22-year-old Giorgi Shonia is the founder and director of the tech firm Moncero. The Swiss-Georgian firm creates convenient digital products tailored to people’s needs for large domestic and foreign companies. One such product is the crypto platform Nordom, which, according to Giorgi, will change the global landscape of the crypto industry
At just 22, you already boast impressive career achievements. When did you first become interested in the tech industry, and what were your initial steps?
I have been interested in technology from a young age. I found cybersecurity particularly fascinating. My school played a crucial role in sparking this interest. In the fifth grade, I was already actively studying cybersecurity and building my own portfolio. I started working at the age of 14, having passed a standard three-stage interview process. Although I had no work experience, I demonstrated that I could handle rather difficult tasks and was subsequently hired. The company spoke to my parents, who signed the contract for me. I knew from the beginning that I would have to work very hard to succeed in this field. I learned several programming languages and took dozens of courses. I did all of this while going to school. I could not imagine myself being the founder and head of several companies at that time, but I knew my life would be connected to this industry. The journey from my early career as a developer to running a tech firm has not been easy, but moving into management was a natural next step for me. Having worked in various companies myself, I am familiar with the needs of professionals in this field. What I like most about my job is that I have to solve many complex tasks on a daily basis and pay close attention to countless small details. I am constantly learning something new.
What development stages did you go through before starting your own company? What motivated you to create Moncero?
Before starting my own company, I worked in several Georgian and international firms. At that time, I had many interests and lacked professional and life experience, so I found it difficult to allocate my time and attention effectively. After learning from my mistakes, I realized how important it was to map my career path, set clear goals, and follow them step by step. Working on various domestic and international projects allowed me to gain a wealth of experience and develop myself, but there were also difficulties to contend with. I often had new ideas and interests that I would openly discuss, but the implementation process was either too slow or impossible to achieve. I spent a lot of time considering the work environment where I would feel most comfortable. I had lucrative offers from international firms, including long-term job offers, but I decided it was time to create something of my own. Before Moncero, I founded another company and used it to take my first steps in team management and customer relations. I then started Moncero with my Swiss business partner a year and a half later. Today, our company employs around 80 people and implements numerous exciting projects.
Tell us more about Moncero’s activities. What kind of products do you create, and who are your customers?
Our team is composed of professional developers, designers, product managers, and marketers who can implement projects of any scale and complexity. We are focused on creating our own products, but we also help companies digitize their business processes, provide consultation in the field of technological solutions, produce UI/UX design, implement data-driven marketing campaigns, and more. We mainly work with foreign companies. Our products include an HR management tool and a medical services system for hospitals. We are also working on a business process management platform for hotels. All our products are created with the requirements of the international market in mind. We do not focus on Georgia alone. Georgia is a good hub for improving products, receiving customer feedback, and drawing the appropriate conclusions, but one of our main principles is to create products that can compete with their foreign counterparts. We are currently negotiating with one of the world’s largest car manufacturers. They are looking for software for the next generation of cars, specifically for dashboards and applications. We will inform members of the public about these developments very soon.
Moncero’s Nordom platform, which is set to launch soon, is one of our flagship products. It will facilitate crypto trading and offer users a simple and secure way of conducting virtual transactions.
The international cryptocurrency market is very competitive, and given all the noise, you must find it challenging to attract customers’ attention. What is your strategy for getting people interested in Nordom?
We make all our products as easy to use and understand as possible. Nordom has an intuitive interface that even beginners can understand. Naturally, it is vital to protect financial transactions, and we ensure this through modern cybersecurity protocols. We are also working on adding AI-based features, such as AI-assisted detection of suspicious transactions. We want Nordom’s first steps to be ambitious and meaningful, so we will start the communication campaign by immediately announcing our cooperation and sponsorship agreement, the final details of which are currently being concluded.
As for the marketing strategy, before the official presentation of the platform in early October, we launched a mini game embedded in Telegram, which has amassed 4.5 million active players within a month of the launch. Game participants can earn prizes by completing simple tasks and by simply being involved. They will be able to cash out the prizes by registering on Nordom in the future. With the help of a multi-channel marketing strategy, we managed to create positive expectations regarding the project and attract a large, loyal audience, which has paved the way for the platform’s success.
The crypto industry is a constantly moving and dynamic field affected by many different factors, such as the regulations that are in force in various countries. How do you plan to overcome this challenge?
In addition to Tbilisi, our U.S. office also uses Nordom. Our main task right now is to establish a firm foothold in the American market, after which we will expand into Asia and Europe. Nordom’s U.S. team consists of a legal and a financial department. Our local developers provide the software support entirely. The U.S. crypto market is one of the most difficult to crack, but we decided to tackle this right at the beginning. This initial challenge will pave the way for smoother expansion later. One of the most respected law firms, Latham & Watkins, is helping us obtain state-specific licenses, and we will soon begin our operations in New York. We are also in talks with a big football club, on whose shirts you may see Nordom as a sponsor in the future. The platform is in the early stages of development, and we still need to gain users’ trust, but we hope that in three to four years, we will be among the top five crypto exchanges in the world, along with Binance and other industry leaders. We have only just started sharing details about Nordom with the public, and we promise to keep all interested parties updated about any developments.
While talking about Moncero, you mentioned that you decided to start your own company because you wanted to create an environment that fosters professional growth. How easily can a tech firm find suitable personnel in Georgia, and how do you motivate your staff?
I see vast potential in the Georgian tech market. We have many professionals who can create and develop sophisticated products. I want to convince everyone that it is not necessary to go abroad to work on interesting digital products. People can improve their qualifications without leaving the country.
Our company has a friendly atmosphere. We have employees who have been with us since day one, and it is great to see how quickly they have grown and how they are now helping others succeed. We have regular HR meetings to determine the areas where team members should develop themselves. We are also quite flexible regarding any change of roles, positions, and projects. Despite the growing interest in technology, finding qualified personnel for specific positions is still quite tricky. Experienced programmers or developers have a wide range of employment opportunities, but our main advantage is the opportunity to work on interesting and diverse projects. In this regard, Moncero is a perfect place to work. We favor people with outstanding teamwork skills who never stop acquiring new knowledge.
Who are the people who helped you create Moncero and Nordom?
Our team consists of experienced people who love technology. Each member of the management team has many years of experience working with Georgian and foreign companies. Lasha Maghlaperidze is our Chief Technology Officer (CTO). His leadership keeps Moncero at the forefront of implementing the latest technologies and best modern approaches. Our Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is Nika Tsotniashvili, whose primary approach is a synthesis of data-based and creative content marketing. Luka Gabidzashvili and a team of designers lead the design department and create a unique visual language for our projects. Our Chief Operating Officer (COO), Natalie Uchaneishvili, has seven years of experience in HR and management. Her main task is to ensure that the company’s teams work in synch on developing customer-oriented, seamless tech solutions. As for our Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Giga Zukhbaia, his vast knowledge of credit analytics, crypto-asset research, and trading helps build Moncero and Nordom into financially sustainable, forward-looking organizations. Their expertise has been instrumental in driving the growth of Moncero and Nordom, and they have contributed enormously to our rapid development. I am proud to work with each of them.
What are your plans for Moncero’s further expansion?
Our goal is to refine all the products we have created so far and bring them to the international market. We want to compete with the world’s best tech firms and continue to offer our clients the best software and marketing solutions. We are open to new proposals and are constantly looking for people, companies, and partners who share our vision and values.
