Springtide Ventures Fund of KKCG group has invested in the Czech startup Cleerio, formerly
Geosense. Read the interview with Ladislav Čapek, CEO of Cleerio.
Cleerio Inc. spent in Silicon Valley half of the year thanks to the CzechAccelerator program (program
funded by EU Funds and implemented by CzechInvest during the years 2011-2014). They founded
Cleerio company for the American market and after that, a few years later, the whole company
become Cleerio. In the last a few days the media wrote about a big investment from Springtide
Ventures Fund of KKCG group to the value of millions of euros in this company so that´s the reason
why we decided to contact Ladislav Čapek, CEO of Cleerio company, in person and we asked him a
few questions about their story, how everything began and what they are saying about this great
success.
Q: As we wrote in the introduction, we know you very well thanks to your participation in the
CzechAccelerator program but it was your company Geosense before its transformation to
Cleerio. Could you explain to us what this transformation means? Are your activities changed?
What was the reason?
[Mr. Ladislav Capek]: in 2009. Mr. Jan Zvonik (co-founder and CPO) and myself established the
company based on the core idea of visualizing data, properties, assets, inventory and utilities in an
easy-to-use, cloud-based, single map overview in the form of an open and affordable SaaS (software
as a service) model. Today this idea is the ‘spiritus movens’ of the company. How it came to it as that
– having had the experience of working with similar tools in the past - we’ve recognized a certain ‘gap’
in the (now) competitive solutions, where other applications from the same GIS/GEO services
segment were too complicated and expensive for the users, with almost no flexibility nor added value.
Our solution is future proof, flexible, scalable and offers various benefits and advantages to users,
which actually helped us gain competitive advantage in the markets of Czech Republic and Slovakia
initially, which we hope to replicate on an international level as well.
Having started with international expansion we have realized that our brand-child name ‘Geosense’
was already taken on the territory of US – thus the rebranding had to take place. International
expansion is a key point in our strategic efforts and it wasn’t an easy process – but was a necessary
one.
Initially we have started to develop geo-location intelligent platform, focusing mostly on local
government/municipalities – where our solution was a game-changer and we have taken over the
market share in almost 0 to 30% over the period of the last 3 years. However in the meantime we have
recognized many more application possibilities and among 1400 current customers globally we have
references from various other industries and segments of the market such as: oil and gas, mining,
utilities assets and inventory management in large properties, landowners, golf courses, national
parks, hotels and many others…
Future development is in the smart, dynamic maps which will integrate the new market trends
connected to ‘internet of things’, ‘smart cities’, ‘smart buildings’, ‘industry 4.0’ just to name some. We
see a huge demand for real-time applications moving forward in asset and utilities management as
well as in automatization of various processes.
Q: You are specializing in intelligent mapping systems and your motto is "Where maps end, we
just begin”. Can you tell us a little bit more about your portfolio of activities and services?
Nowadays, just working with drones is very popular. Are you using drones as well?
[Ladislav Capek, Jan Zvonik]: In 2013, after having set up the representative office of Cleerio in
Slovakia, we got the first inkling of an idea to conquer the global market. It was obvious at that point
that we can’t do this alone and we have started exploring investment foundations and programs.
When we found out about the Czech Accelerator program, it was almost closed for applicants and I
remember we had to send the project proposal almost instantly. It was stressful but the opportunity
was too good to be missed as it was exactly what we were looking for. Soon after that we were invited
to an interview and before we knew it we were on the plane as one of only two companies selected to
attend the Silicon Valley Business Accelerator program called ‘Rocket Space’.
It was one of the greatest experiences of our lives – I cannot compare it with anything else I’ve heard
about or have experienced so far and it is quite hard to put in words how unique and beneficial it was
to both our private and professional growth. I consider us very fortunate to have been made a part of
this project and look back on it as a cross-road point in my life.
Other attendees of the program were mostly startups and some of the top ICT companies of the world
today. The program lasted for several months and we have shared this incredible experience with 7
other employees as we saw it as business critical to have our team immersed as well into this
environment and share the know-how. Many great ideas and projects derived from this soon after so
the success of the project was evident. The learning gained is still very much vivid and echoes through
our company even today.
Our solution was a unique idea among other startups and we’ve had many great discussions and
brainstorming with amazing mentors on how to maintain and develop this idea further and turn it into
successful business. After returning to Czech Republic I must say that our vision and mindset
significantly changed. We felt ‘evangelized’ and as if we have been given wings. This was almost
instantly evident in our business growth that actually took off in a space-rocket speed since.
Next stop: global expansion and NASDAQ in 2022. – It is important to have a goal and for us this goal
is to be recognized as number 1 in the international markets. Provided we succeed in achieving our
targets in the following two years, we are planning to run for another investment project based on new
strategic plans and growth which will have been established. US and ROW (rest of the world)
references will be quite important for venture investors and we plan to prove that we are capable of
even more.
Further more on our goals - we can see our company on the level of some other successful startups
such as Google, Apple or Microsoft, which have also started as small garage startups with nothing but
a great idea and futuristic vision.
[Ladislav Capek]: Drone technology in my opinion is one of the fastest growing trends in the geolocation segment, which is rapidly changing the so-far stable GEO industry. Drones are easy to use
and this method of gathering data is also very cost effective. In our line of business using drone
technology gives multiple benefits in terms of acquiring very accurate data in high-definition form. As a
result we are getting quality maps for our platform, visualizing assets to the smallest details. Many of
our partners are involved in drone business and this synergy allows us to apply their learning and skills
to improve on the quality of map visualization process. This strategic partnership in data collection is
the foundation stone to our platform as well as to our business strategy. Smart maps are an increasing
segment and our drone technology partners are invaluable for implementing and collection of various
data required by our customers to satisfy their daily business needs.
Q: Investment from KKCG group is not small. Several millions EUR will open a lot of
possibilities for you and the future development of your application. Do you have a specific
idea what are you going to do with it?
[Ladislav Capek]: In life as well as in business, it is important to believe in yourself and in what you
do – however more important is the right guidance and recognition that helps you moving in the right
direction. Needless to say, we were proud to see that KKCG believes in us and shares our vision. One
third of the investment made by KKCG is going to be used for further development and improvement
of our geo-location platform on a technical level and the remaining funds are intended for growing the
business and international expansion. Out of this, 50% is allocated to the US market, which we see as
the most critical market for global success.
Our future is clear – to become a Number #1 solution for geo-location asset and utility management –
on a global level. First step towards this is in creating a strong channel foundation that will bring us first
references from early adopters in all market segments. In channel development we are focusing
strongly on companies that are dealing with geo-data business however as our solution has many
application possibilities we are also targeting other segments of the market by creating strategic
partnerships with various ICT companies connected to real-time applications and technologies (e.g.
drone technology partners). In the end of the year we will evaluate the channel development and turn
our focus to strategic alliances with ‘internet of things’ providers for staying at the forefront or new
market trends and access new opportunities. In short, the plan by the end of 2016 is to reinforce our
platform and channel structure to set the business foundations and create the momentum for a more
rapid growth in 2017.
Q: Finally, thank you so much for the interview and please tell us what is it that we can expect
as future news from you?
[Ladislav Capek]: You can definitely expect to hear more from us in the time to come. Mission vision
and value of our company is strongly connected to openness and as such, we will be very open in
communicating our growth results in terms of numbers, growth plan vs achieved, etc… We will
definitely want to talk about our interesting projects and partnerships and about the know-how gained
from this. By the end of the year you can expect to hear more on the Strategic Alliances and real-time
projects connected to the aforementioned market trends.
Read more details about Cleerio company at their official web site here www.cleerio.com.