GHB Farms, a family-owned and run farm since 1955, faced significant challenges due to their paper-based processes. Despite having structured processes, they were carried out over large volumes of paper, making them hard to track. The approval process was manual and paper-based, requiring approving authorities to be physically present at the farms to approve requests. This led to a significant amount of extra time and effort being put in by the approving authorities to keep the process running. The paper-based system also led to delays in processes such as purchase orders, overtime approvals, and loan approvals, which would get stuck if the approving authority wasn’t around. The farm was in need of a solution that could streamline and automate their processes, reducing the time and effort required and eliminating the need for physical presence for approvals.

JDREL, a Brazilian software company with 20 years of experience, faced significant challenges in standardizing their day-to-day processes. These processes, including onboarding, shopping, commercial, and ticketing, were largely handled manually, either through paper forms or email. This manual processing led to a high rate of errors, with many items needing to be restarted. Additionally, the processing time was slow, leading to inefficiencies in the company's operations.

Lima Cargo City, one of Latin America's most modern logistics hubs, was facing significant challenges due to its reliance on manual processes. Employees were using emails, forms, and spreadsheets to manage processes, which made it difficult to track and maintain customer and supplier information. This lack of a centralized system led to information redundancy, with duplication of information and a high risk of errors. Furthermore, the communication with customers and suppliers was often delayed due to the difficulty in tracking information. These challenges were hindering the efficiency and effectiveness of Lima Cargo City's operations.

Nika Solutions, a facilities services company, was grappling with several operational challenges. The company was heavily reliant on manual data entry, which was not only time-consuming but also made accessing real-time data nearly impossible. The risk of misinformation was high due to the manual updating of high volumes of information, leading to errors and missing data. Furthermore, the company was facing a collaboration and integration gap. Information was scattered across thousands of emails, making it difficult for employees to align on strategy and objectives. These challenges were hindering the company's efficiency and productivity.

Royal Exchange General Insurance Company (REGIC), one of Africa’s oldest and largest insurance companies, was facing several challenges due to its paper-based system. The company was struggling with paper-based approvals, which required employees to follow up with stakeholders for approvals on paper-based forms. This led to delays in approvals, especially when approving authorities were not present in the office. Additionally, the company was facing issues with tracking budgets, with departments often overspending their allocated funds. The lack of structure in handling high volumes of claim requests was leading to low turn-around times (TATs), causing a decrease in customer satisfaction. The company was taking several weeks to respond to their customers, which was not sustainable in the long run.

United Motors Group (UMG), a major player in the Saudi automotive market, faced several challenges in its operations. The company was heavily reliant on manual data entry, particularly in the procurement department, which had to manually enter customer data and purchase order requests. This not only caused delays but also led to errors. Tracking purchase orders was another significant challenge as they were paper-based, making it difficult to keep track of them. Additionally, UMG had disjointed systems that resulted in a lot of duplication of work and made it even harder to track information. The company was processing 150-200 purchase requests every week, and the manual approach was proving to be taxing and error-prone. Approval steps were often overlooked due to a lack of visibility for other stakeholders and approving authorities into the requests.

In 2019, Concord, a leading global independent metals and minerals trader, aimed to pioneer Scope 3 carbon footprinting in the commodities sector. However, the company faced the daunting task of analyzing over 10,000 trades, identifying key upstream assets, and bridging the notorious data gap for extractive emissions. Concord's supply chain emissions were the most significant, especially in the carbon-intensive commodities industry. The company wanted to take a market-leading approach, defining best practice in carbon accounting for commodity trading. Concord needed to quantify its total Scope 3 CO2 output, benchmark its performance, break down the emissions sources, and compare trades, suppliers, and assets. The company required accurate, verifiable, and comprehensive emissions calculations that all stakeholders could trust, covering all of its approximately 10,000 annual trades and the end-to-end supply chain for each one. The in-house execution of this task seemed impossible due to the volume of manual data collection and analysis required and the shortage of reliable emissions data for the extraction, production, and transport of commodities.

