Meet React Bricks, Runner-up of the Startups of the Year in Lombardy, Italy

Welcome to the Startups of the Year Runner ups Interview Series. Congratulations for being one of the top 3000 startups worldwide! The HackerNoon team is thrilled to know more about you!

What follows is an interview with Matteo Frana, CEO and Founder at React Bricks, where he talks about his experience with React Bricks and how it feels to be one of Hackernoon’s Startups of the Year 2023.

Tell us how your startup is changing the world.

We address the foremost challenge in content management: the divide between developer-oriented tools, such as headless CMSs, which can be overly complex for content editors, and editor-preferred tools, like visual page builders, which don't meet the technical requirements of developers or the needs of corporate websites.

React Bricks bridges this gap by combining the best of both worlds. It offers the best-in-class inline visual editing experience to content editors while also providing a seamless and powerful development experience for React developers.

What sets you apart from the competition?

Our competitors typically fall into two categories, when attempting to incorporate visual editing into a headless CMS: headless CMSs trying to add a visual feature as an afterthought, and no-code tools trying to eliminate the need for developers.

With React Bricks, everything starts in (React) code to ensure the pixel-perfect brand identity is maintained. Simultaneously, for content editors, we provide a unique inline visual editing interface that is user-friendly by design, not just an additional feature.

What do you love about your team, and why are you the ones to solve this problem?

We've gained a deep understanding of the industry with over 27 years of experience developing website solutions across a broad spectrum of technologies since the early days.

Our collaboration with client developers and content creators, coupled with our insights into the growing popularity of React, has led us to identify a gap in the CMS market. This gives us a unique perspective on current customer needs and the skills required to develop the product that precisely meets them.

If you weren’t building your startup, what would you be doing?

I would likely be building another startup. I would probably be a theoretical physicist if I hadn't chosen the IT sector.

At the moment, how do you measure success? What are your core metrics?

We focus on customer satisfaction by closely partnering with customers to ensure their website objectives are met. By doing this successfully, revenue happens. We avoid intricate, complex, or vanity metrics, focusing on what truly matters.

What goals are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2024?

In 2024, we are set to launch a new version of React Bricks that supports React Server Components. This will help our customers achieve optimal website performance, particularly when using Next.js.

We will introduce a suite of advanced enterprise features to assist corporations in seamlessly scaling their content management solutions.

Which trend(s) are you most excited about in 2024? Share your reasons.

AI-assisted creation where AI is a tool in the art-making process, but the decisions about what to create, retain, or discard are made by a human. This approach could democratize some forms of art, especially costly ones like filmmaking.

It provides an opportunity for individuals who might not have had the means for self-expression. This potential for inclusivity is what excites me most about generative AI.

2023 had been another crazy year, especially in tech, with layoffs and the Generative AI takeover! Which trend are you most concerned about? Be as brief or as detailed as you like.

In the long run, we might lose the brilliant creative sparks from genius creators. Imagine a world where custom movies or music are created instantaneously by AI upon request, such as “OK, Netflix, create a movie similar to Philadelphia but with a female lead” or “Generate a new song in the style of Pink Floyd's album The Wall.” Of course, with customized video ads based on our interests, unless we opt for a premium service.

My concern is that we may become too comfortable with art that, while highly personalized, is dull, lacking depth and originality.

The availability of content tailored to our immediate preferences and viewpoints could diminish our exposure to the unexpected and thought-provoking art that challenges us and broadens our horizons, even changing our minds.

Share your biggest success so far and/or your biggest failure so far.

One of our most challenging experiences occurs when CTOs are impressed with our solution, yet their company's board decides against it, favoring less effective alternatives, merely because we are an Italian company or not "large enough" even though we have been in business for more than 25 years with the same company and ownership.

On the flip side, our proudest accomplishment lies in our proven track record of serving industry leaders such as The Weather Channel, Deel.com, and La Banque Postale.

We would love your feedback on HackerNoon as a tech publication! How has your experience been with us?

My experience with HackerNoon has been very positive. The articles are informative and cover a wide range of tech topics, which I find useful and engaging.

Any words of wisdom you’d like to share with us?

Starting a startup in your forties can be a wise decision. With years of accumulated experience and some savings carefully built up over the years, you're in a much stronger position to take calculated risks more judiciously than in your twenties.

In your twenties, while you can take risks with more freedom due to fewer family or work responsibilities, you often have to rely on external funding from venture capitalists, and you lack experience. And in your thirties, you are typically building a family, buying a house… usually not the best time to risk with a startup idea.

In your forties, you have both the experience and financial resources to invest. Independence from venture capital gives you full control over decision-making and encourages independent thinking. And since it's your own hard-earned money, you are likely to ensure that the idea you are betting on addresses a real problem in your target market.

This combination of personal investment, ability to take risks, and problem-solving desire can enhance the odds of creating a successful and sustainable business.