“Perfection is the enemy of progress,“

Aleš Mlátilík (on the right), pictured alongside co-founder of Lemondia, Erik Richnák

In today’s article, we speak with Aleš Mlátilík, CEO and co-founder of Lemondia, about the company’s rapid growth and the journey that led him to its founding. He shares how the initial idea came to life and what helped turn it into a fast-growing platform.

1. What inspired you to establish Lemondia?
   To be honest, it wasn’t my idea initially, it came directly from the market. During my time at Zľavomat, venues kept pushing us to build something specific for the B2B and conference sector. They had the capacity and were desperate to fill it.That gave me a massive head start. I didn’t need to validate the supply side at all; the venues were already asking for it. I could focus entirely on validating the demand side, proving that event planners actually needed a better way to find them.

2. Looking back, how did your experience at Zľavomat prepare you for this journey?
   My time there gave me a deep understanding of the hospitality industry. I saw firsthand how venues operate and where they struggle. Zľavomat is essentially a digital marketplace, just like Lemondia. Learning how to build a digital solution that balances the needs of both partners and customers was the perfect training ground for what we are doing now.
   
   

3. For someone who hasn’t heard of Lemondia yet, what makes Lemondia different from other solutions out there?
   In the CEE region we are essentially creating the entire product category. There is simply no other solution like Lemondia here that offers the full transactional journey in one place. We allow users to send one inquiry to many venues, utilize an auction system for the best rates, and book directly. While we learn from successful models in the US, we are the first to bring this level of digital efficiency to our market.
   
   

4. What strategies did you get your first clients, like Rohlík or UGO?
   It started with deeply understanding our Ideal Customer Profile and what they actually needed. We kept it simple. Our main acquisition channel was just cold email outreach. We targeted the right people at these companies and addressed their biggest pain point which is the endless hours spent researching venues and waiting for individual quotes. We simply showed them they could compare options and book in minutes instead of days.
   
   

5. After those early wins, How do you collect and utilize user feedback to enhance Lemondia's services?
   We make it a priority to connect with every event planner to truly understand their needs. Especially in the beginning, we connected personally with every single customer. We didn't hide behind forms. We spoke to them directly to see exactly where the platform helped and where it needed work.
   
   

6. You recently raised €300,000 in pre-seed funding. What will you use it for?
   We are laser-focused on growth. The funding will go directly into traction, marketing, and sales. We have the product, now we need to put it in front of every event planner who needs it and scale our user base aggressively.
   
   

7. How did you experience the fundraising journey, and what do you think resonated most with your investors?
   The honest answer is that it was tougher than I expected. But simply put, early stage investors value the founding team more than the idea or the financial plan. They just need to believe that you are the right team to solve the problem.
   
   

8. What are your plans for international expansion, and which markets do you consider most promising?
   We see the USA as the most promising market right now, but we won't stop there. Our ambition is truly global. We want to make Lemondia the Booking.com for company events.
   
   

9. How did the collaboration with Siesta Labs come about, and what role do they play in Lemondia's development and success?
   I got introduced to Siesta and Miko via our common friend. Siesta was essential in building an MVP that was more than good enough to start generating our first revenue.
   
   

10. Our team in Siesta Labs helps build the platform. What’s most important for Lemondia in technology right now, and what’s next.
    Right now it comes down to three things: automation, scalability, and AI. We need to automate the manual work for both planners and venues so the system runs itself. We need scalability to handle thousands of events at once globally. And finally, we are betting on AI to make smarter matches between clients and venues, predicting what they need before they even ask.
    
    

11. Looking ahead, where do you see Lemondia in five years?
    I see a global platform handling all B2B travel inquiries, not just venue sourcing. It will operate with zero or very limited human touch. We are building this because we never stop believing that physical gatherings make company culture and performance stronger.
    
    

12. What advice would you give to your younger self at the start of your entrepreneurial journey?
    Don't worry about perfection. It is the enemy of progress. Just get the product in front of customers immediately and fix it as you go.
    
    

13. What activities or hobbies help you maintain a balance between work and personal life?
    I play ice hockey :)