#48: Ertan Özdil from weclapp, on building a 40K-User ERP powerhouse against all odds

Welcome to the E-commerce Germany News Podcast powered by the E-commerce Berlin Expo. In this episode, host Efe von Thenen sits down with Ertan Özdil, Founder and CEO of weclapp, for a raw and powerful conversation about building one of Europe’s fastest-growing ERP platforms, navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, and reshaping the future of SMB operations through cloud innovation.Ertan opens up about his early passion for coding, founding weclapp in 2008, and the rollercoaster journey that followed - from burning €150K/month in the early days to restructuring his entire team before the breakthrough. He reflects on the challenges of leadership, work-life balance, and how his migration background and family values shaped his entrepreneurial mindset.You’ll get an inside look at how weclapp is disrupting the ERP space for SMBs by making it simple, cloud-first, and truly scalable. Ertan shares how his team grew from just 7 people to over 170, building a platform now used by 40,000 users across more than 30 countries. He reflects on the near-IPO experience, the eventual acquisition, and how trust-based leadership played a key role in their success.The conversation also dives into the importance of documented company culture, a strong vision, and clear internal storytelling in fast-growth environments. Finally, Ertan talks about how he approaches AI - not as hype, but as a tool for delivering real, meaningful outcomes for users.🟠 Interested in being a guest on our podcast? Reach out to us at [email protected]:(00:00:00) Introduction(00:03:07) Winning Big at the E-commerce Germany Awards(00:08:53) Starting weclapp & Early Challenges(00:11:03) Balancing Family and Building a Startup(00:13:41) What Ertan Would Do Differently(00:18:28) Downsizing from 50 to 7 Developers Before Launch(00:22:36) First Customers & Go-to-Market Success(00:26:39) The Loneliness of Visionary Leadership(00:31:28) Migration, Mentorship & Family-Driven Purpose(00:35:29) The Aborted IPO and Acquisition Story(00:37:39) What Makes weclapp Different(00:42:35) Scaling with AI (When It’s Actually Useful)(00:46:30) Restarting After Failures & Building with Vision(00:47:51) Going Global: 30 Countries & Counting(00:52:42) The Power of Documented Company Culture(00:54:08) Final Thoughts & ReflectionsFollow for more:■ Linkedin■ Instagram■ Facebook■ Twitter

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