Atula Technologies, a Wycombe-based technology company, has sought help from Buckinghamshire Business First (BBF) to help refine its go-to-market strategy for a new software product set to launch in 2025.
A product launch is no easy thing. In these situations, where the way ahead is a little uncertain, having someone to act as a sounding board to clarify your thinking can be invaluable, and it’s a service Buckinghamshire Business First is only too happy to provide.
Under our flagship Growth Programme, we are helping to guide Atula over the many hurdles along the way towards what we hope will be a successful product launch of its EZStay app, which aims to help hotels offer tailored experiences to guests while reducing costs for hotel managers.
How did Buckinghamshire Business First support Atula?
The need for external advice and support arose because the EZStay product represents Atula’s first entry into the hospitality space, and its first leap into the Software as a Service (SaaS) market.
In fact, Atula had originally launched as a full-service digital agency offering web design, digital marketing, and some custom software development. After attending a Strategic Planning masterclass with Buckinghamshire Business First, Atula’s Managing Director Soumya Dinesh came away convinced that software development should be the focus of Atula’s business going forward.
With Buckinghamshire Business First’s support, Atula were able to validate EZStay’s economic viability and assess the business’s overall readiness to go to market. This process allowed Atula to make a strategic choice to focus on smaller independent hotels, a niche underserved by existing solutions.
A one-to-one masterclass with Business Adviser Ian Murphy called ‘Successfully Launching New Products and Services’ proved to be a great help. “Thank you so much for such an amazing session on launching a new product or service,” Soumya told us. “The session was expertly run, and I found it reassuring and hugely beneficial to identify the areas that needed work to make the project move in the right direction.”
Utilising the Innovation Canvas
One resource Soumya found particularly useful was a proven methodology tool called the ‘Innovation Canvas’, which she worked on alongside a Business Adviser.
The Innovation Canvas is a methodology for identifying the most important challenges in launching an innovative product, service or process. The Canvas explores three areas in depth – the opportunity, the product offer, and the organisation’s ability to deliver an effective solution. Each area is scored so you know where you stand. It flags any innovation issues and gaps in planning, and prioritises what actions a business needs to take next.
For Atula, key areas flagged up to focus on included patent and copyright protection, their marketing strategy, and funding. Of course, it’s one thing to identify gaps, it’s quite another to fill them. Buckinghamshire Business First is now using its extensive professional network to connect Atula Technologies with other service organisations and providers to help move their plans forward in these critical areas.
“The brilliant outcome of the Innovation Canvas was being connected to the right set of people who could help with those outstanding tasks,” said Soumya. “I’m now in touch with the right person to deal with the copyright and the intellectual property, and I have a meeting lined up with someone who's going to help create a compelling case for grant funding and future investment.”
Soumya is also beginning the process of identifying specialised marketing resources to develop a more robust go-to-market plan.
With further product testing and refinement, Atula Technologies plans to launch EZStay in the summer of 2025 and is now negotiating with local hotels to establish a pilot programme to build credentials and demonstrate EZStay's value.
So, would Soumya recommend Buckinghamshire Business First to other businesses?
“I’d definitely say: don't pass up the opportunity. There's a whole bunch of resources and many of them are free, plus the connections you make are priceless,” said Soumya. “Buckinghamshire Business First is a huge pillar to lean on. I’ve been a member of BBF for years so I was aware of what they can offer and thought now would be a good time to have somebody with a bit of experience guide us through the last leg of the journey.
“I cannot thank Buckinghamshire Business First enough for bringing such well-defined strategic inputs to its members, flawlessly delivered by seasoned experts.”
Learn more about the Growth Programme
The Growth Programme offers free professional advice and practical support for businesses in Buckinghamshire:
- Improve business productivity and turnover
- Find new solutions to existing challenges
- Join relevant and beneficial masterclasses
- Connect with other business owners and grow your local network
- Work with an experienced Business Adviser, who has run their own business
Don’t miss out on this fully-funded, easy-to-access support. Register your interest here, call our team on 01494 927130, or email [email protected].
Buckinghamshire Business First's Growth Programme is funded by the UK Government through the Shared Prosperity Fund, which is managed by Buckinghamshire Council.