In Founder Focus we introduce entrepreneurs and change-makers working on innovative startups, social enterprises and SME’s around Aotearoa New Zealand.
At a glance
Founder: Robert Burke
Business: Rapydly
Founded: 2022
HQ: Bay of Plenty
Can you tell us a bit about your business?
Rapydly is a software company that aims to produce bespoke, enterprise software products in days, rather than months or years. We achieve this by using our in-house highly customisable platform.
We also use our own platform internally to build our own public facing software like Coffey – a SaaS product that allows small coffee shops and cafes to create their own custom app quickly for just $30 per month (a fraction of the cost of building one themselves). This allows small cafes to better compete with industry giants who sell their coffee online (online ordering ahead of time, push mobile notifications, and more).
What’s the backstory for your business idea?
Rapydly was developed because as a software engineer working across the world, in various industries, Robbie was constantly building the same kinds of software over and over again. He had and idea – “Could you make software that would adapt itself, just by pointing at different databases”.
Using Rapydly’s software, Robbie then built Coffey because we noticed ourselves and those around us were choosing cafes based on convenience rather than the quality of coffee (i.e. who can I order from online quickly and pick up while I’m driving, etc).
What programmes, learning or mentoring, or resources have been of assistance so far?
Robert, our founder, has recently joined BNI (Business Network International).
Some of his favourite books that he would recommend to other tech startups:
- The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell
- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries