No-code app development is gaining serious traction and for good reason: smartphones and tablets account for approximately 70% of all web traffic, which means businesses need to develop apps to be accessible to the majority of consumers. However, developing a mobile app from scratch can take months and cost upwards of $100K. Stacker has created an easy-to-use software platform that allows businesses to build web apps without a line code. By using this friendly solution, businesses can save thousands, without compromising on quality. Stacker’s platform allows you to create a full, custom app that connects to existing systems like Salesforce and Airtable within minutes, with a few clicks.
LondonTechWatch spoke with CEO Michael Skelly about the motivation behind Stacker, the company’s future plans, and recent Seed round.
Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
Pentech, in London. £1M, Seed.
Tell us about the product or service Stacker offers.
Stacker is a software platform that lets businesses build web apps for their customers without code. Businesses can connect to their existing business system (e.g. Airtable, Salesforce) and launch their app in minutes.
What inspired you to start Stacker?
We had the idea to allow businesses to launch customer apps after working in other startups that were all building their own from scratch. We saw all these companies spending tens of thousands every month and taking six months to even launch a simple app. We just knew we could allow them to launch something in just a few minutes, for a tiny fraction of the cost.
How is Stacker different?
We let you build an app just like building with LEGO, rather than writing code!
What market is Stacker targeting and how big is it?
The app dev market is already $200B worldwide, and every day thousands of companies are making the decision to go digital.
Who do you consider to be your primary competitors?
There are some app builders out there, like Bubble, Glide and Retool, but none of them let businesses launch apps for their customers by simply connecting their data and clicking “go”.
What’s your business model?
We’re a monthly subscription SaaS, and we take care of all your hosting, maintenance and backups.
What was the funding process like?
I must have spoken to a few hundred people before Pentech. That’s a very big “no” to “yes” ratio. I used a CRM to keep track of all the conversations.
What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?
It’s such a big distraction, it’s impossible to do anything else. We made the decision to dedicate one founder full time to it, so the rest could keep running the business.
What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?
Definitely the huge potential market size! Our investors agreed with us on this – soon nearly every business will need their own app, and Stacker can make that happen.
What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months?
We’re currently launching products for Salesforce, Airtable and SQL. Soon, we’d like to have one unified product where you can bring in data from all sorts of sources into one app.
We’re currently launching products for Salesforce, Airtable and SQL. Soon, we’d like to have one unified product where you can bring in data from all sorts of sources into one app.
What advice can you offer companies in London that do not have a fresh
injection of capital in the bank?
Be as focused as you can on proving your assumptions as quickly as possible. If you’re not launched yet, do it!
Where do you see the company going now over the near term?
We’re expanding our team to let us grow into new markets and be able to serve more and more businesses.
What is your favorite restaurant in London?
100 Hoxton, just north of Old Street just the best place in the world. Especially their Bloody Marys.
