Interview | Haydée Barroso, Atani
“Atani’s mission is to address the fragmentation of the blockchain ecosystem and improve its usability”
Haydée Barroso is COO & Co-Founder of Atani. Previously, she was Head of Digital Strategy at InnoCells.
The Madrid startup Atani arose from the personal need of the siblings: Paul and Haydée Barroso. Tired of dealing with the difficulties of investing in cryptocurrencies, they decided to develop their own solution, unique in the market: a platform to help users invest, access their custody methods, manage their portfolio, calculate taxes and use any digital asset from a single interface.
The startup’s initial focus is on investments in digital assets, which currently represent the market with the largest volume, although there is an expansion into all types of assets such as stocks, bonds, gaming assets and even Forex.
Atani’s waiting list is now available. Sign up!
How would you explain Atani for dummies?
Atani is a mix between Fintonic and a broker like Renta 4: we enable users to add their accounts and trade on all of them from a single interface, but we never have access to the user’s digital assets or money. In addition, we integrate various custody methods that strengthen security.
We also offer traceability of all transactions and the calculation of taxes (capital gains/losses) so that the user knows their net position.
The operation is similar to when you buy a share from Banco Sabadell’s broker. The user can buy the bank shares with a click, and the broker takes care of the rest: connection with the stock exchanges, custody service, traceability of operations, etc. This, which seems obvious in traditional finance, is not so in digital finance.
And more complicatedly?
Our mission is to address the fragmentation of the blockchain ecosystem and improve its usability through the union of its verticals in a single platform.
We want to help our users to invest, manage their portfolio, use different custody methods and utilise any digital asset. Our aim is to make it easier for millions of people to benefit from the advantages offered by blockchain, facilitating access in a simple and safe way.
It is the first initiative of its kind in Spain. And on an international scale?
Atani is a unique value proposition on the market. At first, it was a development for our own use, which we built by transferring our professional experience in the field of finance to tokenised assets.
However, when we shared the solution with other investors, we soon realised the huge market opportunity, as the reaction was always the same: “How can we get it?” Like us, they were tired of managing portfolios valued in thousands or hundreds of thousands of euros in an Excel file. That is when we decided to make our hobby a profession.
We are the first global platform to offer an all-in-one solution for digital asset management.
What was it like to go from idea to execution?
This is by far the most complicated step. The world is full of brilliant people with very good ideas, but the difficulty lies in daring to take the step and execute fast and well.
You have to be convinced that you are willing to give up everything, sacrifice a part of your personal life and jump into the void waiting for the parachute to open. Although it seems like a lie, this was the easiest part for Paul and me, we were certain that it was a unique opportunity:
- Co-founding with someone in whom you have blind faith and who complements your skills is a privilege
- We knew the market and had suffered first hand its challenges
- A market with exponential growth, and
- Opportunity to launch a startup internationally, etc.
And what about funding?
Here everything starts to get a little more complicated, especially without a product on the market. Although it was not an easy path, we were lucky enough to find a group of investors who identified the huge opportunity that this market represented, shared our values and vision on the evolution of the economy towards the tokenisation of assets, and they trusted us. In particular, we appreciate the support of Encomenda Smart Capital, JME Ventures, Waveform Capital and Lanai Partners.
What was the most complicated part?
Without a doubt, the most complicated parts are the team, development and growth. At the moment, we are delighted with our team, which is in line with the established roadmap, and we already have the alpha version up and running. At the end of the year, we will launch a private version with the users who are registered on the waiting list.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
How has the entrepreneurship process been?
Entrepreneurship is very complicated and at the same time immensely rewarding. The United States has always been a benchmark in terms of entrepreneurship, and China has had a stratospheric investment in innovation for years. I am delighted that more and more people in Europe, and specifically in Spain, are betting on digital transformation in all sectors, although there is still a long way to go.
There are more private initiatives to encourage investment in innovative projects, such as BStartup, but I think there is a need for more flexible regulations to promote the creation of startups if we do not want to lose competitiveness compared to other countries.
You have been selected by TechCrunch as Top Pick in Disrupt Berlin 2019, you were one of the 10 fintech finalist startups at South Summit 2019 and you have won the Women Startup Competition in Spain. What has this meant for Atani?
It is a privilege to be nominated among the best startups. It is a recognition of the work of the entire team and enables us to be exposed to potential venture capital funds and the media.
BACKGROUND
Before co-founding Atani, you were Head of Digital Strategy at InnoCells. How has this role influenced your career?
InnoCells was key to my professional and personal development. It is a place where creativity and effort are rewarded, and where opportunities to learn and grow abound. I had the opportunity to meet and work with many startups, which allowed me to learn from the best practices, as well as from their mistakes, which is even more important.
Without a doubt, the biggest advantage of working at InnoCells is the professional team. Brilliant people and a place where teamwork superimposes individual victories. This culture is a clear reflection of its leader, Julio Martinez.
What are the next steps for Atani?
Right now, we are using the platform in a private alpha. In December, we will add the first users who have signed up to our waiting list. The success has been such that some registrants will have to wait a little bit more to use the platform.
All those who are interested can sign up on our website to get priority access, discounts and credit to use Atani. In addition, the first users we add in December will get a free calculation of capital gains and losses from their investments in cryptocurrencies in 2019. What do you have to do to be one of the lucky ones? Sign up for our waiting list and share your personal code on social media.
