Startup Spotlight #15: Enso Connect

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• Startup Spotlight #86: Taonga
• Case Study: This Founder Doesn't Believe In Product-Market Fit. Yet His Startup Is Growing Rapidly.

I got the chance to speak with Francois Gouelo, co-founder and CEO of Enso Connect, about what he’s working on at his startup and any advice he has for emerging entrepreneurs.

Enso Connect is a home management software that leverages smart home devices and AI communication to provide a seamless experience to homeowners, property managers, and guests in the short-term rental industry.

Francois Gouelo is the Co-Founder & CEO of Enso Connect; he recently graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honors Bachelor in Computer Science and Cognitive Science and is currently pursuing a Masters of Entrepreneurship at the University of Cambridge.

Peter Sorbo is the Co-Founder & CTO of Enso Connect; he is currently pursuing his undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto in Engineering Science, with a focus on machine intelligence; one of the most competitive engineering programs at UofT.

Startup Spotlight: Enso Connect

Problem: Our surveys indicate that an Airbnb host spends over 2 hours per day managing a single listing. Managing a short-term rental property is time-consuming; hosts and property managers are continuously working to ensure their guests are happy, access to the home is made easy, and turnover is quick.

Market: There are over 7 million listings on Airbnb and 2 million on VRBO that could benefit from Enso Connect. 77.9% of homeowners welcome and deal with guests remotely using various software and tools.

Solution: Enso Connect is a home management software that leverages smart home devices and AI communication to automate everything from checking in, to checking up, to checking out, to getting the cleaning team.

Team: Francois Gouelo (CEO) and Peter Sorbo (CTO) both met at the University of Toronto. They began solving this problem together during the Summer of 2019.

Recent Success:

Gouelo: As a travel-focused startup, we are proud to announce that we’ve recently closed our pre-seed round in the middle of the Covid19 global pandemic. Backed by the Creator Fund and various Angels, we’ve been able to adapt to the situation to launch a new version of our tool that can easily accommodate large scale property management firms as well as individual hosts. We are also excited about our new and unique partnership with Leavetown, a travel company that is giving us access to over 35,000 keys.

Recent Struggle:

Gouelo: Accepting uncertainty and adapting to the global pandemic has been quite difficult: figuring out our finances, our team dynamic, adapting to working from different countries, understanding how to pivot certain strategies. While we’ve begun setting a clear direction to overcome these difficult times, there are still unanswered variables that we must plan for.

Founder Advice:

Gouelo: Know the difference between hearing and listening. The best way to enhance your listening skills is to focus on cognitive diversity. Whether it be through your advisors, investors, team members, or clients, getting different perspectives on the problems you face is really important. Once you start truly listening, you will develop genuine trust and loyalty with your different stakeholders, and will be open to the craziest of ideas!

Two Cool Founders You Should Know About:

Gouelo: Here are two founders you should check out next!

• Daniel Dubois, Co-Founder & President of Key. Key offers the benefits of ownership – an equity investment and secure tenancy – with all the freedoms of renting.
• Samin Khan, Co-Founder & CTO of Animo. Animo is a software that facilitates mental health through artificial intelligence.

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Want news on the hottest startups delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to my mailing list, Founder to Founder (F2F): f2f.substack.com. Check out my latest F2F stories: 

• Startup Spotlight #86: Taonga
• Case Study: This Founder Doesn't Believe In Product-Market Fit. Yet His Startup Is Growing Rapidly.