Founder Diaries: Alex Azar Apter & João Pedro de Simone, Co-Founders of Worc
On partnership, purpose, and not just doing it for the hype
At this point, it’s common knowledge that the food service industry was hit hard by COVID-19. Countless restaurants closed their doors around the world, and Brazil was no exception. But now, as the world starts to open up, the industry is recovering. One reason why they’ve been able to bounce back in Brazil? Worc.
Worc is the brainchild of Alex Azar Apter, Founder and CEO, and his business partner João Pedro de Simone, Co-Founder and COO. Together, they’ve built a platform that’s been crucial to both restaurants and food service workers in Brazil. To date, Worc has created 1,873,158 work opportunities. At this point, the pair says, they don’t even see the food service industry in São Paulo existing without their platform. It’s become a vital part of the business landscape, and a tool that has verifiably changed thousands of people’s lives.
Worc didn’t just survive the pandemic; they thrived in the eye of the storm, growing exponentially at a time when many startups called it quits. That said, Alex and João clearly know a thing or two about founding a company. Without further ado, let’s jump into our conversation with the founders of Worc.
Where in the world are you?
São Paulo, Brazil.
…And what are you working on right now?
We’re helping underserved people find jobs at restaurants.
Describe your working style in three words.
We can share our values — I think that will translate to how we work and what we believe.
1.Dream big
2. Make it happen.
3. Fail fast, learn faster.
4. Empathy.
5. Think outside of the box.
6. Freedom with responsibility.
7. It’s a phrase in Portuguese — “Fazer o bem sem olhar a quem” — which doesn’t translate very well in English, but basically means to make the world a better place.
How has your life transformed since founding a company?
Alex: It’s changed a lot — we work 24/7 now! Even when you are not supposed to be working, that’s often when the best ideas come to mind. We’re thinking about the company all the time. Before, I was working on someone else’s dream, but now I’m working on my dream. I feel that I have 100% responsibility in the future of this thing. The second thing that’s changed is my purpose in life. I’m 100% confident that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing; that said, even though it’s super hard to start a business, it’s also super pleasant, because we’re doing exactly what we want to be doing.
João: I have a lot of synergy with Alex on the purpose thing. We are really changing people’s lives with Worc — we are helping them find jobs, which is a really difficult thing to do in Brazil right now. It has a huge socioeconomic impact. I didn’t have any white hair before Worc, and now I have a lot! So it really changed my life, and I think it’s changing other people’s lives too.
The restaurant industry was hit hard by the pandemic. How has Worc been able to help with the recovery in Brazil?
Alex: Worc has been crucial. We don’t see the food service industry in São Paulo without Worc anymore. We are generating almost 100,000 opportunities a month. It’s the biggest food service platform for employability. Restaurants don’t have a good solution to the hiring problem besides Worc. And before the pandemic, many of them weren’t online at all. We helped them join the digital world and start doing online delivery and things like that. So if the next pandemic comes — and hopefully it doesn’t — these restaurants will be prepared to face it.
Team building philosophy?
João: It’s all about complementary skills. So if everyone brings a particular set of hard skills and soft skills, then together we can solve any problem. Our teamwork is really game-changing. We don’t have churn for employees — everyone is really connected and plugged in. Everyone goes through a culture interview and we don’t hire someone if we don’t think that they have strong synergy about our purpose and what we want to build.
Advice to future founders?
Alex: Start a company when you’re confident and comfortable about your purpose. Don’t start a company just to have money or hype, or just to fundraise venture capital; start a company to change the world. Persistence is everything.
João: My advice is that you need to choose very carefully who you do this with, because you’re not going to be able to make it alone. You need to have the right partner with the skills that you don’t have. They’re going to hustle harder with you. They’re going to try to solve the problem until the end. They’re going to close the loop and not drop the ball when something needs to get done.
K50 Ventures is a pre-seed venture fund backing founders who are building a better future for the 99%. Across health, finance, and work, we’re committed to improving affordability, opportunity, and access. Have an idea that’s going to change the world? Reach out to us by filling out this form. For more founder-focused content, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.
