G: Tell us about your business.
Foodsplore is a location-based social network for food and it’s for anyone who enjoys eating out. Using Foodsplore, users can discover great places to eat by seeing what others are eating and enjoying nearby. At the same time, Foodsplore wants to enhance the social side of dining out; users can stay connected and updated with where their friends are eating right now, their recommendations/eating experiences and, also, where they plan to be eating.
My brother, myself and my husband came up with Foodsplore simply because we were getting increasingly stuck for ideas on where to eat. Although we knew London had hundreds if not thousands of great restaurants, we found ourselves eating at the same four or five restaurants every time we went out. Traditional review sites just weren’t working for us; we wanted something that would allow us to make quick and easy decisions on where to eat whilst on the go, and be inspired by the people around us. We also agreed that our friend’s recommendations and eating experiences were especially valuable to us but scouring through Facebook for that yummy photo my friend put up two weeks ago wasn’t exactly quick! And so, Foodsplore was born.
We’re the first dining-out social network in the UK. There are a number of services with offerings that are similar to one part or another of what Foodsplore is doing but no single competitor encompasses Foodsplore’s complete vision. Eating out has always been a social activity and that’s what really sets us apart. Foodsplore is all about friends and building communities.
G: What were the biggest obstacles launching the start-up and how did you overcome them?
One of our first obstacles was the fact that we are not from tech backgrounds ourselves. We aren’t developers so we had to find developers that would be willing to take on such a large project whilst not financially bankrupting us at the same time! It took six months but we found EtonDigital that is based here in London but their development team is in Serbia so we were able to keep costs down, relatively speaking. The biggest obstacle so far, however, is that all of our content is generated by users themselves. So, whilst it will be a fantastic tool to help you make those difficult dining out decisions, at this stage, we face the ‘chicken and egg’ problem. Currently, we’re looking for users who are happy to ‘share’ all their foodie finds as opposed to ‘discovering’ much! 
G: What would you say has been your most memorable experience while developing your startup?
There are two. First was our trip out to Serbia last March. It was the first time we were meeting the full development team and walking into the office and seeing 8-10 people working on Foodsplore was a bit of a teary moment for me! That was when the enormity of what we were doing really hit me. The second most memorable experience was the day our iPhone app was released in the AppStore – the proudest moment of all!
G: Tell us about DO’s and DON’Ts when starting the company?
Do think about your competition and the market and where they will be by the time you are ready to launch.
Do be wise about how you spend your money and shop around as there’s always a cheaper alternative, and sometimes even free!
Do be enthusiastic and engaging as people will buy into you as much as the idea.
Don’t rush the most important part which is the planning, research and scheduling of work. Don’t OVER research things – as an entrepreneur you have to believe in yourself and to some extent work on instinct.
Don’t believe ‘experts’ always know what’s good for your business; you know your business and vision better than anyone else.
One final Don’t: Don’t let your fear of failure stop you from achieving your full potential.
G: Why did you choose Shoreditch to launch your start-up?
There is no place in London like Shoreditch! Shoreditch oozes creativity whether it be art, fashion, music or tech. For us in particular, Shoreditch is also at the centre of the Tech City initiative, we’re a tech startup and completely behind the vision of creating a tech cluster in the UK with real potential to be as well respected as Silicon Valley.
Most importantly though, the food and social scene in Shoreditch is unrivalled, there are hundreds of really cool restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, markets and bars that are waiting to be explored and shared with people all over the City. It encapsulates the very essence of Foodsplore!
G: What/who should help for the development of Shoreditch entrepreneurial community? What this community is still missing?
David Cameron has publicly backed the East London Tech City initiative and there are some great companies and startups based in Shoreditch which are well placed to help drive this. However, much more can be done. We need more than just a key-note speech, we need action. Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, is a superb example; he has made it his mission to promote the New York tech scene and its importance in society through social media. The people of Shoreditch and local businesses alike could potentially benefit greatly from what tech startups in the area are offering but they need to be made aware of what’s on their doorstep in the first place! Boris Johnson should also make it his mission to promote tech startups which, through collaboration, could go on to support local businesses. Foodsplore is a great example of a tech startup that could have a massive impact on small businesses – with the right support and backing from the UK government. With the Olympics right round the corner, it’d be a great waste of a fantastic opportunity if we didn’t get this collaboration going soon.
G: Who/what are your favourite CEOs/Businesses in Shoreditch?
Well, it has to be Iain Dodsworth – founder of Tweetdeck. With unemployment at record high levels, Iain Dodsworth’s name should be shouted from the rooftops to inspire people. He created a simple piece of software whilst sitting at home unemployed. That resulted in him selling his business for £25 million pounds just three years later. Economically, times are tough, but this is when our creative juices should be flowing, we have less to lose than we ever did. If you have an idea in the back of your mind, now is the time to jump on it.
G: What are your favourite places in Shoreditch?
We’re new to Shoreditch so we’re still exploring…there’s so much going on! That’s why the sooner people start sharing their favourite places on Foodsplore, the easier it’ll be for us to decide where to eat! I love that everything here has its own identity and quirky style. Restaurants are not ordinary restaurants and coffee shops don’t just serve coffee, each place has its own charm and reflects the creativity of the business owners, the location and the people of Shoreditch.
G: What does the future has in store for Shoreditch?
Shoreditch will continue to grow as a hub of creativity for the arts, music and fashion but the technology scene here is about to explode! Brits are more serious about tech than ever and so Shoreditch will attract talent from all over the world and will even see an influx of international businesses and investment.
Short bio of yourself (up to 5 sentences):
Zainab studied Optometry at Aston University. She worked in this capacity for several years before joining her partner to set up their own Health & Safety consultancy in the Middle East; with the company now established and in safe hands she hopes to bring her expertise of launching and growing a start-up to the Foodsplore team.
Zainab helped transform the Foodsplore vision into what it is today. She is now responsible for making Foodsplore a fun to use product and works closely with the marketing team to ensure the Foodsplore message and brand is being effectively communicated.
Our Social links:
Website: www.foodsplore.com
Twitter: @Foodsplore
