Making data work
DYPE is first and foremost an accounting company. “It’s not a really sexy business, to be honest,” says Marián, which of course begs the question of why he got into it in the first place. Like many of us, during the Covid crisis, he hit a bit of a wall and was wondering what to do with his life.
Having worked and studied in both tech and finance, he saw that data was fragmented, and not properly recorded. Many of the companies he worked with or read about boasted about what they could do with data, but once Marián looked closer, he realized that they “had big expectations, but the reality just wasn’t there.”
Another realization came hot on the heels of this one, says Marián: “if I want to build a data company or tech company, I just need to be at the source of the data.” This is where DYPE grew from, the idea that data needs to be connected so businesses can truly know what’s going on.
Of course, Marián wasn’t the only one to have this idea. “It’s a completely red ocean out there, there’s so much competition. It’s not just tech companies, but also traditional companies or even housewives working from home.”
Holistic finance
As work got started, though, a complication popped up, namely the release of generative AI models. Though much of the DYPE’s foundation already rested on artificial intelligence, this was something else.
At first, Marián says, he thought “it’s gonna replace everybody.” Soon after, though, it ended up being a boon as it allowed for something Marián calls “holistic finance” which gives companies the full context of what’s happening inside the company.
For Marián, holistic finance is about relevance. Even small companies have their data in different places, with the day-to-day admin separated from information like business intelligence or overall strategy.
Combined data
With DYPE, these kinds of information streams can be combined to give a better overview of what’s going on. However, the kind of smaller businesses DYPE specializes in need more than that, so DYPE also offers traditional services and has payroll specialists or tax advisors that can process and optimize taxes. This way, the company dovetails both old and new.
As time progressed, a new option presented itself: many local startups in the Czech Republic make the jump to the US, something we’ve discussed at length with Pavel Doležal, for one. Marián helps these companies with compliance, making sure they have everything they need to hit the ground running across the pond.
Ecosystem support
Naturally, to get all this working hasn’t been a solo mission, and throughout the interview, Marián emphasizes the Czech startup ecosystem. The support he received helped him build and expand DYPE, and now he’s focused on giving back.
Marián explains: “we are an active player in the community, we organize events, we are co-organizing webinars with Opero. We’re part of mentoring programs, accelerators and incubators.” The company also organizes DYPE Business Talks, thematic evenings where founders and others can meet and learn from each other.
However, it becomes clear that for Tomko, expansion to the US is the most important thing to focus on. When asked, it’s clear he has the same worries many others, like Barbora Werdmölder, do: “US expansion is very important. It’s very logical to go there, they have tech-savvy users and a much bigger market.”
Marián seems to like moving to America not just for practical reasons, but also simply because it’s possible. “Digital technology doesn’t care about borders, AI can solve problems for everybody globally.” As a result, he says, “as a company, it makes sense to want to help our customers scale up. It’s a complicated world, but not for you if you have the right partners.”
Ment2Grow
Speaking of partners, for his latest startup, called Cash Optimizer, Marián sought the assistance of the Ment2Grow accelerator, headed by Veronika Šimková, which works from the Opero space, as well.
When asked why an already successful entrepreneur would seek the help of an accelerator, Marián doesn’t hesitate. “Opero is in the center of Prague. Everybody knows it and as such Ment2Grow has a great network of really interesting entrepreneurs with which you can openly discuss and get feedback on whatever you’re working on.”
When pressed with what he would need feedback on, Marián thinks for a second, then answers that it’s about focus. “The revenue, the cash flow, the problems, the employees, the clients, they all want something, you need to keep your goal in mind.”
This of course begs the question of what the goal is. Marián thinks for a while, then smiles: “You have to remind yourself of what you want the world to look like.”
