Founder Stories | Paul Davidescu, Founder & CEO of Tangoo

I have, I think it all starts with my very weird backgrounds. So I am born in Mexico, my grandparents are from Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Syria. I'm Jewish and I lived in Vancouver since I was 4. So I don't really know where I'm from. And the way I relate that to what I'm doing right now is that I'm pretty obsessed with different cultures and connecting with different people. And I very much love different experiences and I find that the combination of unique experiences and different kinds of people are what really kind of ignite me. And it's what ignite other people. It's what helps you grow, helps you learn from the world and be happy. So I've, I guess, developed an obsession around connecting people in memorable ways. And that's what my company is all about. Do you have five hours? You know, in a nutshell, it really has been a journey. I think journey is the right word. Nothing's happened overnight. Nothing really has happened overnight. It's all been, it's been a process. I've been at it for four years now. It's basically been three companies under one roof. So we've pivoted a bunch of times. One of the times has been at Launch Academy and I'll probably save that for later on in the interview. But you know, if I can describe idea to start up to where we are now, I mean, you know, it's a lot of trial and error. You've got to be guided by your North Star. And with Tengu, it's always been how do we connect people in memorable ways. Right. And you know, we've gone from an events company to a mobile app to a, you know, a digital marketing platform for restaurants and consumers. So, you know, if you can stay on that North Star, that really fits what you believe in and you're adaptable, you know how to attract great people, you're patient, you know, it's just gonna evolve on itself and you don't really realize that from the outside looking in until you're on the inside and you just trust that it's gonna just happen. So it's been a journey, a constant evolution, but I'm enjoying it. Awesome. Definitely my spark was probably a couple different events. When I was at SA, I did a 16 month exchange in co op terms in Barcelona, Germany, Adidas. And anyways, when I was in Barcelona specifically, and I actually also remember this is 2010. Right. So what happened in 2010? Vancouver, the Olympics. And going back to my mantra of connecting people through memorable experiences when I was in Barcelona, and during the Olympics, I could see how this authentic experience of being in an amazing city like Barcelona or being involved the Olympics with, you know, this magic and the air, people connected so naturally. And suddenly it wasn't about, oh, there's nothing to do today. Like, it's, you know, this is a boring city. I don't know what to do, or let's say in it was really about, wow, there's so much to do. I'm going to go out and be okay with the uncertainty that I don't know exactly what I'm going to do, but I know it's going to be great. And I think when people have the certainty that they're going to have a great experience out, they're more adventurous, they're more open to meeting people. And connections is everything. You know, people are what change your life, they're what influence you. They're again, what make you happy. And. And it just seemed like experiences could really facilitate this kind of communication. So when I came back to Vancouver, no Olympics, no Barcelona, everything seemed like it was very slow and not right connected. So I said to myself, I'm not going to wait for the next Olympics or go on my next exchange to be able to have this great connection with people through experiences. And that's where I said, well, what's the lowest hanging fruit of what is difficult to do and experience in Vancouver? That facilitates connection, and that's going to restaurants, finding the right restaurant, waiting in line, not knowing where to go, not meeting people. So that's when we started to run events that actually curated connections between people at different restaurants all on the same night. And then that evolved into an app that helped people know where to go based off their mood. So, yeah, always guiding people to experiences around them that are ubiquitous but that also match what they're looking for and therefore allows them to go out and take an adventure and then meet someone or just connect with someone they know, but on a deeper level. So it really started from my experience at school, really feeling a life high on what I. What really made me come alive and I know what will make other people come alive. And then seeing how I can replicate that in just a turnkey way, because it's not an easy process to have fun and know where to go and meet people. So I wanted to solve that. It's been a handful. I mean, I think that I was pretty excited about the way we handled our Dragon Stand appearance. To give you a spoiler, we didn't get funding on the show. They offered us a deal and it just wasn't for us. And we still actually threw this massive party for our viewing just to share the journey of what it was to actually get to that point. And we had 500 people show up. They were all expecting us to have gotten five dragons involved whilst we throw a big party. And our intent was to show them that despite not working at something out with the dragons. That was in April when we went on the show. April 2014. This is November, when we actually aired. And in that time, we actually built our app. Our app wasn't fully built, so we had gone in sort of very early. We got a dragon to invest in us after the show, and we raised more money at a much better valuation from other investors than the Dragon. So we wanted to almost prove to the world that the dragons aren't the be all, end all. And no sometimes means a yes in many ways. Right. So just being able to stand strong with the team and have them face 500 people and sort of surprise them with like, we didn't get a deal, but we had an amazing journey and we accomplished X, Y and Z ourselves. That was the message I was really excited to share to the world. Because a lot of people just think that, you know, the public's perception of entrepreneurship is very skewed, especially when they ask, did you get a deal? Oh, you didn't get a deal? Like, okay, like, that's too bad. Like, hopefully you guys survive. But we really put that on its head and show people the real value, which is the journey. The journey is the real value. And obviously that's what gets you results, right? Simply put, it's people. And that's why I have an obsession with meeting new people, connecting people, you know, that's what it's all about. I mean, of course, as I travel, that's the ultimate way of being inspired, right? You learn how other people do things, you get inspired with different cultures. You really live. Right. So, yeah, people and experiences are what inspire me. And also, you know, it's people that also go out of their way to help you and to contribute to you. So whether it be mentors, my team members, investors, anyone really who has shown that they care, I think it's pretty commendable. Especially, you know, in the world we live in where everyone's very busy and usually not even very present with themselves, it's great to see people go above and beyond and really believe in you and your vision and want to help. So, first of all, dive in if you have a feeling of, you know, that you want to go do it. You want to create something that isn't really quite solved or you just want to just test yourself, do it right. But going to the expectation that, you know it's gonna be very tough and there's no glory in it really at all. You gotta be in it for the right reasons, and that's really the main thing. And also, you gotta know yourself. And you might already know yourself when you're diving in. And you gotta realize what it entails. So talk to other entrepreneurs and ask them, like, what's the lifestyle? Like, what are the hours like, you know, what are the challenges? And you know, if you're someone who gets stressed out easily or just isn't good at managing people or isn't comfortable selling, you just don't bother. If you can do all those things, great, then I think you have a fighting chance. And then, yeah, once you're in the journey, you'll realize if it's for you or not. And, you know, some advice I'd give you that it's, you know, it's. It's not a shameful thing if you quit or if you just. It's not your thing because some people stay in it for the wrong reason just out of pride, and it's. You're just punishing yourself. Right. So my favorite part is being able to contribute to the world in the way that I want to contribute. I have no problem with taking direction from people. I don't mind getting a comfy paycheck. And I mean, having gotten a job wouldn't have been that bad. I would have. I don't mind. A lot of people think that being an entrepreneur is awesome because you have no boss and you do whatever you want. And it's not really that. I mean, it's about the way you can contribute to the world. Right. And with me, I didn't really see anyone contributing to the world in terms of connecting people with experiences the way I wanted to. Right. And having that empowerment to do that and drive forward and break new territory. It's pretty amazing, right? And that's what gets me up in the morning. And I couldn't imagine a job that you dread going to or that you just aren't there past 5pm this is really a big part of my identity, and I think a lot of entrepreneurs feel that. So just to be able to contribute and have people rally around me, it's pretty amazing. I love growing people and I love to see that what you're doing is actually making an impact. Nothing beats actually seeing your contribution, work and work in a way that the world hasn't seen before.