We chat to the winners of the Startup Knight Competition, Kishan Kalan and Steven Ellis ? the founders of Easy2Map. The competition was run by Byte Orbit and Ching Payments which offered the winners software development to the value of R100 000 and ongoing mentorship. Find out what they would advise for products entering the competition next year, as well as their plans to scale Easy2Map.
Congratulations on your win! Explain your product to us, Easy2Map.
Easy2Map is a code-free solution for creating fully customizable online maps, to embed on any website or blog.
Can you unpack the systems used that make it possible for people to create maps without coding?
Easy2Map offers a user-friendly interface for creating feature-rich and great-looking online maps without writing a single line of code. It is a web-based product, developed on open-source software, consisting of an easy-to-follow wizard, with drag-and-drop functionality, which allows users to choose from a number of pre-defined templates, and then to customize all elements of their map ? such as the look and feel and the fields associated with map-pins.
Once the user has created their map, they can easily add pins to the map, and embed it on their website, blog or anywhere online.
What kind of exposure has Easy2Map had in the South African market?
After a year of product development, we?ve created a map making tool which is available to a global market. We?ve been lucky enough to work closely with our local customer base, of around 300 free users, during our beta phase to test our assumptions especially when it comes to product features and usability. Easy2Map is now ready to tackle local high growth markets, with one of our main market segments being web development agencies, who are able to save time and effort by creating maps for their clients? needs, using Easy2Map.
On top of this, we have provided custom solutions to a few companies who needed maps for their websites. These include medical rooms, photographers shoot locations, a few restaurant franchises, and our favourite ? surfing spots in and around Cape Town.
What are you hoping to achieve or expand on since winning the competition?
Byte Orbit has sponsored an amazing prize of R100 000 in product development and sponsorship, as well as their experience and mentorship.
This is something we are really grateful for, and want to use wisely, along with the opportunity to improve and add features to Easy2Map using Byte Orbit?s wealth of experience in bespoke product development process.
At this point, in terms of product development and direction, unfortunately we can?t give too many secrets away, but we have some amazing mapping features we?re wanting to give Easy2Map users.?But in general, we?re working on reaching our target markets by getting a lot more people using Easy2Map while really enjoying their map making experience.
Is there a difference in the way individuals will use Easy2Map in comparison to businesses?
Yes, certainly. We have a freemium model, which means individual users can create and embed maps onto their websites or blogs for free, but with limited features. Easy2Map will even host the maps for these users, for free.
Our Premium packages cater for users who need advanced mapping features, such as full customisation of their maps, including multiple pins, and is best suited for businesses, typically with multiple franchises who rely on their customer base to locate their stores online.
As a South African startup, why have you chosen a pricing option in US Dollars?
To be honest, when we looked at the state of maps on websites, we were just as unsatisfied with what the rest of the world?s store locator maps looked like, when compared to South Africa?s online maps.
All over the world, we really struggled to locate stores through businesses websites with ease and simplicity.
We also found that many of these franchise stores across the world adopted the same model of outsourcing all their website requirements to a web development agency, and often with a very limited budget.?South Africa does have a big enough market for us to focus on, but we?re wanting to scale Easy2Map easily, and grow quickly.
After all, the internet is something which is becoming accessible throughout the world, and we?ve hardly had to adapt our map making tool to open it to the rest of the world.
What advice would you give to other startups that want to enter the Startup Knight competition next year?
Focus on your product?s unique value proposition. Ask questions like ?How does your product or solution add value compared to other competitive products in the area where you hope to compete??
Also make sure your revenue model is sound. Any good idea needs to generate revenue at some point, otherwise it is not really possible to build a business out of it.
Design is also becoming a very important feature of products, especially web-based ones. First impressions count, so a great-looking product offering will definitely put your product on a good competitive footing.
Lastly, have your pitch and presentation well prepared. You only have 8 minutes to win over the judges, so make them count.
Many thanks for enlightening us on a well deserved, winning product. Find out more about the code-free maps here.
Read more posts by Wendy Tayler
Wendy is the new editor at Heavy Chef. After 3 years cooking up a storm at UNISA studying English and Communications, Wendy decided to mesh her passion for writing with her love of digital. She firmly believes the world is moving into the online sphere and can be found writing, tracking down great names for interviews, or singing her heart out at the World Wide Creative studio.
Follow Wendy on Twitter
Related posts:
- South African Startup Competition: Are You A Software Product Startup?
- Does Pinterest Drive Traffic For South African Brands?
- NPO Uses MXit To Provide HIV Counseling To South African Youth
- Something is stirring in the South African blogosphere
- The top South African websites
westminster kennel club dog show jeremy lin game winner chocolate covered strawberries shrimp scampi kate upton si cover lobster recipes hearts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.