Bruno Sindicic

THE BOLD TYPE. Bruno Sindicic is a natural-born entrepreneur. Born and raised in São Paulo, he was inspired by his parents from a young age, with both pursuing many ventures throughout their lives. "I believe that my sister and I learned a lot from them about how important it is to be hands-on and to have a bold approach to building things. That's been a fundamental lesson for our business and its success up to now."

The company, Olga Ri, is a food delivery app specializing in salads with an emphasis on fresh, quality ingredients and a keen eye on sustainability and the environment. In their mission to be green "in salads and attitude," 2022 saw them launch biodegradable packaging after years of formulation. Furthermore, over the past 5 years, their partnership with eureciclo meant they made environmental compensation of 200% for the plastic and paper they consumed. A rich digital experience also compliments Olga Ri's service, a vibrant platform that also discusses equality, diversity and urban lifestyle topics.

The idea for Olga Ri is rooted in Bruno's childhood, where his mom's Lebanese background was passed down to him in the form of food. "My snacks were always vegetables and fruit; she always made these beautiful and colorful mouthwatering salads." It wasn't until Bruno left college and began working in finance that he realized how much he missed that food. "I worked long hours and was a heavy user of delivery services. I wanted to order something healthy and tasty, but nothing had the fresh ingredients I hoped to find."

Bruno pitched the concept for Olga Ri to his sister Cristina and their friend Beatriz, and in 2016, in the early days of ‘dark kitchens’, they launched the business as a delivery-only restaurant. From their small initial $8,000 investment, the company grew into a million-dollar business with 40 employees. Since gaining further investment, Olga Ri has expanded to seven locations across São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and has around 200 employees. The next phase will see Olga Ri open its first brick-and-mortar 'quick service' restaurant.

SHAKING IT UP. Bruno admits raising funds is his least favorite aspect of being a founder, preferring to grow the company than attract new capital. While his finance background gave him a solid foundation for starting his company, the journey as an entrepreneur required him to learn new competencies and skills that were paramount for Olga Ri to grow quickly. "What I love about being a CEO is that I can navigate into different areas of this company, from discussing new tech to marketing decisions or operations. But the thing I cherish most is creating a company with a culture that values things that are important for me personally."

With Olga Ri hiring many entry-level employees and people from different social backgrounds, creating a culture of diversity and inclusiveness is often at the forefront of Bruno's mind. "When hiring people, I generally speak about my sexuality so that they know this is a place they can be themselves. The fact that I'm gay doesn't mean I'm free of making mistakes regarding diversity, but I'm always making a conscious effort to improve and make the company more welcoming to everyone."

For Bruno, working within a creative, safe and happy company easily outweighs the potential risks of growing Olga Ri. "I've always thought that whatever happens, I will still be myself. I'm not a failure or success depending on what happens to my business. Regardless of what may or may not happen, I'm still going to be me at the end of it all."