Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
In the buzzing tech ecosystem of Sydney’s fintech scene, Cloudfloat stands out as a leader of innovation and empowerment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Founded in late 2020, Cloudfloat aims to revolutionize cash flow management for Australian businesses, offering hassle-free solutions that alleviate cash flow challenges.
In this exclusive interview, we dive into the heart of Cloudfloat’s engineering team with Richard Weissel, Head of Engineering. As a key architect behind Cloudfloat’s technological advancements, Richard sheds light on the driving force behind the company’s mission and also offers insights into Cloudfloat’s partnership with General Assembly. He includes how GA graduates have infused the organization with fresh perspectives and the skills needed to lift Cloudfloat toward greater heights of success.
Continue reading for a glimpse into Cloudfloat’s journey…
Cloudfloat x General Assembly
1. What’s Cloudfloat’s driving mission, and how does your Engineering team power that?
At Cloudfloat, our driving mission is to empower small businesses by providing innovative solutions that address and alleviate cash flow challenges. We understand the critical role cash flow plays in the success and sustainability of small enterprises. Our goal is to offer a seamless and reliable platform that enables businesses to manage their finances effectively, ensuring they have the liquidity needed to thrive and grow.
The Engineering team at Cloudfloat is at the forefront of realising our mission. They play a pivotal role in developing and maintaining cutting-edge technologies that power our platform. By leveraging the latest advancements in financial technology, our Engineering team creates robust, scalable, and user-friendly solutions. Their expertise ensures that Cloudfloat remains at the forefront of innovation, delivering tools that simplify financial processes for small businesses.
2. What led Cloudfloat to hire from GA in the first place — how did you hear about us?
I first heard about General Assembly back in 2016 when I was working at REA Group. They’d helped fund a few excellent people to transition from various roles into software developers. As a result, when I moved to my next role in 2018 and was tasked with building a team on a startup budget, I immediately thought of GA. I recruited two GA grads, both of whom were superstars within 12 months — and that team was one of the highest functioning teams I’ve ever worked with.
3. What unique qualities do GA grads bring to the table, and how do these qualities contribute to the overall success of Cloudfloat’s mission?
GA, in my opinion, seems to have invented a true “secret sauce” in terms of the humans they attract and put through their programs. They bring to the table something which our rapidly evolving digital landscape desperately needs — life skills. By that I mean people with some life experience — people who’ve tried something and after realising it wasn’t working for them, did something about it. They took a risk. They also bring a diversity of thought into technology that’s critical for innovation. I’m constantly surprised by observations made by GA grads about how we solve business problems, which I rarely hear from many “tech professionals.”
4. Cloudfloat provides SMEs with hassle-free access to cash flow when paying invoices (or getting their own invoices paid). How have GA grads enhanced the technological capabilities of Cloudfloat’s platform to achieve this goal?
We’ve had three GA grads on board — two software engineers, and one UI/UX grad. Our UX superstar was instrumental in reinventing both our customer and staff-facing experiences, while our software engineers have been building out our technology so that it’ll be able to scale with the business.
5. Could you highlight any innovative solutions or features implemented by our grads that have significantly improved the user experience for your clients (small businesses) and Cloudfloat (e.g., internal processes)?
Our first Melbourne GA grad suggested a number of improvements to the way that we electronically read invoices, suggesting improvements to the way that we pre-populate fields, to reduce the amount of data entry.
Isabel in Sydney has already built out integrations into our customer workflows, which provide the smarts to take different customers on different journeys. She’s also built out a critical piece of our technology which tracks the entire movement of funds through our system. For someone just three months into their tech career, the amount she’s accomplished is extraordinary.
6. What exciting work/projects or goals are coming up next at Cloudfloat — and how can we get in on the action?
Of course, like all aspiring startups, we’re planning on hitting all our targets, in order to embark on a new round of recruitment toward the middle of next year. I’ve already got plenty of personal evidence to prove that GA works, so why would I go elsewhere?
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