Software is ubiquitous. APIs have created unprecedented interoperability; solutions that would have taken years to build have become plug-and-play, and infrastructure has moved from monolithic stacks to decentralized services. In this unprecedented sea of competition, how startups use data models and AI to better understand their customers, create compelling UI & UX, and generate insights will be the keys to emerging victorious.
Historic go-to market strategies of selling top down through an organization are becoming harder and harder to drive revenue through as the average number of SaaS apps orgs use is now over 100. Bottom-up distribution models enable startups to reach more customers faster while building a stickier solution.
By abstracting away the need to write intensive code, low code / no code platforms have allowed a new class of software “assemblers” to emerge. Talented individuals with little or no training can now accelerate software development, allowing startups to go from ideas to reality faster than ever.
At its core, interoperability is a reflection of the need to coordinate data across an increasingly complex software stack. APIs enable previously incompatible datasets and functionality to converge and create capabilities that the end user has never before had access to.
The traditional paradigm of building enterprise software solutions that just offer utility is now table stakes. Software solutions today must be built with the end users’ needs and experience at constant top of mind. End users are now in the driver’s seat.