2017: Expansion to Odessa and Sales Optimization
Opening of Odessa Office: In 2017, Epixia continued its strategic expansion under the Starsoft brand by opening a new office in Odessa, Ukraine, just 200 km from Chisinau, Moldova. This move was part of a broader effort to enhance the company's operational capabilities in the region.
Building a Multilingual Team: The Odessa office became a hub for hiring multilingual Sales Development Representatives (SDRs). This team focused on lead research and lead generation, providing crucial support to Epixia's existing startups.
Optimizing Sales Processes: The addition of the Odessa office and the new SDR team allowed Epixia to optimize its sales processes, improving efficiency and effectiveness across all its ventures. This expansion ensured that Epixia could continue driving growth and success for its startups through well-targeted and refined sales strategies.
2018: Transition to DEMAVIAS and Focus on Marketing Automation
Building in Marketing Automation: In 2018, Epixia ventured into the marketing automation space, creating startups that specialized in LinkedIn automation, Instagram automation, and the development of advanced proxy technologies. These innovations were designed to streamline and enhance digital marketing efforts across various platforms.
Rebranding to DEMAVIAS: To reflect its new direction and expanded capabilities, Epixia rebranded itself as DEMAVIAS—Dedicated Marketing Virtual Assistant. This new identity signified the company’s commitment to providing automated marketing solutions that could adapt to the needs of a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Optimizing Sales and Targeting: DEMAVIAS placed a strong emphasis on optimizing the sales process. By identifying the ideal customer profile and focusing multilingual marketing efforts on these targets, the company was able to deliver more precise and effective marketing strategies. This shift not only improved sales efficiency but also ensured that marketing resources were directed where they would have the greatest impact.
2019: The Birth of Di-Atomic with MyAirShield
The MyAirShield Project: In 2019, DEMAVIAS (formerly Epixia) received an irresistible offer from a group of German, Danish, and Chinese investors. They proposed that DEMAVIAS, under the leadership of Martin Shein, provide their marketing services in exchange for shares in the patent and factory of a new product, MyAirShield. This marked the beginning of what would eventually become Di-Atomic.
Innovative Marketing and Growth: Martin Shein applied the same startup growth hacking methods that had driven previous successes. Through multilingual marketing, video animation, explainer videos, lead research, lead generation, and marketing automation, DEMAVIAS also built a limited network marketing organization that paid commissions for brokering deals between large distributors and MyAirShield. This approach was revolutionary for a manufacturing context.
Global Expansion and Unprecedented Success: Within less than a year, DEMAVIAS closed deals in almost 100 countries, securing commitments to purchase MyAirShield products valued at $1.4 billion USD. This success was a game-changer, demonstrating the power of combining innovative marketing strategies with manufacturing.
Becoming an Expert in Science and Compliance: The rapid global expansion also brought significant challenges, particularly in compliance and regulatory matters. To navigate these complexities, DEMAVIAS expanded its expertise by hiring scientists, building laboratories, and becoming a leader in science and compliance. This transformation laid the foundation for what Di-Atomic would become.
2021: Transition to Global Expansion Services and Online Education
Exit from MyAirShield: In 2021, Martin Shein successfully exited MyAirShield, allowing him to fully focus on expanding the services of DEMAVIAS, now rebranded as Di-Atomic. The agency shifted its mission to assist manufacturers globally, leveraging the expertise gained from the MyAirShield experience.
Global Expansion and New Offerings: Di-Atomic concentrated on helping factories expand their reach worldwide. To facilitate this, the agency developed two significant online courses
Compliance Course: This course was designed to help manufacturers navigate the complexities of global compliance, ensuring their products met international standards.
BrokerZ.io: Di-Atomic launched BrokerZ.io, a network marketing organization that recruits commission-based sales representatives globally. These representatives are trained to broker deals and drive international growth for manufacturers.
SDR and Lead Generation Course: Additionally, Di-Atomic created a comprehensive SDR and Lead Generation online course. This course aimed to equip Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) with the skills needed to generate leads effectively and support the global expansion of manufacturers.
2004: The Birth of HotDigital and Epixia
HotDigital: The journey began with the founding of HotDigital, a pioneering SaaS company that revolutionized the e-commerce landscape. Unlike traditional webshop solutions of the time, HotDigital offered a unique online platform where users could create their webshops without the need for server installation—similar to what Shopify offers today. This innovation attracted thousands of clients across Germany, helping businesses seamlessly enter the online market.
Epixia: Leveraging the success and insights gained from HotDigital, Epixia was established to cater specifically to the marketing needs of e-commerce businesses. Epixia became the go-to agency for over 1,500 businesses, offering comprehensive services from webshop design to email and affiliate marketing. This deep understanding of e-commerce needs allowed Epixia to deliver tailored marketing solutions that drove success for countless online stores.
