SeedBlink Blog

Voxa, the audiobook and podcast app from Romania, received a €540,000 investment round in late summer 2021, which included commitements from the SeedBlink community of investors. We usually tend to learn from failures, but we also want to learn from successes. That's why we sat down with Catalin Mester, founder of Voxa (formerly Storis), and had a lightning talk.

What does “success” mean for you and Voxa?

Success means for us, in essence, helping people read more, learn more, be more. We also want to become a global company and help people all over the world connect to the extraordinary ideas, emotions, and wisdom offered by the most creative minds in the world.

You’ve launched the app 3 months ago. What are the first results? What’s the feedback from the market?

The results exceeded our expectations by far: after just 3 months we have almost 20,000 users who listened to over 22,000 books. Also, the app is now #1 in App Store & Google Play, in the books category. We’ve got excellent feedback from the market and we’ve only just started!

A part of SeedBink’s community-backed your company in the last seed round. How has the SeedBlink experience impacted Voxa’s brand awareness and traction?

For Voxa it was the right move at the right time. We were raising money very early, with just a working prototype, and got the right awareness and traction for our needs.

Would you recommend SeedBlink to other founders?

I would and I am recommending SeedBlink without hesitation, to every founder that raises capital, especially early-stage tech startups. SeedBlink is a crowd investment platform that will also provide their startup with visibility, for Angels and VCs.

Is there anything you would have done differently in the campaign? What do you think mattered the most in completing the round?

Yes, I would make some changes, I would have started the PR & activated our personal network much sooner. Activating the personal network is key for a successful investment campaign.

Which departments will benefit most from this seed round?

Marketing and Development will benefit most from this round.

Where do you see Voxa and your team in 3 years from now?

Since the beginning, our ambitions were global. So 3 years from now I see Voxa as a market leader in Romania, with a regional presence. We plan to expand in at least 3 countries.

What advice would you give to a tech entrepreneur building their dream startup?

Building a startup is not easy. It will take a lot of time and energy from you and, in my opinion, it must be aligned with your personal values and interests. You will not have the perseverance required to see it through if it’s not something you believe in, with all your heart.

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Download Voxa App from Google Play | AppStore