Meet Antoine Melon, co-founder of HOMETAINMENT
With over 25 years of experience in opening and running restaurants and hotels around the world, including Six Senses, Mandarin Oriental and Conran Restaurants, HOMETAINMENT co-founder Antoine Melon is an expert in the art of hosting, or as he would say "L'Art de recevoir. Since coming to London, Antoine has put his global experience to use at Soho House and Artfarm (part of Hauser & Wirth art gallery).
Using his little black book of contacts, Antoine and his team hand-picked more than 85 talented hospitality experts with unique offerings to create HOMETAINMENT.
There’s always a lightbulb moment before the beginning of a new venture. What was that moment for you?
I would say there were two moments. The first one happened when I organised a housewarming party a few years back when I bought my flat and I needed a bartender to serve cocktails so that I could enjoy the company of my friends and celebrate, it was in this moment I realised there was a need for a place people could find the very best entertainers, chefs, and mixologists all in one place.
The second lightbulb moment was during the first lockdown during which my business partner, Nicolas, and I discussed how new opportunities could be created from the Covid crisis. From a hospitality point of view, I wanted to help people who had lost their jobs to find a new revenue channel. From the consumer's perspective, we have noticed that in the last few years people were bringing out-of-home experiences into their homes, such as stylists, yoga, spinning, and massage experiences but there was no player on the market offering hospitality and entertainment experiences in the comfort of the home. As a result, HOMETAINMENT was born!
If you could be in a room with 4 entrepreneurs, who would they be and why?
I would have:
Steven Bartlett from Diary of a CEO and on Dragon’s Den for his experience in startups
Richard Branson for his entrepreneurship and company diversity
Whitney Wolfe Herd to discuss leaving Tinder to open Bumble
Nick Jones for his drive and vision for creating the first international private members club
Brian Chesky from Airbnb for creating a service marketplace similar to ours
What does your business offer its target audience?
Launched in June 2021, HOMETAINMENT is on a mission to change the future of entertainment in people’s homes by bringing back the magic of hosting. Whether at home or in the office, HOMETAINMENT enables people to bring together friends and family to enjoy memorable experiences in a safe and comfortable environment. The platform allows customers to easily book the best Private Chefs, Bartenders & Mixologists, Musicians & DJs, Entertainers & Masterclasses as well as Children´s Experiences to take the stress out of hosting.
With all the success stories around entrepreneurship and how innovative people have to be to take the leap. How do you think you’ve innovated your sector and why?
With HOMETAINMENT, we are essentially taking the quality and ambiance that you would find in a restaurant, bar or entertainment venue, and bringing it inside the comfort of people’s homes, all whilst making it accessible to a wide audience.
What was the journey like when you decided to raise funding for your startup? And what tips would you give to early-stage founders getting ready to take the same path?
Make sure that you allow 6 months between the starting process of the raise and receiving the money so that you have enough funds to cover your burning rate. Have a concise deck that shows the problem you are trying to solve, your vision and mission and your USP, as well as how you plan to spend the funding.
What routines have you got in place to ensure that you don’t ignore your mental health?
Daily exercise, meditation, breathing work and stay grounded!
What would be your top three tips to fellow entrepreneurs to look after their mental health?
1. Be humble and surround yourself with a talented team you can trust to ensure you have a strong ecosystem of partners
2. Make sure you make time for yourself to relax and unwind
3. Prioritise a healthy lifestyle - eat well, make sure you stay hydrated and exercise
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey. How are you combating that feeling whilst pushing forward?
I would not have been able to do this journey without the support of my business partner and our talented team members, as it means there is always one of us to remain positive and focus on the exciting journey ahead of us.
What’s the biggest risk to your business and why?
To ensure that we secure sufficient funding to accompany the exponential growth of the business as well as making sure that we remain ahead of the competition.
How do you believe the evolution of tech will impact your industry over the next 10 years?
We operate a data driven business. Tech solutions which allow to capture consumer needs and tailor experiences according to those needs will have a massive impact on our industry. It is paramount for companies like us to store and manage data in a GDPR compliant manner and use this data to continuously revisit our offer and adapt if needed to make sure we are putting the consumer at the center of every decision we make.
