Blackboxer Spotlight: Sara Brunelli

BidToTrip // Italy // Blackbox Connect 12

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Jul 25, 2017 · 3 min read
Sara Brunelli

Sara’s introduction to Blackbox came early in 2015 when she was invited by a friend to attend a dinner at Blackbox Connect 11, powered by Google For Entrepreneurs. Following her gut, she made her way out to Palo Alto and met Fadi Bishara, the CEO of Blackbox, who was impressed by her temperament and the startup she was building. “Sarah had a very clear vision of what she wanted BidToTrip to be,” Fadi remembers. “She worked extensively to understand the luxury hospitality market and knew how she would democratize it to make great experiences affordable to a larger number of people.”

A few months and a couple interviews later, Sara made her way to the 12th edition of Blackbox Connect, looking to take BidToTrip, an auction site for luxury hotel rooms, to the next level. At the time of the program, BidToTrip had raised $100,000 in funding, was serving 15,000 monthly users, and was making just over $3,000 in monthly revenue. Though the company was bursting with potential, Sara was determined to expand BidToTrip’s horizons even further and knew she needed help to get there.

At Blackbox Connect, she paid close attention to advice that would help her hone her pitch and serve her customers better. Through intensive sessions with Bill Joos, Blackbox’s resident “Pitch Doctor”, Sara built a compelling story that combined her personal and business vision as she prepared to fundraise again upon returning to Italy. “His feedback was unbelievably powerful and focused,” she recalls. Within four months of the August program, Sara had raised $200,000, and the following June, she closed an additional $300,000.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re from Italy, Malaysia, or the U.K.; when you’re building a company, you have the same needs.”

Sara pitching at Blackbox Connect 12’s Startup Showcase

In recalling her breakthrough moments from Blackbox Connect, Sara pointed to one of the most common reactions of founders who go through the program: “I learned so much about my customers that I didn’t know I needed to know.” Armed with newfound clarity around brand strategy, customer needs, and UI priorities, she redesigned BidToTrip’s entire platform immediately after the program.

Nearly two years later, BidToTrip now serves 100,000 monthly users and has $30,000 in monthly revenue — a near 10x improvement from the 15,000 users and $3,000 MRR she had back in 2015.

Today, Sara is actively raising $700,000 to expand her sales team and carry BidToTrip’s success even further. She’s nominated multiple high-potential entrepreneurs to Blackbox Connect and continues to be a shining example of female leadership in the U.K. and Italian tech ecosystems.

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