When Martin Dimitrov (LBS MiM23) walked into his first London Business School (LBS) lecture, he already knew he wasn’t destined for the traditional consulting or finance path. Instead, he was drawn to entrepreneurship. “Even in my application, I positioned myself towards startups,” he recalls. LBS proved to be the perfect launchpad, with its entrepreneurship-focused curriculum, vibrant clubs, and alumni network that encouraged students to think beyond case studies.
That early exposure planted the seeds for what would later become Metreecs, an AI-powered demand forecasting startup founded by Martin and his long-time friends and co-founders, Elie Dufeu, and Thibaut Pellegrin.
Finding the right path
Like many first-time founders, Martin didn’t leap straight into building a company. Instead, he took advice from LBS alumni and tested the waters through venture capital. A stint at a Paris pre-seed fund gave him a front-row seat to how investors evaluate founders, products, and markets. It also sharpened his instincts for when, and how, to make the leap himself.
Timing, Martin insists, is everything. Once the idea of starting up together became clear, all three co-founders were aligned and ready. “I couldn’t imagine doing it alone,” he says. “Building with the right people at the right moment is a privilege.”
The problem worth solving
The Metreecs idea wasn’t born overnight. The team spent months brainstorming before zeroing in on a real and relatable pain point: inventory management. Thibaut had run a leather goods company and struggled constantly with over- or under-stocking products. Ellie, meanwhile, had developed forecasting models during his studies at Columbia. Combining retail experience with technical expertise, they spotted a huge gap – retailers were still relying on clunky spreadsheets to solve a complex, data-heavy problem.
Metreecs’s platform helps retailers predict exactly how much they’ll sell before they sell it, preventing lost sales from understocking and wasted cash from overstocking. Today, they work with fashion houses, lifestyle brands, and even grocery stores, all facing the same challenge.
Scaling fast with Y-Combinator
Their big break came with acceptance into Y Combinator (YC), the legendary Silicon Valley accelerator. “It was mind-blowing to be surrounded by 100+ startups at the same stage, all tackling the same daily struggles,” Martin says. The experience gave them validation, investor introductions, and a lifelong founder community.
First-time fundraising
Post-YC, the trio faced another first: raising capital. Over an intense two-week sprint, they pitched to more than 80 investors, ultimately closing a $2.7 million seed round from American and European funds. Martin credits their success to treating fundraising like a structured campaign—same story, same data, delivered consistently to all investors.
Lessons for aspiring founders
Looking back, Martin has simple advice for students on the fence between a safe corporate route and the uncertainty of entrepreneurship: don’t wait. “There’s never going to be a perfect time,” he says. “With today’s AI tools, you can build faster than ever before. Surround yourself with the right people, and start now.”
Today, Martin, Thibaut, and Ellie are building Metreecs into a company that’s reshaping how retailers around the world manage demand – proof that with timing, teamwork, and tenacity, first-time founders can go the distance.