Meet Gen T

The founder of e-commerce fashion platform Goxip and influencer agency Rewardsnap on what it means to be a Hong Kongestablished startup and the joys that building businesses can bring

Juliette Gimenez is the founder of e-commerce fashion platform Goxip and influencer agency Rewardsnap

Coveting the latest look from a stylish star? Find it with Goxip, which employs image search technology to quickly source the exact or equivalent items from online retailers. The platform is the brainchild of entrepreneur Juliette Gimenez, who used her years of experience building various startups to found what she describes as a Shazam for the fashion world. She has since launched Rewardsnap, a platform that allows influencers to work with Goxip to monetise their influence. As she looks to grow these two products across the region, Gimenez reflects on her career so far.

You can’t just do what you are good at. I knew I was good at maths and economics and I pursued my degree following that line and then went into investment banking. But you’ve got to be interested in your work, too. I thought, well, I’m still young and if anything doesn’t work out, then at least I tried, so I quit investment banking and started pursuing an entrepreneurial life. And once I did, I found I couldn’t go back. Building companies is so much fun. You start from nothing; you are building something that doesn’t exist. You start to see demand for a product, you see your market, you keep innovating and pivoting and you see what works.

I like fashion, but I’m not good at it. I admire people who have a very strong fashion sense. I was always wondering how I could be like that. And then I started to see a gap in the market. People love Instagram and following celebrities for their great fashion sense. People see it; they want it, but how do you search for fashion? We use image search technology to bridge the gap so that when people see it, they can find it straight away.

The biggest challenge was being a Hong Kong startup. Hong Kong is small in terms of population and penetration. It does have strong purchasing power, the people are tech and fashion savvy, and a lot of fashion brands have their headquarters here, so as a multinational, cultural place, Hong Kong is fantastic. But it may not be big enough to attract funding easily. That said, it’s definitely better than two years ago with companies such as Klook that have grown to unicorn status, which makes Hong Kong proud and raises confidence for investors.

Don’t give up no matter what. Whatever stage you are at, there will always be difficulties. In the early days it might be getting funding or finding talent. Then there might be other situations, but you need to strategise and adapt accordingly. Think ahead and see how you can wage your war, because war never stops.