With more than 2,000 units spread throughout Brazil, Market4U is now considered the largest microfhanchy in the country. But what seems like a history of meteoric growth was born of an accumulation of errors, experiments and reinventions.
The founder himself, Eduardo Cordova, estimates that he has already opened about 40 companies before finding the right model. “Market4U is a patchwork quilt of everything I’ve lived in entrepreneurship so far,” he says as he remembers his entrepreneurial trajectory.
Created in February 2020, Market4U emerged days before the COVID-19 pandemic began. What could have been a disaster became an opportunity: with circulation restrictions and limitations full of limitations, the idea of small self -employed mini -mirror in condominiums fell in the taste of those who needed practicality – and safety.
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“The pandemic accelerated something that was already a demand: convenience and time,” says Corde as he participated in From zero to topprogram of Infomoney which tells the history of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs behind the largest companies in the country.
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More than 30 attempts before the hit
Before founding Market4U, Cordova has passed several sectors – from gas stations to gyms, passing marketing agencies and technology businesses. Some ideas even had relevant investors, such as a startup of vending machines focused on cyclists. But not everything was sustainable in the long run.
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“I was always very restless. Every business I created brought a new lesson.”
Unlike previous initiatives, which came from personal pain, Market4U was born from a more pragmatic look at the market. “We stopped looking only at our needs and started to observe what the market was asking,” he says.
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The pilot store was installed on the 23rd floor of a building in Curitiba and literally set up with its own hands by the partners. “We did everything: from joinery to the installation of equipment,” he recalls. The simple and functional model – shelves with products, refrigerators and an application payment system – it worked.
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With the arrival of the pandemic, the business caught the media’s attention and gained national projection. In a short time, the group structured the franchise model and started operating on a large scale. What was a local project was replicated in dozens of cities simultaneously.
“We started receiving messages from liquidators, entrepreneurs and consumers from all over Brazil wanting to know how to bring the model to their buildings.”
Technology as a competitive differential
One of Market4U’s biggest assets is the proprietary technology that supports the operation. With no ready -made solutions on the market, Cordova even went to China in search of alternatives. He returned from there convinced that the system would have to be developed from scratch in Brazil.
Today, the platform automates processes such as price definition, inventory control, refueling and consumer analysis. The data is fed by the consumers themselves, who scan the products and make the payment through an application. The operation is centered on three distribution centers – the main one in São Paulo, responsible for 60% of the company’s revenue.
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A business based on trust
In the heart of the Market4U model is a concept that contradicts the typical retail skepticism: trust. The system assumes that the customer will make payment correctly, without direct surveillance. “We believe in the consumer. And he responds with reciprocity,” says Cordova.
Even with audit mechanisms, the correct purchase finishing rate is around 99%. The model also rests on lasting partnerships with liquidators and franchisees.
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“The relationship is the most valuable asset of the franchise. When there is confidence on all sides, the business thrives naturally.”
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Partnerships where everyone wins
In addition to the relationship with the end consumer, Market4U created an ecosystem that values the collaboration between franchisees, condominium, internal team and industry.
“It has to be good for everyone. I don’t believe in sustainable businesses that generate profit only to one side of the table.”
The company provides valuable data – always anonymously and in accordance with LGPD – on purchase behavior, regional preferences and promotions efficiency. This intelligence generates value for suppliers and helps the company to adjust portfolio and strategies more accurately.
Today, with a lean operation, focus on technology and a replicable model, Market4U consolidates itself as one of the most successful stories of recent entrepreneurship in Brazil. But, according to Cordova, there is no magic formula: “What made the business work was knowing how to listen to the market, adjust the route and work hard. The rest is a consequence.”
