“EatAndTheCity was originally created to be the “Google for restaurants” in Finland. We noticed that a number of media companies were interested in restaurant discovery portals, as they would be able to leverage their connection with local communities to deliver a genuinely useful service and an additional revenue stream. Our service was validated in our eyes when we started winning awards. Our aim is to help media networks take local restaurant discovery into the mainstream across the world,” says Ilkka O. Lavas, CEO of City Digital, Cofounder of EatAndTheCity.
Why and how are we building EatAndTheCity to be the Global Market Place of Restaurants
The base international success of digital media platform is already built at the development phase. Urbanization is still in the height of global development: In urban surroundings and built-up areas the population is increasing and structure of cities is compressing. At the same time digitalization is changing thoroughly the way people consume and use services.
– Urbanization is a significant phenomenon in many ways. Where there are densely populated areas, there are also restaurants. Eating out is getting more and more popular, the owner of City Digital-media and software house City Dev Lab Ilkka O. Lavas explains.
EatAndTheCity and New York Times at DCXexpo Berlin: The reader first is the key to success
DCX-expo and IFRA-expo, 10-12. October Berlin, was the 48th meeting of the global publishing community. Three days packed with panels, presentations, workshops and pitches. Publishers look continuously new ways how to reach and engage with consumers. Ilkka Lavas held a speech about the success of City Digital and international growth of EatAndTheCity. Key to success is in understanding consumerism megatrend.
Ilkka Lavas invited as a speaker for IFRA World Publishing Expo und DCX Digital Content Expo in Berlin from 10 to 12 October 2017
Ilkka O. Lavas has been invited as a speaker for Ilkka Lavas invited as a speaker for IFRA World Publishing Expo und DCX Digital Content Expo in Berlin from 10 to 12 October 2017.
12.10.2017 13:30 – 15:00 Conference Stage, Digital Success Stories
Moderator: Ralf Ressmann, Executive Director of Europe and Africa, WAN-IFRA, Germany; Ilkka Lavas, Entrepreneur, Publisher, Finland
Dr. Kurt Sabathil, Managing Director, Schwäbisch Media, Ravensburg, Germany; Donata Hopfen, Publishing Director and Head of Management Board of BILD Group, Axel Springer, Germany
Fresh new version of EatAndTheCity updates the legendary eat.fi in Finland
City brand has been known for decades as a leading urban media in Finland. The days of the paper magazine handed out in numerous bars, restaurants and shops are long gone and it’s time for a digital future. City Digital is building that future on various platforms with different monetisation models and lean development mindset. The spearhead of the operation and the international part of the business is a white label restaurant platform for international media companies called EatAndTheCity.
How did we turn City Magazine to be 2nd fastest growing company and revenue +2367%
City Magazine was founded 1986 to tell stories about the great places to visit and key events in big Cities. It focused very much on restaurants, lifestyle and nightlife in the city of Helsinki, Finland. It is a key part of Helsinki’s media history, an icon.
Mr. Ilkka O. Lavas won the public vote at the Future CEO of the Year election
It was a great honour to be selected and I have great respect for every vote I received. Finland needs bold innovative growth companies and they all have one factor in common: a leader with a face. I want to encourage others to grow boldly, and I am proud of the team and crew with whom we´re going global and creating a revolution in digital media. One of the cornerstones of successful leadership is the ability to hire people better than you. I am proud of our innovative and growth-oriented team and know that every member of the team is equally worthy of this recognition.
City Digital Awarded 2nd Fastest Growing Company in Finland
International Restaurant Media FoodTec company City Digital is now 2nd Fastest Growing Company in Finland according to Deloitte.
City Digital, the Restaurant/Food/FinTech group from Finland is now 2nd Fastest Growing Company in Finland. City Digital is startup by 30 year old legendary finnish City Magazine focused on local news and restaurant articles. People are still using local newspapers but local papers and websites don’t have proper full stack portals for restaurant business. City Digital has developed international White Label SaaS software for News Papers, Media Companies, Banks, Automotives and Teleoperators that provides tools for:
- Listing best restaurants (White Label Portal & App)
- Booking Tables (demo www.tableonline.fi)
- Ordering Food
- Buying Gift Cards
- Making prepaid orders for restaurants
Business models are
- Licence Fees
- Commission of sales
- Commission of booking
- Commission of prepayments
City has been grown in Finland from 0 to 3 Meur company within 3 years with the power of this restaurant app ecosystem. Read more of City Digital and the White Label Restaurant Portal / App
Combining technological innovation, entrepreneurship and rapid growth, Technology Fast 50 companies — large, small, public, and private — span a variety of industry sectors, and are transforming the way business is done today.
The Technology Fast 500 is the leading technology awards program. Combining technological innovation, entrepreneurship, and rapid growth, Fast 500 companies—large, small, public, and private—hail from cities far and wide across Europe, North America and are disrupting the technology industry. Fast 500 companies play in the SaaS, cloud computing, data analytics, and mobile sectors.
