Flash’s initial plan was to grow in a disciplined way, using its own capital and support from people close to it. But the speed of the operation changed the company’s path. The market realized early on that there was something different going on and the money started pouring in.
Pedro Lane, co-founder of the startup, states that the company was not born with large rounds in mind. The scenario changed when investors started looking for the startup spontaneously.
“The fact is that one of our partners, at the beginning of Flash, was raising money in the venture capital market. We were already at their presentation and the investors who were anchoring that company’s round were interested in Flash. These funds knocked on our door”, he states.
The first round opened space for new contributions. Then even bigger investors came, following the accelerated execution of the business. “In September 20, we were exploding with growth. We did our round, Series B, in which we raised 20 million dollars with Tiger Global, which is one of the largest investment funds in the world, a gigantic hedge fund, which gives us the capital to continue accelerating even further”, he states.
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In the following years, the acceleration continued in all directions. For Lane, the volume captured exceeded any initial expectations. “We grew many times until we raised 100 million dollars. I never imagined in my life that we would be able to access this mountain of capital. It’s more money than I imagined raising in my entire life. This business will be the future of this market”, remembers Lane.
The executive participated in the program From Zero to Topand told more details about the birth of the company, the most difficult moments and the growth in a short time.
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Pandemic became a catalyst
If for many companies Covid-19 represented a brake, for Flash the period acted as a catalyst. With the advancement of remote work, companies began to seek benefits that are more in line with employees’ new routines.
“What else does he need? Now, he needs a benefit that really meets his needs”, he says. “We were exploding with growth. We doubled the number of customers every month.”
The startup’s thesis gained strength and demand soared. The impact was also internal. Flash needed to reinforce teams, expand structure and accelerate hiring to keep up with expansion.
“The company went from 35 people on March 15, 2020 to almost 1,300 employees today. We are a product, technology and sales company”, says Lane.
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He also highlights that growth required operational muscle on several fronts, from sales to technology. Even after reaching a national scale and consolidating new areas of activity, for the founder the journey has only just begun.
“The fact is that Flash has built something big by any metric today, but we are still very much at the beginning. In 7 years you don’t build anything. You start paving the way for the construction of something possibly relevant”, he says.
To find out more details about Flash’s creation and strategy, see the full episode on . The program is available in its podcast version on the main streaming platforms such as , , , and
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About From Zero to Top
The Do Zero ao Topo podcast is a production of InfoMoney and brings, every week, the stories of prominent women and men in the Brazilian market to tell their story, sharing the biggest challenges faced along the way and the main strategies used in building the business.
