Beyond Form Team Spotlight: Michael Trajkovic

17 Jun

Hello there fashion tech enthusiasts!

In this post we’re placing the first of many spotlights on the Beyond Form team members that are shaping the world of fashion tech entrepreneurship. Introducing Michael Trajkovic, our Chief Growth Officer here at Beyond Form, is a key member of the executive management team and looks after the daily operations of the venture support for our portfolio of fashion tech startups. Let’s find out more about Michael and why he joined the Beyond Form team.

Michael Trajkovic: From Paris to Barcelona

Michael is an alumnus of the prestigious Paris Dauphine-PSL graduating with a masters degree in finance and entrepreneurship. Honing his skills in business creation the past 15 years, he's successfully founded and exited three companies, of which one exit was to a large corporate, giving him a broad expertise across multiple industries. However, it's not just his business acumen that makes Michael invaluable to our startups, he’s also ingrained cutting-edge technologies into his blood like AR, blockchain, and AI. In fact, he has collaborated with major global corporations and NGOs, which helps to drive innovation and make a real social impact.

What makes Michael a true venture builder is his dedication to the founders he works with. He's observed the limitations of traditional incubators and accelerators, and has developed a more personalized approach.Therefore, in 2021, he joined Beyond Form's founder, Peter Jeun Ho Tsang, to combine his startup experience with Peter's industry expertise to push the fashion tech agenda forward. Together, they've embarked on an incredible journey, enhancing Beyond Form's operational strategies and fostering forward-thinking innovation in the fashion industry. By focusing on quality over quantity, they're providing bespoke support to our founders, leveraging Beyond Form's extensive network to help them grow and succeed.

Michael’s Top 3 Tips on Starting a Fashion Tech Startup

First is personal: the entrepreneurial journey is hard so you have to be prepared psychologically! There is no secret recipe to success. Use best practices as references, but not as a bible, because most authors of such articles about business methodology never created anything. Your success will be defined by the tenacity and determination you'll be putting in your project as most probably your journey will be long and painful, as for anything in life, all come with a cost!

⁠Second is the way you should understand your market and be sure that your time to market is right. A lot of founders are thinking that their approach or solution is the "right one", but barely wonder how the mindset of the industry is. Is the industry feeling the pain you are describing? Is the industry ready to pay for what you are proposing? Is the industry considering your product as a "must have"? In any case, don't hesitate to build around you the expertise you don't have.

⁠Lastly, don't hesitate to speak about your idea. A lot of founders are afraid that their idea will get stolen, but it's actually by getting feedback that you can improve. Getting challenged is essential and sharing about your idea is the best way to build it. Speaking about your idea will also help you to pitch it in its core essence. For example, one of the tests that I make with each startup is the way they should simplify their pitch and for this, I ask them to pitch in front of teenagers and grandparents to see if they are able to make their solution easily understandable. It’s a lot harder than you think!