Industry Talk: Starting and growing a subscription software business from the Waikato — learnings from 10 years in business

1 Feb 2019 2:10 PM - 3:00 PM
Presenter/Speaker: Jeremy Johnson, Co-founder & Head of Product, Rocketspark
Location: G.1.15

When Rocketspark was started 10 years ago in a Hamilton flat, they knew that the build costs of traditional web development were unrealistic for most small businesses, putting a beautiful and effective website out of reach.  They could also see that traditional content management systems were too complicated for business owners and they couldn't afford to pay someone to manage the site themselves.  Rocketspark is a website builder and ecommerce software platform where clients can easily build their own beautiful website without needing to know code—or if they’d rather pay someone else to build it for them, they can connect with a Rocketspark design partner.  Over the last ten years Rocketspark’s founders have learned a lot about growing a subscription software business, finding their first customers, collecting customer feedback and interviewing customers, learning how to delight customers with hands-on customer support, releasing new features to customers, managing infrastructure and growing a team from just the founders to a team of 14 — almost all of them graduating from Waikato.  Rocketspark recently secured a Callaghan Innovation Growth Grant and has employed 4 summer interns from the University of Waikato.

BIO:
Jeremy is the co-founder and head of product at RocketSpark, a Cambridge-based software company that has created a website builder and ecommerce platform for non-techies. Established in 2009, Rocketspark now employs 14 staff in Cambridge, Tauranga, Hamilton, Auckland and South Africa and serves clients in over 20 countries. Prior to Rocketspark, Jeremy worked as a freelance graphic designer (branding, print design, web design).  In his role he works with Rocketspark's team of software developers and regularly interviews customers to help design and deliver a software platform that people love using.  Jeremy is a Waikato alumnus and holds a BA in Screen & Media Studies and Computer Science.