Olive

A CRM platform for streamlined decision making

Industry: Sales & Marketing

Client background

Frustrated with the outdated process of enterprise software evaluation (which can be manual and filled with bias), Olive, Co-founder Chris Heard decided there needed to be a better solution. Together with long-time colleague Dan Harrison, they came up with the idea for Olive.

The concept is an end-to-end CRM platform that uses AI technology for buying and selling enterprise software. Olive dramatically reduces the risk of choosing the wrong software by allowing for a more thorough evaluation of vendors in a lesser amount of time, and helps businesses make decisions based on data rather than intuition.

The ask

Olive had a game-changing idea to transform the way enterprise businesses source vendors. While the concept itself was clear, the execution wouldn’t be as straightforward. The logic on the backend would be especially complicated, and they needed an experienced team to help them build the prototype quickly. After some research, TTT Studios was recommended as the go-to agency for crafting successful technical solutions.

The solution

TTT Studios built a fully functional prototype for Olive that could run multiple complex computations simultaneously while providing extremely accurate matches.

The outcome

The functional prototype allowed Olive to validate their idea, seek investment, and focus on growth. Olive was able to solicit a great amount of interest and close a couple of big clients.

The process has been great from start to finish. TTT really challenged our assumptions. They stayed engaged even after the project ended and we always had access when we needed it. We came out of TTT with not only a good product but also a better understanding of what we were trying to build.

Chris Heard

Co-founder & CEO of Olive

Developing a powerful engine

Requirement matching matrix

The most critical component of the software was the requirement matching matrix. This was the driving engine behind Olive that allowed clients to specify the relevant parameters to their search. The matrix would then return a list of vendors that best matched the specified requirements.

Backend engine

This system required a very complex backend for it to function as intended. Our developers built a powerful engine that could perform a considerable volume of computations and come up with matches based on very specific requirements. In order for the software to be practical, the application had to be not only accurate but also fast. As such, optimization was extremely important. Our engineers built the backend so that many calculations could happen simultaneously.

User interface

While the algorithm on the backend was bound to be complex, the user interface needed to be simple and easy to use. Our developers built a requirement library, allowing clients to search and browse through all category requirements easily. Users can also assign weights to each requirement and set different access levels to various roles within the company.

A persuasive prototype

The initial version of the prototype we built was meant to generate interest rather than revenue. However, to the founders’ surprise, the response from clients was even more positive than expected.

From this, Olive was able to secure the fast-food giant A&W as their first enterprise client. In January 2020, it was announced that Olive would be accepted into Techstars, one of the most prominent accelerators in the world.

What we built was supposed to be a beta version of the app. Once it got put into the hands of customers, they were so impressed with it that we got paying customers within two months.