The economic downturn has led to a hiring slowdown in the tech industry, placing increased pressure on CTOs and development teams to achieve more with fewer resources. This has prompted a renewed focus on efficiency of developers, with Google CEO Sundar Pichai insisting that productivity is not meeting expectations, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg raising performance goals in response.
A significant portion of developers' time is consumed by building and maintaining internal tools, which includes administering dashboards, generating reports, and managing data pipelines. Superblocks, a recently launched platform, aims to streamline this process by providing building blocks for creating custom internal apps, workflows, and scheduled jobs. Founded by Brad Menezes and Ran Ma, Superblocks minimizes the repetitive work involved in developing internal tools, allowing developers to concentrate on more strategic tasks.
In a survey by Retool, a competitor to Superblocks, findings showed that developers spend over 30% of their time on internal app development. The pandemic has further heightened this, as companies have had to rapidly adapt their technology stacks to accommodate remote and hybrid working setups.
Superblocks' mission is to simplify the development process by offering users intuitive tools to build apps, workflows, and jobs connected to enterprise data sources. Using a drag-and-drop interface, users can create custom applications such as database admin panels and order management screens, integrating with various data sources, including databases and internal APIs.
The platform allows users to schedule tasks that run at regular intervals, such as generating reports and sending emails. The apps created with Superblocks can be monitored using existing tools like Datadog and Grafana, and workflows can be automated based on user interactions within the app. This empowers developers to focus on delivering an optimal user experience specific to their business, thus increasing their efficiency.
The cost of maintaining internal tools can place a significant burden on companies. For instance, Retool's research found that for organizations with over 1,000 employees, annual maintenance costs can exceed $8.2 million. Consequently, solutions like Superblocks are gaining popularity as they offer a faster, more affordable option for building internal tools.
Superblocks faces competition in the market from rival solutions such as Appsmith, Snapboard, and Airplane. In order to differentiate themselves from the competition, Superblocks provides greater customization, performance, and integration with business systems. Additionally, low-code platforms, like AppMaster.io, are also addressing the demand for accessible and efficient internal app development tools.
Superblocks boasts hundreds of customers, including Motive, Payhawk, Clearco, Papaya Global, and Alchemy, many of whom leverage the platform to automate customer support operations. This customer demand has contributed to the company's successful $37 million funding round, which involved participation from Kleiner Perkins, Greenoaks, Spark, and Meritech along with the co-founders and founders of several notable technology companies.
As the tech industry continues to grapple with hiring challenges, CTOs and development teams will rely on innovative solutions like Superblocks to create efficient and cost-effective internal tools. The $37 million investment will enable Superblocks to further develop its core products, launch new offerings, and enhance its customer support services.
