Cape Town, June 13th, 2024

Based in Cape Town, known as “Silicon Cape”, Elemental – Web Solutions excels in custom web development and digital marketing since its inception in 2002. They specialize in creating bespoke websites, web apps, intranets, and e-commerce platforms. We spoke with Angelo Zanetti, Co-Founder and Managing Director, about the significant challenges and changes the agency faced recently, particularly the impacts of COVID-19 and the global economic slowdown. These events prompted Elemental to innovate and diversify their marketing strategies, expanding their client base locally and internationally.

Angelo highlighted the company’s strategic decision to close their marketing division to focus on web and software development, targeting industries like EdTech, FinTech, and Automotive. A notable success is their development of ChangeCars, an automotive platform gaining rapid traction in South Africa. Angelo emphasized the importance of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach, ongoing innovation, and data-driven decisions in creating engaging web experiences. Looking ahead, he sees AI as a transformative force in web solutions.

It’s wonderful to have you with us again, Angelo. Since our last interview in 2017, we’ve seen significant developments in the tech industry and undoubtedly some exciting changes within Elemental. Before we dive into those topics, could you share with us some of the biggest personal challenges you’ve faced as an entrepreneur over the past few years, and how you’ve navigated through them?

Obviously, COVID-19 was quite a big unexpected event and challenge, which we needed to adapt to quickly. Luckily for us, Covid-19 actually propelled tech-forward and we were beneficiaries of this as we were really busy with the development of new web apps and platforms, to allow our clients to operate online even more.

Another challenge has been the global slowdown since the start of 2023. This coincides with higher interest rates and the VC “funding winter”, meaning that less VC money is deployed worldwide which ultimately has a knock-on effect on many companies and industries. With us being in the tech space this has had an indirect knock-on effect as work slowed down slightly.

However, this also pushed us to explore other marketing and sales channels to promote our business and gain new clients both locally and internationally.

I’m curious about how Elemental has evolved since our last conversation. Could you highlight one or two significant milestones or changes that have occurred within the company

Certainly! We had a marketing division within our business that was small yet profitable, however, it was hard to grow it so we decided to close it down and focus purely on our custom web and software development work.

We also embarked on quite an extensive positioning exercise whereby we wanted to promote and focus on certain industries in which we’ve got loads of experience in. This meant quite a few structural changes to our website as well as creating content that is ever green, highly valuable and really specific to these industries that we’ve focused on

Are there any specific industries or sectors that Elemental is particularly passionate about working with or contributing to?

Absolutely, as per our positioning, we are highly focused on the following industries: EdTech, FinTech, Travel, Automotive, IoT devices and iGaming.

Can you discuss a project where the outcome exceeded client expectations and led to notable success for their business?

We’ve built a big automotive platform https://www.changecars.co.za aimed at taking on the big South African established players in the market. We’ve seen rapid growth since the start 3 years ago and there has been a big uptake in the industry to use this platform, which is making big waves in the industry. We’ve had to work at rapid pace to constantly release features and implement feedback from users of the platform.

What do you consider the critical factors driving brands to craft engaging web experiences?

Firstly I would say that an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) approach is key to make sure you can launch a web product that provides value but can also be launched in a relatively quick time which users can start to engage with.

Secondly, it’s really important once there is traction, to keep innovating at a rapid pace and to constantly be releasing new features and functionality that will add value to the user’s experience.

Finally, data gathering, reporting and analysis is also key to understanding what works and what where to focus.

Which emerging technologies do you believe will have the most significant impact on web solutions in the next few years?

AI for sure and the power of embedding this into existing and new applications.

How has being based in Cape Town influenced Elemental’s business practices and culture?

It’s been great as it’s a great place to live and there is so much to do. In terms of business practices, it hasn’t had a big impact on this.
Our culture is something that we work on all the time which evolves on an ongoing basis as our team grows. Being in Cape Town means that there is a great work life balance and people are able to switch off after work and enjoy our beautiful city.

What unique opportunities and challenges do you face operating in the South African market?

We have massive opportunities to serve international markets such as the UK, Europe and the USA. We already have quite a few clients in all of these territories but we foresee that this will grow as we can offer quality web and software development work at competitive rates while providing clients with great communication and end-to-end project management processes, which affords them peace of mind to know that their project is managed well and will be delivered as per their expectations.

In terms of challenges there are a few local challenges with regards to working with local government and corporations from an Economic Empowerment policy perspective but we are very rarely affected by this.

Are there any causes or initiatives that you are personally passionate about and actively support?

I am part of the Entrepreneurs Organisation (EO), which is a great platform to help to promote entrepreneurial growth and education.

Being from an Italian family, how has your cultural background influenced your approach to business and leadership?

Somewhat yes, I would say that Italians are known to be hard working and very passionate about what they produce, which applies to me too and the way we work and how we deliver our work.

As someone who enjoys challenges, is there any lesson you’ve had to learn multiple times?

That’s a hard one but I would say that you must trust your gut instinct, it’s often right.

In what ways do you find mountain biking to be a source of inspiration or relaxation amidst your busy schedule?

There are many similarities between mountain biking and business, such as training hard pays off on race day. Persistence is key and pushing through when things get uncomfortable takes you to a new level.

Mountain biking also helps to clear the mind, enjoy nature and switch off from work which is definitely needed. It helps release the good chemicals which make you feel great.

Do you have any favourite activities or games that you enjoy doing with your dogs?

Going to the beach or in the forest where they can run and be free.

Please share a fun-fact that not many people know about you.

For those of you who only know me online, I’m actually much taller than I look and am just under 2 meters in height

Thanks Angelo!

Learn more about: Elemental – Web Solutions

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