The Triangle has another entry in the ever-popular startup-spun-out-from-a-services-business category. This time it’s ScaleFluidly, a subscription-based platform that aims to help smaller businesses access enterprise-grade sales tools just like the big players use. ScaleFluidly released its very first product—called QuoteCX—last Monday, Jan. 23.
ScaleFluidly is emerging from the Cary-based consulting and services company CommerceCX, which helps customers selling B2B products via the Salesforce.com platform.
Vinay Toomu, who founded both companies and also serves as the CEO for both, said he has been in technology for the last 25 years, which he said has helped prepare him for ScaleFluidly.
“The intent is to build and deliver a what we call a unified commerce platform, specifically to help small and lower-midsize businesses,” he said.
Toomu said they have recognized how even the smallest percentage gains in revenue can make a big impact on customers, and since most small businesses have issues with scaling operations, the startup’s goal is to allow for a price-conscious, easy-to-use platform where these businesses can excel.
“The little need of training, if at all, is what we believe will help businesses focus on selling their products through multiple channels a lot faster and a lot easier than needing to invest a lot of that time and money in these sales tools,” he said.
Last Monday, Jan. 23, ScaleFluidly rolled out its first product—called QuoteCX—in a suite that the startup is creating. Jonathan Hall, an associate full-stack developer at ScaleFluidly, described QuoteCX as a quote-to-cash revenue flow system that allows for estimates to be generated easily.
After working with larger enterprise companies for the last few years, Toomu said that the intent of these new products is to give small and midsize businesses (SMBs) the chance to compete with the powerhouses of the world, like Amazon.
“It actually gives them the ability for salespeople within the company to create estimates easily, bundle them together, provide various different types of pricing options to customers, and give them any additional discounts that are needed,” Toomu said.
He also describes the product as an end-to-end solution across sales channels because it gives the salesperson—whether that be a distributor or a re-seller—the chance to sell rather than get bogged down in internal processes.
Product roadmap in place
Toomu also said that ScaleFluidly has a roadmap for the next set of products that they plan to release.
“In a business process, quoting or estimating is the first part,” he said. “Once that’s done, there are elements around generating contracts for signatures, and then going into ordering of products, eventually into payment collections and into revenue accounting.”
Since this platform is subscription-based, Toomu said that there are three different types of plans ranging from the basic needs of small businesses up to enterprises.
“With this technology suite that we are building, we are trying to make it very simple to use, so that anybody who wants to try it, they don’t have to spend a lot of money to try it and experience it,” he said.
According to Toomu, ScaleFluidly believes that technology is the next great equalizer, so by giving attention to the smaller businesses, the goal is to give them the chance to sell more and more to the point that they are able to think more big-picture and operate on a larger canvas.
“By making these investments ahead and providing these applications and tools to businesses, our hope is that it pushes them above in the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, where they can find a sense of purpose,” he said.
Since ScaleFluidly is still in its very early stages, Toomu said they face a lot of the challenges of other new startups such as issues with financing and product development, but he does see it all as being rewarding.
He also said that his hope is that there are enough small startups and other Triangle SMBs that can find a fit with ScaleFluidly’s sales technology offerings, which would be a win-win for the region.