Lucas Piccinin: Bringing Transparency and Purpose to Online Grocery Retail

When Lucas Piccinin first imagined selling groceries online, he was not chasing trends or technology for its own sake. He was following a simple belief that food retail could be fairer, clearer, and more human. As the Founder of NetConv Shop, Piccinin has built a platform that connects pricing, freshness, and transparency in a way that reduces waste and helps retailers and consumers make better choices. What began in 2015 as a local online grocery effort in Brazil has grown into a purpose-driven business model focused on efficiency, trust, and social impact. Through resilience and experimentation, Piccinin has shaped NetConv Shop into a solution that addresses one of the most overlooked problems in e-commerce: understanding the true value of perishable goods.

Let’s start with your journey. How did it all begin, and what led you to found NetConv Shop?

I always wanted to sell groceries online. Back in 2015, I started doing that in the city of Cuiabá, Brazil. As we worked in e-commerce, we noticed a big gap in freshness and transparency. Customers could not clearly understand how close a product was to its expiration date. In 2016, my partner Fabian, who is also our lead software engineer, and I decided to solve this problem. That idea inspired us to create a pricing tool that lowers the price of products as they get closer to expiration. That was the real beginning of NetConv Shop.

What motivated you to keep pushing forward, and which values guide how you lead today?

What motivates me most is still the same desire to sell groceries online in a better way. At NetConv Shop, we rely on seven core values. We believe in reacting positively even when bad things happen, keeping focus on daily tasks while staying aligned with long-term goals, and staying humble by learning through action. Resilience is key because challenges and criticism are part of the journey. We value trust to move faster with new ideas, boldness to act without knowing outcomes in advance, and research so we always use the best tools available.

Every path has challenges. Can you share a defining moment that changed your direction?

One major turning point came when we realized our early model could not scale. We solved the transparency issue for dark stores, but we also learned that a startup must grow revenue without growing costs at the same pace. That made it impossible to expand store by store. So we transformed our model. We broke our solution into modular tools that could easily connect with supermarket ERP systems. We also created five pricing packages based on the number of SKUs a retailer uses. That shift allowed us to scale more sustainably.

Innovation and collaboration are central to your work. How do you encourage them inside NetConv Shop?

Our mission is very clear. We focus on connecting supply and demand to reduce waste and fight hunger. Because that mission is strong, it naturally guides innovation. We listen closely to customer feedback and use creativity to respond to changing needs. When the team understands the purpose, collaboration becomes natural.

From your experience, what separates strong leaders from the rest?

Humility. It sounds simple, but it is very hard to practice consistently. Many leadership tasks require humility for long periods of time. You have to accept that you do not know everything and stay open to learning every day.

Mentorship and learning play a big role in leadership. Who influenced you most, and how do you pass that on?

My biggest influences are my dad, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffett. My dad is a true entrepreneur. He started cutting sugar cane and later became a John Deere dealer. He is my hero. Jeff Bezos influenced me deeply in terms of boldness and passion. His ideas about minimizing regrets later in life and following your passion really stayed with me. Warren Buffett has also taught me a lot through his writings. I try to share everything I learn with my team so we can grow together.

Markets change fast. How do you keep NetConv Shop aligned and flexible?

We always come back to our mission. By focusing on reducing waste and combating hunger, we stay grounded. Customer feedback helps us stay aligned with real needs, and creativity helps us adjust quickly as expectations evolve.

Is there a lesson from your early days that still shapes how you lead?

Yes, very clearly. In 2015, we sold some sausage cans that were close to expiration. We lowered the price, the customer bought all of them, and then complained the next day. That moment really affected me. I realized that freshness has no value without clear information about expiration and pricing. That experience pushed me to fully commit to solving transparency. At one point, I even promised my partner that I would not cut my hair until the coding was finished. It took three years. That commitment tested our values deeply and showed me that if you truly care about a problem, you find the strength to push through.

What advice would you give emerging leaders who want to make a real impact?

First, identify the problem you want to solve and use creativity to build a solution. If you do not know the problem yet, just start doing something. Keep your eyes and ears open. Many opportunities appear disguised as problems.

Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future?

I believe the relationship between consumers and retailers for perishable goods will become much more transparent and efficient. At NetConv Shop, we will keep testing new features, listening to customer complaints, and turning them into solutions. The most exciting part is the possibility of a future with less waste, smarter systems, and more effective ways to reduce hunger worldwide.

Lucas Piccinin’s work reflects a leadership style rooted in purpose, humility, and long-term thinking. By turning everyday problems into meaningful solutions, he continues to push NetConv Shop toward a future where technology serves people and resources are used with care. His journey is a reminder that real disruption often begins with a simple question and the courage to stay committed until the answer becomes clear.