Irina Protasova Del Villar is the Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of NoFrames; a digital marketing agency that specialises in serving tech-for-good brands and their leaders to help companies improve their online presence and become more discoverable, trustworthy, and memorable to potential customers. It utilises digital marketing strategies such as search engine optimisation, social media marketing, and content marketing to help clients achieve their most ambitious business goals.
Irina undertook a joint master’s degree in International Project Management from the University of Strathclyde and the POLIMI Graduate School of Management in Milan, Italy, graduating in 2019. After discovering the entrepreneurial support that Strathclyde offers, Irina and classmate Ana Gallacher came up with an idea for a start-up shortly after completing their course.
After working for large corporations, Irina was interested in pursuing a start-up career, being drawn to the autonomy it offered as well as the opportunity to work on projects she is passionate about. She got in touch with Strathclyde Inspire and an adviser helped her to develop her initial idea using a business model canvas and come up with a business plan. She also attended events and was able to learn from the experiences of University peers who were further down the line in their own ventures. Irina eventually pitched her company idea to a panel and was successful in becoming a member of the Strathclyde Inspire Accelerator.
Irina has continued to engage with the start-up team as her business has developed and says their support and the opportunities provided have been instrumental in her entrepreneurial journey. During the recent Exploring Entrepreneurship Challenge, she had the opportunity to act as a mentor for the day and found it hugely rewarding to see Strathclyde students work in diverse teams to come up with new business ideas.
Eager for the next challenge, Irina has since developed another start-up alongside co-founder Ana and with the support of Strathclyde Inspire; BabyReady Finance. This is a financial platform designed to make prenatal and childcare costs transparent, helping parents to financially prepare for having a baby.
Future plans for the co-founders include continuing to grow their newest company by expanding the customer base and adding new features to the platform, such as their own investment solution, providing more comprehensive financial services to customers. They hope to eventually expand the business to other countries and contribute to promotion of the Scottish Fintech community around the world.
Irina offers some advice to anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur:
Start by identifying a problem or need that you are passionate about solving, and then work on developing a unique solution to that problem. It’s important to do market research and identify your target audience, and to have a solid business plan and financial strategy in place. Networking and seeking advice from experienced entrepreneurs are also assets when getting started. Finally, it is important to be persistent and not give up in the face of setbacks or failures!
