Sydney startup Deputy has announced another major international expansion as the workplace management software company continues its quest for world domination.
The startup will be breaking into the Asia market through a new office in Singapore, with Deputy looking to take advantage of the burgeoning internet economy in the south-east Asia region, general manager Kristin Harris says.
“On the ground presence is always an advantage,” Harris tells StartupSmart.
“Having a face to face is always essential particularly if you have a larger client who is looking for a little bit more knowledge before going into a partnership.”
Deputy now has over 25,000 customers across more than 70 countries, and recently opened two new offices in the US with an aim to crack one of the world’s biggest job markets.
A core part of Deputy’s growth has come from this and its break into Asia is being driven through partnership with small business cloud solution BizSmart, Harris says.
“That is such a great initiative for the small business owner to access cloud technology and cutting edge technology [at] a low price point to move their business forward,” she says.
Deputy’s software aims to address time wastage issues faced by businesses, including scheduling, performance management, payroll and communication.
With application across all mobile devices, Harris says Deputy is aiming to give more small business owners across the region ways to oversee and manage staff from the palm of their hand.
With an initial focus on retailers, Harris says the team will spend the next six to 12 months expanding their reach to a wider range of the small business sector, including hospitality.
“We’re part of a very strong ecosystem of cloud solutions, the partnerships we have with those provides us with an opportunity to collaborate,” she says.
“The top goal is to increase our user-base, to really get that knowledge out there to small business owners that there is a better way to do things.
“Second, is to grow our operational presence in the south-east Asia region and thirdly, to continue to grow what is a very strong ecosystem here in Australia and other parts of the globe.”
To fellow startups keen to make a big break into international markets, Harris says it’s critical to take a methodical approach.
“Having an uptake of existing users before you go and start spending money and putting capital into having an on the ground presence is important,” she says.
“It’s great to have assurance that your product has value in the marketplace. Determine and evaluate that first.
“Partnerships and working with others in your ecosystem is also really important.”
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Dinushi Dias is a freelance journalist and a former StartupSmart reporter and multimedia content producer. She is the co-founder of Melbourne-based production house Dinushi & Power.
