“I have the pleasure of battle scars.”
That was the sentiment from Hoogly founder Mohit Midha at the recent Startup Daily Masterclass in Sydney. Speaking alongside Claire Bull (Tech Australia Advocates) and Yasir Sebboban (Remote), Mohit opened up about the messy reality of taking a startup global.
While many founders look at a spreadsheet to decide their next market, Mohit argues that data often lies. Here are three hard-earned lessons from his previous exit, Mangahigh.
Lesson 1: The “TAM” Trap (Mexico)
On paper, Mexico was a goldmine for an ed-tech product. Huge population, government funding, and a clear need for math education.
“I went there with a British delegation, met the ambassador, and saw beautiful slides,” Mohit recalled. But when he actually visited the schools, the reality hit. “They had computers, but no internet. Or they had computers, but half didn’t work.”
The Lesson: You cannot scale into a market you haven’t physically touched. Macro data doesn’t capture infrastructure reality.
Lesson 2: The “Payment” Trap (Brazil)
Mohit’s team successfully localised their product for Brazil and sold it to public schools. Then came the problem: they couldn’t get paid.
“You can’t repatriate money out of Brazil without a local entity,” Mohit explained. “It was nine months of pain to start a local entity just to get the money we had already earned.”
Lesson 3: The “Culture” Trap (China)
Perhaps the most counter-intuitive lesson came from China. Mohit’s team hired local Chinese sales reps to sell to International Schools in Beijing and Shanghai.
“It was a disaster,” Mohit admitted. The customers were International School teachers (expats from the UK/US) who preferred being sold to by English-speaking reps. By hiring locally to “fit in,” the company actually created a cultural disconnect with their specific buyer.
The “Hoogly” Approach: Customer-Led Growth
Today, with Hoogly, Mohit advocates for Customer-Led Growth. Instead of pushing into a map, let the map light up for you.
“I’m in the camp that you have to feel it,” Mohit said. “You can’t pre-commit to hiring 10 people in the UK before you’ve made some sales. Until you build traction, you can’t afford to just trust the spreadsheet.”
Watch the full Masterclass on Startup Daily.
