на английском

1.

Fyodor
Ovchinnikov
Biography of the founder
of Dodo Pizza
From a bookstore in Syktyvkar to one of the
most visible digital fast-food chains.
1981 → 2025: the path of
an entrepreneur
Dodo Pizza

2.

EARLY YEARS
Childhood, Syktyvkar, and education
1981
He was born on June 10, 1981, in Troitsk,
Chelyabinsk Region. When he was two
years old, his family moved to Syktyvkar.
School
He studied at the lyceum of Syktyvkar
State University. From an early age, he
was interested in history, geography, and
research.
He graduated from the Faculty of History
University at Syktyvkar State University, with a
specialization in archaeology. He did not
work in that field.
The northern city, the university environment, and
his interest in research shaped his analytical style,
which he later brought into business.

3.

2003–2006
From hired work to his first business
Before Dodo, Ovchinnikov did not become an
entrepreneur right away.
In 2003, he started his career as a designer at the
Sever advertising agency.
In 2004, he became head of marketing at the Gorod
Masterov building supermarket in Syktyvkar.
In 2006, he launched the bookstore Sila Uma and a
blog with the same name — a rare example at that time
of an open business diary.
The blog made him a visible figure among young
Russian entrepreneurs.
The key skill of this period was turning personal
experience into a public story and a tool for trust.

4.

CRISIS AND TURNING POINT
A failure that became a turning point
After the crisis, he sold his share in the bookstore business for
about 600,000 rubles. Instead of looking for a new stable job,
he went to learn how mass food service works — he trained at
Papa John’s and studied McDonald’s processes.
This stage is important for his
biography for two reasons:
✓ Ovchinnikov focused not on startup romance, but on
craft and standards.
✓ He understood that a strong chain is built on repeatable
processes, not only on an idea.
Sila Uma did not get through
the crisis without losses, but
this failure gave him the basis
for a new start.

5.

2011–2012
The birth of Dodo Pizza
In spring 2011, Ovchinnikov rented a small
space in central Syktyvkar and opened the first
outlet, which at first worked only for delivery.
Start
1 million
RUB
Franchis
e
He built the launch almost
from scratch — without
major funds or bank
support.
According to the early history
of the chain, by the end of
2011 the pizzeria had
reached about 1 million
rubles in monthly turnover.
By spring 2012, the processes
were organized and the first
franchise partners appeared.

6.

OPENNESS + IT
Why his business became special
Three ideas that made
Ovchinnikov different from a
traditional restaurant business:
Transparency
He spoke publicly about
revenue, mistakes, and
decisions, turning trust into a
competitive advantage.
Dodo IS
The company built its own cloud
system to manage all processes —
from orders and kitchen work to
delivery and analytics.
Scalability
The technology platform and
standards made it possible to launch
franchises quickly and keep quality in
different cities and countries.

7.

MAIN RESULT
Scale, leaving day-to-day management, and legacy
Ovchinnikov built not just a pizza chain, but an entrepreneurial model
where brand, franchise, and technology strengthen each other.
2020
661
restaurants
in 14
countries
Forbes wrote
that in its first
nine years the
chain grew to
661 restaurants
and 20.5 billion
rubles in total
sales across all
outlets in 2020.
2024
1,300+
outlets
in 24
countries
According to
official Dodo
Brands
information, the
chain passed
1,300 locations
and system
sales exceeded
$1 billion.
2024
+
New role
From January 1,
2024,
Ovchinnikov
stepped down
as CEO of Dodo
Brands, but
remained a
shareholder and
a member of the
board of
directors.
In Russian business, Fyodor Ovchinnikov remains a figure who showed that a regional entrepreneur can
build a global brand by combining discipline, openness, and a strong product.