so much money in sampling, it makes sense to use the data and technology available to us to make them measurable and drive the highest conversion possible for campaigns. 

Our platform allows beauty brands to gather insights about whose hands samples end up in and monitor their impact. This means that they’re able to target the right people with the right products at the right time; whilst constantly fine-tuning and increasing the precision of future targeting. 

How did you and your co-founder Karan Gupta fund your startup in the early stages?

We got started with small investment from friends, family and some business Angels. Then, In 2018, we were selected by L’Oréal for their Beauty Tech Accelerator, and were able to complete multiple projects with international beauty brands. This was the fuel we needed. We were able to quintuple our revenue and complete our first Seed round early this year - raising £600k in VC and angel funding. 

How well versed were you in the planning and strategic growth of Odore? Did this come easy to you?

Like any business, the pandemic is one thing we couldn’t have foreseen. It’s impacted how our business has grown and developed hugely. When we first started out, we were primarily focused on in-store sampling through our interactive vending machine-style devices. But when the pandemic hit, we knew we needed to provide a solution for brands who were no longer able to offer samples in store, as well as for the ever increasing number of online-only beauty brands. 

We’d already started developing our online platform a few months prior. But what really accelerated the software side of the business was the sudden shift in shopping habits, and the need to let customers try products from the safety of their own homes. The agile nature of the technologies we work with made it easy to adapt in response to the wider climate. 

What does Odore offer its target audience?

We provide beauty brands with all the tools and support needed to build, launch and monitor targeted product sampling campaigns. Whereas multiple different providers are traditionally needed for each stage of a campaign, we take care of everything right through to delivering the product samples to customers’ doors. This helps brands save an average of 46 per campaign, and enables them to track and optimise all aspects of campaigns via a single platform. 

Hiring the right team is vital in any business. What are your top three tips for hiring and developing engineering talent?

First, you must invest in the tools your team will need to do their jobs to the best of their ability - you can’t attract best-in-class engineers if you can’t offer them best-in-class technology. Second, you need to be able to properly reward their skills and expertise. The funding we gained through our seed round is what helped unlock the engineering talent we were after. 

Finally, I’d recommend seeking the views of your existing team members before hiring anyone new. The people who do the job day in and day out know better than anyone what skills and experience are non-negotiable in order to do so effectively. They’re also well placed to advise on gaps which need to be plugged.

What’s the biggest risk to your business and why?

The beauty industry is massively trend-driven, new product launches are coming out all the time, and brands are moving quickly to ensure they have the robust digital strategies needed to compete in the current market. This means that developing our technologies at the same pace as the industry moves requires constant updates. But it’s also why we love working in this space - we’re always being pushed to learn and grow. 

Working with a co-founder can be tricky, so understanding and compromise is important. How have you both found the process of building a business together? What makes it work?

The fact that we already had a friendship before going into business together definitely helps. For starters, it makes day-to-day communication a whole lot more efficient, as we can skip any of the usual etiquette and say what we really think without fear of offending each other! I also think it helps that we’ve both gained similar experience in the beauty industry prior, as it means that the challenges we perceive and solutions we envision are as aligned as can be. 

How does a digital sample product work?

The samples which end up in customers’ hands are physical products, but the campaigns behind them can be managed entirely online through the Odore platform, and can be powered by a range of digital media. 

Influencer-led campaigns can be run on social media, with the talent promoting the product on Instagram stories for example, and inviting the customer to claim a sample via a swipe up link. Another option is to build interactive quizzes directly into brands’ own websites. Customers' answers are then used to generate a sample product tailored to their personal preferences. 

The benefit of digital campaigns is that the possibilities are endless and ever-evolving. Each is unique, and built around brands’ individual KPIs.

Why do you think Odore has had such a positive impact across your industry?

We know that consumers are moving online - the pandemic has only accelerated this - and this comes with unique challenges for the beauty industry. Products like foundation and fragrance are hugely personal, and customers need to be able to try them in person before buying them. This is where digital sampling campaigns come into their own. 

But Odore goes further than that. The growth of the online economy has simultaneously prompted the emergence of evermore challenger beauty brands, and in an already saturated market, both new and established brands are banking on customers’ loyalty in order to compete. With so many options to choose from, our ability to offer customers a more personal experience helps bring them closer to brands - despite being online. 

I think that our ability to help brands adapt to new consumer behaviours and challenges is a key part of what’s driving our impact in the current climate. Equally, I think that our long-term focus on developing meaningful relationships with consumers is as key to our success as it is to that of the brands we work with.

What’s your best advice for early-stage tech founders getting ready to launch their MVP?

Make sure you head into the launch with an open mind. Having developed your product or service for months prior, it’s easy to become overly protective... Try to step back. This is your chance to gather as much information and feedback as possible, and your product will be all the better for it.