At the latest edition of Bcapital Day, hosted by Bcombinator, two ecommerce pioneers took the stage to share how they built international businesses—without raising venture capital for nearly a decade.

No pitch decks. No growth hacks. Just real talk about mistakes, milestones, and the mindset required to build something that lasts.

Our speakers:
– Stephanie Marco, Founder & CEO of Stikets
– Alon Chamay, Founder & CEO of FloraQueen

Together, they represent over €30 million in annual revenue, operations in 70+ countries, and one clear message: you don’t need outside funding to build something impactful.

🚀Solving problems, not chasing startups.

Stephanie didn’t set out to be a founder. She was a mother trying to solve a simple problem: her kid kept losing shoes. That led to a custom name sticker. That sticker became a product line. And that product line became Stikets, now a beloved brand among families worldwide.

Alon’s journey started with a market insight: the European flower delivery industry was highly fragmented. Inspired by the success of 1-800-Flowers in the U.S., he launched FloraQueen, combining global reach with local fulfillment—and a mission to make people smile.

📊¿Their Growth Strategy? Retention Over Everything

The founders were very clear: Customer retention is the most sustainable competitive advantage for any business. Customer retention is the most sustainable competitive advantage for any business

“Every returning customer is a magnet,” said Alon.
“In our case, if moms love the product, they tell hundreds of others,” added Stephanie.

While performance marketing played a role early on, both emphasized that long-term growth comes from loyalty, not likes.

💡Self-funded—and proud of It

Both companies were built with personal savings and revenue reinvestment.

Stephanie funded Stikets with child subsidies and a second mortgage before taking her first investor nine years in. Alon bootstrapped FloraQueen from day one, warning:

“Too much money too soon can lead to disaster. If you’re not willing to risk your own money, why should anyone else?”

⌛¿What about AI and COVID?

Yes, they’re using AI—but in meaningful ways. FloraQueen automates 70% of its customer service with AI. Stikets is investing in internal AI tools to optimize team operations, not just impress visitors.

And on the pandemic? Both founders saw COVID as a temporary spike, not a sign of new normality.

“We took 2020 out of our KPIs,” said Stephanie. “That was a blip, not a benchmark.”

🚀Three Takeaways Every Founder Should Know:

✅ Think big from day one.
Stephanie was inspired by a speaker who once said: “Life’s too short to think small.” It stuck.

✅ Retention is your best defense.
Not patents. Not Facebook ads. Just loyal, happy customers.

✅ Brand matters—invest in it early.
Both admitted they underinvested in brand at first. Now they’re correcting course.

Bcapital Day April 2025 reminded us that real entrepreneurship isn’t about viral growth or unicorn status. It’s about solving problems, building value, and doing it sustainably.

🚀 Want to join the next Bcapital Day?
https://mk.bcombinator.com/ff641996c6768fb/bcapital-mayo