Niche Fusina Rolled Products (Fusina), an Italy-based aluminum rolling mill, faced the challenge of providing its customers with detailed carbon footprint information for its tailor-made coils, metal sheets, and plates. The company aimed to enable prospective buyers to make informed purchasing decisions based on the average product carbon footprint. Additionally, Fusina wanted to provide customers with a carbon footprint report attached to their invoices, which could be used in their own Scope 3 reporting and product lifecycle calculations. The challenge was to roll out this scheme immediately, starting with marine and road transportation products delivered into Germany, Italy, Benelux, and Scandinavian markets, with the expectation to expand it across all Fusina’s products and countries by early 2023.

Gunvor Group, one of the world's largest independent commodities trading houses, faced a significant challenge when a key customer requested greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data for all their naphtha trades. This data was to cover the entire supply chain, from the extraction of crude oil and condensate to the delivery of naphtha at the customer gate. However, Gunvor had limited information about their supply chain emissions. They had some calculations for their own vessels, but lacked data for upstream oil and gas activities or for the processing of oil into naphtha, except for their own refineries. To meet the customer's request, Gunvor would have needed to gather raw data from various sources and access time-sensitive, asset-level GHG emissions information, which was difficult, expensive, or impossible to obtain. The data analysis, calculation, and reporting process was set to be a huge challenge, as well as a cost and time burden.

Societe Generale, a leading European financial services group, was facing a challenge in understanding the carbon footprint of its commodity trade finance portfolio. The company needed granular, actionable data to analyze its trade loan portfolio’s emissions and comprehend the carbon footprint of complex individual supply chains it finances globally. The commodities financed, such as oil, gas, metals, and agricultural materials, are some of the most carbon-intensive products. Therefore, understanding the embedded emissions in these financed trades was a critical first step towards reducing them in line with Societe Generale’s sustainability goals. However, obtaining accurate, asset-level emissions data for extractive and agricultural commodity supply chains was complex. The company sought to support its clients, like Concord Resources Limited, in their journey towards carbon neutrality, but lacked the necessary data to do so effectively.

aKagreen, a certified B-Corp, is committed to greening work and living spaces to cultivate well-being through plants. However, the company was facing a significant challenge in terms of its carbon footprint. Despite its environmentally friendly mission, aKagreen was producing a substantial amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The company's 2020 carbon footprint report revealed that digital operations accounted for 63% of its emissions, service purchases 11%, and fixed assets 7.1%. This amounted to 11 tCO2 per employee, equivalent to 76 round trips between Paris and New York. aKagreen was aware that preserving the environment was at the heart of its DNA and business, and it was necessary to reduce its carbon output as much as possible. The company needed to accurately identify its sources of carbon emissions to structure an environmental policy and draw up an action plan for long-term emission reduction.

Aladom, a French online platform that connects users to a variety of services, was seeking a simple and effective solution to conduct their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) report. The company wanted to evaluate the impact of digital technology on their carbon footprint. The challenge was to accurately measure their GHG emissions to structure their environmental policy and devise an action plan for long-term emission reduction. Aladom was committed to acting for a more responsible digital world and a better future, but needed a reliable tool to quantify their emissions and guide their sustainability efforts.

Arca Conseil, a specialist in data retrieval, was seeking a simple and efficient solution to measure their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The company's objective was to control and reduce their environmental footprint, a crucial step towards achieving a Net Zero trajectory. However, the challenge was not just about measuring direct and energy-related emissions (Scope 1 & 2), but also indirect emissions caused by service providers and services used by the company (Scope 3). The company needed a comprehensive solution that could accurately calculate their total carbon footprint, which would then allow them to structure their environmental policy and devise an action plan for long-term emission reduction.

The Aurélie Fabre Institute, a wellness institute based in Tours, France, was keen on understanding and reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The institute wanted to evaluate the carbon footprint of its product purchases and commit to a more sustainable ecosystem. However, the institute lacked the necessary tools and expertise to measure its carbon emissions accurately. The challenge was to carry out a comprehensive GHG assessment that would not only quantify the institute's carbon footprint but also help structure its environmental policy and devise a long-term action plan for emission reduction.