City Digital is the 2nd Fastest Growing Company in Finland. City Digital CTO Jesse Valli, CEO Ilkka Lavas and CCO Tuomas Suihkonen.
Elon Musk Invests In City Digital, bringing fastest growing Restaurant Discovery Technology to Tesla
Elon Musk sleeps barely 6 hours a day. He eats only the most healthy food. He runs Tesla, which builds automobiles and makes batteries. Musk also runs SpaceX, which is about to break all the rules of space travel by using a recycled rocket to lift a satellite into space. Elon Musk is the first one who envisioned the Hyperloop. He wants to build space colonies on Mars so when human beings destroy the earth, a few lucky (and extremely wealthy) souls will have a life boat available. Just last year he decided to start boring tunnels underground in an effort to finally solve the insane traffic snarl that is Los Angeles. In his spare time, he thinks about artificial intelligence and now Restaurant Discovery Revolution together with one of the fastest growing company City Digital.
Elon Musk says, that in future while your Tesla is driving, you can check best restaurants from via City Digital white label technology and you can book a table directly from Tesla via integrated EatAndTheCity -platform. After successful table reservation your Tesla can navigate and drive you directly to Restaurant.
But Musk is always years, if not decades, ahead of the curve. He can see the day coming where Tesla is connected to EatAndTheCity platform which has the worlds biggest database of restaurants recommended by locals. City Digital’s EatAndTheCity platform allows you to book a table directly from Tesla, invite friends and pay your dinner or lunch. We are also developing new Artificial Intelligence which can be linked to driver’s brain and estimate what kind of food you need and want next.
A man who thinks about building space colonies on Mars can truly be said to have his eyes on a very distant horizon. Elon Musk says that City Digital will be in few years biggest platform on earth and Mars to Discover Restaurants Recommended by Locals in media business and in smart electric cars. Because we love best food and we want to help others to find best local places, we are going to integrate Tesla to this awesome Restaurant Discovery Platform together with Ilkka Lavas and his awesome City Digital team. This new discovery tool is brilliant and we know every media company and automotive business will be using this as a white label or branded solution in near future. Awesome food can make your life better and that’s why we will unleash the joy of discovering great gourmet.
Ilkka Lavas, CEO, Co-Founder EatAndTheCity.com , Future CEO of the Year 2017, winner of Public votes.
Ilkka Lavas
CEO, Co-Founder, Future CEO of The Year 2017 winner of Public votes
City Digital Oy, +2367% growth in 4 years – Deloitte Fast500 competition 2016, EMEA
EatAndTheCity.com
Elon Musk
Restaurant Discovery Revolution Evangelist for Automotive Business
Tesla
SpaceX
EatAndTheCity
Elon Musk, EatAndTheCity.com Restaurant Discovery Evangelist for Automotive Business, CEO of Tesla
EatAndTheCity.com platform will be in use in 500 cities in world and co-operating with media companies like New York Times, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Frankfurter Algemeine, Süddeutsche Zeitung, City Magazine, TimeOut and many more. It will deliver 700 M revenue and provide best restaurant discovery platform for media and automotive business with the largest database for gourmet recommended by locals.
The serial entrepreneur and CEO of the media group – City Digital – is one of the candidates for the “Future CEO of the Year” award
The serial entrepreneur and CEO of the media group – City Digital – is one of the candidates for the “Future CEO of the Year” award
Ilkka O. Lavas began his career at the age of 17 as a one-man website entrepreneur. Today, Lavas is in charge of a whole digital world ecosystem, the most famous of which – City Digital – is growing in fast speed.
“I’m really touched that I was selected as a candidate for the Future CEO of the Year award. It is a great honour to be nominated amongst such outstanding competition”, commented Lavas about his candidacy.
According to the criteria for the Future CEO of the Year award, it is given to the CEO who motivates people to act in a common direction and who creates growth while inspiring staff. “During my career, I have received a lot of encouragement from inspirational people, so now I want to share it with others. I believe that courage, innovation, a positive attitude, and an inspiring vision are the driving forces of the work community.”
Lavas started his business from zero and, step-by-step, grew his cluster of businesses into a digital media ecosystem that employs more than one hundred people. Throughout his career, he has met challenges and successes. “As a CEO I get to spar, create new and change existing, business models, but I have also experienced cut-backs. Regardless, every challenge can show you a new direction.”
City Digital sheds its skin
A great example of this is City Digital – an iconic brand that is known primarily by ‘City Magazine’ that shed its skin in Lavas’ hands. City Digital quickly became the fastest growing digital media group in Finland. “We have managed to build completely new business models, processes and constructs during the digital era of City Digital. By doing this, we´ve been able to find a totally new direction for the business.”
The hard work has paid off as City Digital was rated the second fastest growing Finnish company in the Deloitte Fast Growth 50 competition last year, competing against media, technology and telecommunications companies across Europe.