2006: First Multinational Project with DUBLI
Joint Venture with BlueBuy/ BlueTel: In 2006, Epixia embarked on its first multinational project by forming a joint venture with existing customers BlueBuy and BlueTel, alongside Danish investors. This collaboration aimed to create an innovative online marketplace called DUBLI.
Rapid Growth and Success: Under the guidance of Martin Shein, Epixia combined its expertise in online marketing with the network marketing experience of the Danish investors. The result was astonishing growth, with DUBLI amassing 220,000 active sales representatives within less than a year and raising $18 million USD leading up to its IPO.
Multilingual and Offline Sales Experience: This project was a significant milestone for Epixia as it was their first venture executed in 22 languages and provided invaluable experience in offline sales. The success of DUBLI set a new standard for Epixia's capabilities in international and multilingual projects.
2008: Expansion and Transformation with AuktionMaster
Growth and Efficiency: Building on the success of HotDigital and Epixia, 2008 marked a year of significant growth, especially through a strategic partnership with AuktionMaster, an eBay company. This collaboration led to an increase in customers and the ability to handle more projects with remarkable speed and efficiency.
Evolution into Logistics: Epixia's role expanded beyond traditional marketing services, venturing into the logistics sphere. The company began addressing critical challenges faced by e-commerce businesses, such as fulfillment and shipping. By centralizing storage and shipping operations for thousands of online businesses in Germany, Epixia enabled faster delivery times while significantly reducing storage and shipping costs. This evolution transformed Epixia into a comprehensive service provider, offering both marketing and logistical solutions for the e-commerce sector.
2011: The Launch of Sellerfox and Continued Evolution
Leadership and Innovation: Under the visionary leadership of Martin Shein, Epixia reached new heights in 2011. Leveraging the success and profits from HotDigital and Epixia, the company reinvested in innovation, leading to the creation of new startups.
Introducing Sellerfox: Among these new ventures was Sellerfox, a groundbreaking cross-selling and upselling solution designed for eBay sellers. Integrated seamlessly with the eBay API, Sellerfox allowed sellers to showcase all their products across 17 million auctions. This tool became an essential asset for thousands of eBay sellers, boosting their visibility and sales across the platform.
2012: Embracing Social Media with SocialWebshop
Social Media Focus: In 2012, the focus shifted towards leveraging the growing power of social media, particularly Facebook. Recognizing the potential, Epixia launched a new startup called SocialWebshop.
SocialWebshop: This innovative platform allowed users to integrate an online shop directly into a tab on their Facebook profile, with the added feature of autoposting product offers to their timeline. The platform quickly gained popularity among thousands of users, including those from HotDigital, Sellerfox, AuktionMaster, and eBay, as it provided an easy and effective way to reach more customers through social media.
Evolution into a Startup Builder: With the success of SocialWebshop, Epixia’s role further evolved from being a marketing agency to becoming a startup builder and accelerator, helping to launch and scale new ventures in the digital space.
2013: Partnership with Payment Providers and E-commerce Expansion
Strategic Partnerships: In 2013, Epixia forged strategic partnerships with payment providers such as Wirecard and Moneybookers (Skrill). Recognizing the critical role of payment processing in e-commerce, Epixia collaborated with these providers to develop APIs for various shop software and ERP solutions, including AuktionMaster and Afterbuy, both of which were eBay companies.
Overcoming Payment Challenges: The focus was on addressing one of the biggest challenges in e-commerce: ensuring payment conversions. While generating sales was important, a significant number of orders faced payment declines, hindering growth. Through these partnerships, Epixia was able to provide e-commerce businesses with reliable and stable payment solutions, significantly reducing payment declines and enhancing overall sales performance.
New Income Source: This initiative not only bolstered the capabilities of e-commerce businesses but also created a new and lucrative income stream for Epixia, further establishing the company as a key player in the e-commerce ecosystem.
2015: Expansion to Moldova and the Birth of Starsoft Academy
Berlin's Startup Boom: By 2015, the startup scene in Berlin, Germany, was booming at such a rapid pace that it became increasingly challenging to hire skilled software developers locally. Recognizing this bottleneck, Epixia sought innovative solutions to meet the growing demand.
Strategic Expansion to Moldova: To address the talent shortage, Epixia expanded its operations to Moldova. The company forged strategic partnerships with local universities, establishing the Starsoft Academy. This initiative not only provided training but also led to the hiring of 300 software developers who were dedicated to supporting Epixia's startups and joint ventures.
Supporting Growth: The expansion to Moldova and the creation of Starsoft Academy played a crucial role in sustaining the rapid growth of Epixia’s ventures, ensuring a steady pipeline of skilled developers to drive innovation and development across all projects.