Published on the 05/04/2016 | Written by Newsdesk
Startup that eases cloud service selection and management readies for the big time…
At iStart we love hearing of emerging models that make engaging with modern business software easier and more efficient. One such company we’ve had an eye on for a while is 9 Spokes, an Auckland-based value-added broker of a range of cloud apps.
Our interest was piqued when we heard it is on the road pumping an ASX listing looking to raise A$25 million, and valuing the company at A$80m. Our interest wasn’t so much in its stock offer, which is notable, but rather the innovation that 9 Spokes has brought to the management of cloud applications, and the ability to create a ‘composable enterprise’.
After a rather painful process, we eventually tracked down the affable founder and chairman Adrian Grant (the company, a little bewilderingly, is unlisted, social media contact went unanswered, and a support ticket needed to be raised to establish any contact). Being as he was in various jet airplanes and boardrooms taking the 9 Spokes message to potential investors, he elected to answer questions on email.
The problem that 9 Spokes (the name represents the 9 core processes that any company needs to support), solves, Grant related, is the overwhelming choice which faces the SME in provisioning itself with cloud software.
“The issues we identified are three fold. There are too many choices; how do SMEs find the right software for their business and industry? How [does the SME] get real-time visibility of business performance and which metrics are the right ones? And how am I performing relative to my peers?”
Grant said these are the issues the 9 Spokes platform sets out to address, with an interface for access to cloud apps which streamlines administration, making choices easier, providing access to meaningful data, and helping make sense of businesses in comparison to peers.
Just how well the problem is recognised in the company’s target market, Grant noted, is reflected in a competitive market. “The fact that other companies are looking at how to address the same issue validates what we are doing. A clean, easy to user interface is what everyone wants – our job is making sure they see that it exists.”
With an app catalogue of some 52 solutions (although we only found 28 listed) which includes high-profile names like Xero, MYOB, Vend, Dropbox and, well, another 48, Grant said the company is constantly signing more. He confirmed the fundamental role of APIs, “They are the essential link between our platform and the apps,” and provided some insight into its app onboarding process. “We look for best-in-class apps that have to go through an accreditation process. We want to help businesses in making the choice. If a café wants a point of sale system then they want the best PoS for a café, not have to wade through every PoS trying to work out the best fit.”
Asked if there is a point considered ‘critical mass’, Grant said it is more a question, as the company enters any given vertical, of providing the right apps for that industry. “This is part of the early stage market entry work that the team undertakes. It is therefore hard to say what critical mass is; however, we don’t intend offering every app in the world on our marketplace. That is the job of Google.”
Finally, on that phone number; could Grant tell us why 9 Spokes is so coy with old fashioned communications? Nope. But he did offer this: “Thanks for the feedback – I will pass it on.” Presumably, by e-mail.
