OptiWize: from idea to spin-off-ready business (behind the scenes of a startup studio)

OptiWize: from idea to spin-off-ready business (behind the scenes of a startup studio)

In the startup world, people love talking about brilliant ideas. But the truth is that ideas, on their own, are worthless. At evoseed, a startup studio focused vertically on the ICT and TELCO space, we have a clear mantra: "Let's make ideas fail as quickly as possible". Because only by trying to make them fail can you find out whether they actually have legs.

Our operational framework — a mix of Lean Startup, Pretotyping, and brutal honesty — was built for exactly this purpose. To bring an idea to market in the shortest time and at the lowest cost possible, and only then — after tests, data, and feedback — decide whether to scale it or throw it in the bin.

The OptiWize story: it all started with a post

OptiWize is today a complete platform for the advanced, automated management of MikroTik devices. But it wasn't born from a codebase, an MVP, or a slide deck. It was born from a LinkedIn post.

That's right — the very first thing we did was publish a post describing the idea: a platform to centrally and intelligently manage MikroTik devices. No platform, just a concept. And above all, a call to action: "If you're as frustrated as we are, join the community and help us define the core features".

The result? Within one month, 126 responses containing desired features, priorities, and contact details.

Validate before you build

We ranked the features by number of votes, selected the top three, and only then did we start developing the first feature — while simultaneously launching a preview webinar. No finished functionality, but a solid idea and an engaged community.

Step by step, with precise validation metrics:

• LinkedIn post: target 50 interactions → 126 achieved
• Webinar: target 50 registrations → 73 registrations
• Live webinar attendance (start to finish): target 20 participants → 25 present
• Beta testers: target 10 sign-ups → 15 active participants

Each phase was a go / no-go decision gate. Only after passing every checkpoint did we begin developing the full MVP.

Co-creation and steady growth

The initial group of beta testers became our spontaneous advisor board. Feedback, bugs, real-world needs. Together with them we co-created a suite of genuinely useful tools that today includes auto-provisioning, SD-WAN, proactive monitoring, backup, troubleshooting, and mass-onboarding.

In 2024, without running any structured go-to-market activity outside Italy, OptiWize recorded:

• +26% month-on-month growth
• Distribution in South Africa

We are now ready for the spin-off. OptiWize has validated its market, product, and metrics. It has its own identity, a clear roadmap, active customers, and a need for a dedicated commercial and management structure to scale beyond its current boundaries.

The evoseed method, applied in the field

Our way of building startups doesn't start from a pitch deck — it starts from a real problem and a community ready to tell you whether it's worth banging your head against. We've learned that the truth lies outside the office, in the market.

And today, as we prepare to let OptiWize fly on its own, we can say one thing with certainty: if we hadn't tried to make it fail immediately, we would never have made it this far.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Stay up to date on industry topics and OptiWize features

• • Required field

• Please enter a valid email address

• Please enter a valid name

• Please enter a valid phone number

• Value is too small

• • Required field

• Please enter a valid email address

• Please enter a valid name

• Please enter a valid phone number

• Value is too small

By clicking the button you agree to our Privacy Policy

Want to explore a specific topic? Fill in the form and we'll get back to you as soon as possible

Email First name Last name Mobile Number of devices

0

10000+

• • Required field

• Please enter a valid email address

• Please enter a valid name

• Please enter a valid phone number

• Value is too small

• • Required field

• Please enter a valid email address

• Please enter a valid name

• Please enter a valid phone number

• Value is too small