Building a software company is difficult - for reasons that are expected, and for others that I didn't really see coming.

Why we rebuilt our platform, from the ground-up

In late 2023, my co-founder and I faced an issue. We had built a great product, and it was powering critical workflows for our design partners… but our speed of development was slowing down. Alfie and I were used to working together in Hackathons (and occasionally, winning them). To that point, we had been coming up with features, quickly implementing them and testing them out. They weren't very scalable, but that was OK, because we were optimising for development speed. Elo grew quickly, and new features were implemented every day. However, as any Software Engineer will know, this quick development ethos only works to a certain point.

The challenge came when we started hiring people into the team — and suddenly, we realised it would be next to impossible for new engineers to work quickly on a codebase that was this unoptimised. It was that realisation that led us to our decision to re-engineer. We took what we loved about our existing platform, dreamed up all of the things we'd want to do in the future, and we got to building a new, improved version of our platform.

Where we are at today

We spent a few weeks completely reimagining our architecture. Our goal was to create a platform that was not only more efficient and scalable but also more intuitive for new team members to understand and contribute to. The process was intense, but incredibly rewarding.

At the heart of our rebuild was a shift to a modular architecture. We broke down our monolithic application into microservices, a move that has already paid dividends in terms of maintenance and deployment speed. This new structure allows us to scale different parts of our system independently, giving us the flexibility to grow and adapt quickly.

Hand in hand with this architectural shift came a reimagining of our data model. We dug deep into our database schema, optimizing it for both flexibility and efficiency. The result? Faster queries and a foundation that can easily accommodate new features as we continue to innovate.

Throughout this process, we kept our eyes on the future. We adopted an API-first approach, building a robust layer that not only streamlines our internal processes but also opens doors for future integrations and partnerships. It's exciting to think about the possibilities this creates for expanding our ecosystem.

Of course, with great power comes great responsibility. As we rebuilt, we took the opportunity to enhance our security measures. We implemented industry-standard practices throughout our stack, ensuring that our clients' data - their most valuable asset - is protected at every level.

The result of all this hard work? A platform that's not only more powerful and efficient but also a joy for our engineers to work with. Our development speed has increased dramatically, and we're now able to implement new features and respond to client requests faster than ever before. It's like night and day compared to where we were just a few months ago.

Lessons Learned

This journey has been as much about personal growth as it has been about technical improvement. We've learned some valuable lessons along the way. Perhaps the most striking is the very real impact of technical debt. While our initial speed allowed us to validate our product quickly, we've now seen firsthand the importance of balancing that early velocity with long-term sustainability.

Communication emerged as another crucial factor. Keeping our team and clients informed throughout the rebuild process wasn't always easy, but it was essential. We found that being transparent about our goals and progress helped maintain trust and even build excitement about what was to come.

Perhaps most importantly, we've learned the value of investing in a solid foundation. It can be tempting to always focus on the next feature, the next sale. But taking the time to step back and get the architecture right pays enormous dividends in the long run. It's not just about what we need now, but what we might need in the future. This foresight guided many of our design decisions and has set us up for success in ways we're only beginning to realize.

Looking Ahead

With our new platform in place, the future looks brighter than ever. We're now better positioned to tackle bigger challenges, serve larger clients, and continue innovating in the AI-powered presales space. It's an exciting time for Elo, and we're just getting started.

To our existing clients: thank you for your patience and trust during this transition. We're confident that the improvements we've made will translate into an even better experience for you. Your support has been invaluable, and we're excited to show you what our new platform can do.

To potential clients and partners: we're ready for you. Our new platform is designed to meet your needs today and scale with you into the future. We can't wait to show you what we've built and explore how we can work together.

And to the engineers out there considering joining our team: come build with us. We've created an environment where you can do your best work, tackling exciting challenges in AI and enterprise software. There's never been a better time to be part of the Elo story.

The journey of building a software company is indeed difficult, but it's also incredibly rewarding. This rebuild was a crucial step in our journey, and we're excited about where it will take us next. As we look to the future, we're filled with optimism and energy. The challenges ahead are significant, but with our new foundation in place, we're ready to meet them head-on. Here's to the next chapter of Elo – we can't wait to write it together.