BCB Group, a leading provider of business accounts and trading services for the digital asset economy, was facing a challenge in terms of its carbon footprint. As the conversation around Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) grew, the company felt the need to invest in responsible change and reduce its environmental impact. The company wanted to measure its commitments, attract top talent, reassure partners concerned about their carbon footprint, and lead the industry in a more sustainable direction. The challenge was to find a scientific and transparent approach to assess their carbon footprint, covering all scopes of emissions, and integrate it with their existing tools.

Smart Charge America, a company that installs electric car chargers, has seen substantial growth since its inception. From a small team of three employees in 2016, the company has expanded to over 50 employees and caters to 18 major cities. However, with this growth came the challenge of managing customer information efficiently. The team needed a reliable way to store and track customer information, projects, and opportunities across their residential, commercial, and service sectors. Additionally, they were spending a significant amount of time on repetitive tasks such as manually building customer folders, sending emails and notifications, and creating invoices. This resulted in countless lost productivity hours.

Snap Kitchen, a meal kit service company, was facing a significant challenge in managing customer feedback and care. Despite its success in the health food industry, the company had little technology in place to handle customer interactions efficiently. The company had grown from one store to over 30, and the CEO wanted to transition the company into a food-tech company. One of the first projects for the new Chief Technology Officer, Scott Brittain, was to manage feedback from their newly launched iOS app. Initially, they had a very hands-on model where feedback was sent to a specific customer care individual who would then address the problem. However, this approach was unscalable and time-consuming, leading to inefficiencies and a lack of automation.

Soylent, a company that provides nutrient-rich food alternatives, faced two significant challenges. The first was the complexity of managing legal consultations during their Series A funding round. As a startup, they had to navigate the intricate process of securing substantial funding, which required extensive legal advice. However, the company lacked a legal background and had to hire a team of lawyers. The co-founder/CTO, John Coogan, found himself overwhelmed with information during these consultations, struggling to take comprehensive notes while actively participating in the discussions. The second challenge was building a thriving community around Soylent and maintaining open communication with their customers. They needed a seamless way to sign up interested consumers to their database and keep them updated on various aspects of the company.

Spivo, an eCommerce business specializing in adventure photography equipment, faced a significant challenge with their email management system. They used Shopify as their store platform, which allowed the addition of plugins for various functionalities. However, one of these plugins caused a major issue, resulting in thousands of emails being improperly categorized. Consequently, numerous email funnels, crucial for their marketing and customer engagement, were never sent. This incident highlighted the need for a more efficient and reliable way to manage emails and orders, prompting Spivo to seek a solution that could automate their work and increase reliability.

Startup Audits, a one-person operation, was facing a significant challenge in managing its client onboarding process. The founder, Bram Kanstein, was spending a considerable amount of time on manual tasks such as creating documents, folders, and spreadsheets, and writing individual emails for each new client. This repetitive work was not only time-consuming but also hindered the productivity of the business. The need for a more efficient client onboarding process was evident, as the existing process was bogging down the operations and preventing Bram from focusing on the core aspects of his business.

StoryCorps, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing stories from people across America, faced a significant challenge in managing a vast amount of files and contacts. The organization works with thousands of people each year, and their stories are heard by many thousands more. This resulted in a massive amount of data to manage, including information about donors, contributors, and fans. The organization used Salesforce as a central repository for grant, donor, partnership, and end-user engagement information. However, keeping this data up-to-date and enriched was a daunting task. The challenge was further compounded by the need to track various touchpoints a person has had with the organization, which could range from social media interactions to website visits and podcast engagements.

Small businesses often struggle with the overwhelming number of apps and tools available for various aspects of their operations. These include customer relationship management (CRM) systems, sales automation tools, and email marketing tools. The challenge lies in managing these tools efficiently and cost-effectively. For instance, Synduit, a content and virtual marketing company, needed a way to track client feedback and manage workflows. Similarly, Project Warrior, a UK-based fitness program, required a system to manage contacts and schedule consultations. YP3 Solutions, a product engineering consultation firm, sought the best tools to aid their clients' R&D departments and engineering needs.

The BlackTies, a Sydney-based magician group, faced a significant challenge in managing their growing business. As the group expanded, performing at over 300 events a year, they found themselves overwhelmed with administrative tasks such as managing leads and updating spreadsheets. The group's business model, which positioned them as a 'boy band' of magicians rather than an agency, meant that they were handling all these tasks internally. One member, Julian, was spending his entire work week transferring information from emails to Trello cards and updating each card to ensure that all necessary information was available for each event. However, this was not a sustainable solution as it took away from Julian's ability to express his creativity and perform, which was his primary role within the group. Furthermore, the group was struggling to manage their system, feeling overwhelmed even though they were only receiving about 200 leads per year.

The Ruby Tap, a self-serve wine bar in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, faced a significant challenge due to the social distancing measures necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a business built around people gathering, the inability for customers to visit the bar threatened its survival. The uncertainty of when normal operations could resume meant that the business had to quickly adapt to the new circumstances. The initial solution was to offer curated wine for curbside pickup through their website. However, the team quickly realized that the form they used for customers to purchase bottles was not sufficient. They needed a more efficient way to track sales, manage orders, and handle customer preferences.

Vocal, a publishing platform that connects creators with storytelling tools and engaged communities, faced significant scaling challenges as it grew. With over 1.2 million creators and roughly 11 million monthly readers, the company was struggling to manage the increasing volume of story submissions and the need for targeted nurture campaigns for creators. The manual process of updating story status in PostgreSQL and sending it to the moderation team for review was tedious and time-consuming. Additionally, the Business Intelligence team wanted to enrich their creator data to send the right nurture content at the right time. They had valuable data in PostgreSQL and Stripe but lacked the time to aggregate the data and assign email campaigns manually.

The Bank of Korea was seeking a partner for its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot project. The project aimed to develop a digital version of the Korean Won with advanced features such as cross-border payments, offline payment, and integration with digital asset systems. The project was divided into two phases, with the first focusing on basic functionality such as creating, issuance, and redemption of the digital won, and the second phase exploring more advanced features. The challenge was to develop a secure, transparent, highly available, auditable, and efficient digital currency system that could handle both confidential wholesale transfers and scalable retail transactions.

In the highly competitive real estate industry, sourcing and following up on leads before competitors is crucial. Mark Novak, team leader and CEO at Mark's Home Team at Cummings & Co Realtors, was faced with the challenge of managing leads efficiently to save time and stay ahead of the competition. The traditional process of lead generation and management was time-consuming, involving manual data import from various sources into their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. This not only consumed several hours every week but also posed the risk of missing out on potential leads. Furthermore, the team needed to constantly check on leads in Facebook, which was a cumbersome process.

Marshmallow Streaming, an Illinois-based home entertainment company, faced a significant challenge in managing their complex, 20-step sales cycle. The company, which helps customers set up streaming-centric home entertainment systems, had to quickly adapt to the changes brought about by the pandemic in 2020. The co-founders, George Kontos and Christopher Maciejczyk, saw this as an opportunity to revamp their sales processes through automation. Initially, the company lacked a dedicated customer relationship management (CRM) app, resulting in customer information being manually entered into spreadsheets, Google Contacts, Mailchimp, and QuickBooks. This manual process was not only time-consuming but also hindered the company's growth and expansion. Even after implementing Salesforce as their CRM, the company struggled with a disjointed ecosystem of specialty apps, leading to double data entry and lack of communication between different tools.

As MeisterLabs, creators of MindMeister and MeisterTask, expanded, they faced a common challenge that many growing businesses encounter - maintaining effective communication across different departments. The company's operations team was particularly burdened with managing vacation requests via email, a process that was inefficient and time-consuming. The team was constantly chasing 'inbox zero', but the influx of time-off requests made this goal elusive. Additionally, MeisterLabs wanted to streamline their lead generation process. They were looking for a way to consolidate leads from various sources, such as Livestorm webinars and MailChimp email signups, into their customer relationship manager (CRM), Close.io. The manual process of exporting and importing leads was laborious and inefficient.

Messenger Funnels, a digital agency, was facing a significant challenge in terms of time and resource management. The agency was spending approximately 30 hours every week on running and analyzing reports on conversion rates, engagement, and other metrics for their clients. This process involved large daily data exports, importing the data into a new application, and a lot of manual manipulation. The repetitive and time-consuming nature of these tasks was taking a toll on the team's productivity and efficiency. The agency was in dire need of a solution that could automate these processes and save valuable time.