{"id":39255,"date":"2023-10-20T15:01:37","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/brisbane-startup-gruntify-wins-major-dubai-deal-four-tips-to-break-into-new-markets-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:01:37","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:01:37","slug":"brisbane-startup-gruntify-wins-major-dubai-deal-four-tips-to-break-into-new-markets-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/brisbane-startup-gruntify-wins-major-dubai-deal-four-tips-to-break-into-new-markets-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Brisbane startup Gruntify wins major Dubai deal: Four tips to break into new markets – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"gruntify-ceo-jamie-leach\"<\/div>\n

A Queensland startup is making a break into one of the fastest growing cities in the world after a state government-led trade mission opened an unexpected door.<\/p>\n

Two-year-old startup Gruntify, founded by Igor Stjepanovic and led by chief executive Jamie Leach, is a data management platform that integrates mobile, cloud and geospatial technology, and which counts government bodies among its main customers.<\/p>\n

The startup came out of a state government innovation challenge organised with PricewaterhouseCoopers and was initially established as a smart task management solution for government to handle incidents, surveys, audits and maintenance.<\/p>\n

Since then, Stjepanovic has been building the Gruntify team and exploring the world for new opportunities.<\/p>\n

His creation even put him in front of US President Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg at a 20-person brainstorming session held at Facebook\u2019s headquarters.<\/p>\n

Breaking into Dubai<\/h3>\n

In October this year, Leach was invited to participate in a trade and investment mission led by Queensland deputy premier and minster for trade Jackie Trad.<\/p>\n

The mission saw the state government and local business owners visit Paris and the United Arab Emirates to explore new economic opportunities and meet with executives.<\/p>\n

During the trip, Leach visited what may soon become the world\u2019s largest airport, Dubai’s Al Maktoum, and Dubai South, an emerging smart city expected to host 1 million people.<\/p>\n

With the leadership of Leach and a growing team of 24, Gruntify was able to sign a\u00a0Memorandum of Understanding with Duserve,\u00a0a branch of the Dubai government that manages\u00a0residential and commercial facilities, and which has been commissioned to build and maintain Dubai South.<\/p>\n

The deal will see Gruntify provide Duserve with maintenance and security solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are exploring many different verticals and use-cases on a daily basis, we\u2019ve got enquiries coming in from all over the globe,\u201d Leach tells StartupSmart.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe true potential of the business is only just starting to be uncovered.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce these products go public through these government departments we could have hundreds of thousands of users.\u201d<\/p>\n

A trade agreement signed by Trad and the chief executive of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South, Khalifa Al Zaffin, has opened the doors for Queensland startups and businesses to roll out services in the Middle East and Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe number one thing is there are a number of gateways or avenues for startups to get access to international markets, use your trade investment officers, use your Austrade officers,\u201d Leach says.<\/p>\n

\"Gruntify<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a startup keen to break into new overseas markets, Leach shares the following tips.<\/p>\n

Tip 1. It will take time, so start now<\/h3>\n

\u201cInitially, this one was in the mix for almost a couple of years,\u201d Leach says.<\/p>\n

Leach had previously attended one of Brisbane\u2019s annual trade summits, which involved delegates from around the world to explore different technologies being developed Down Under.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey selected a number of vendors they wanted to learn more from,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

At the summit she met representatives from Dubai South and Duserve.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we reconnected with them, they saw the potential for our technology throughout the Middle East,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Eventually, the startup was able to seal the deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey saw an opportunity to partner with us and roll it [out],\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Tip 2. Partner with trusted local businesses<\/h3>\n

Expanding into overseas markets can be a costly venture for new startups but partnering with trusted advisors and established companies on the ground can alleviate the burden of hiring local staff and setting up new offices, Leach says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis potentially gives us a gateway into a region without having a physical presence on shore,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Tip 3. Show up with the right attitude<\/h3>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this misconception that you have to be one of the big players to get international airtime and that\u2019s just not true,\u201d says Leach.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow people will overlook the size of the business if the right intentions and right managers are there\u2014and enthusiasm counts for so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tip 4. Do your homework<\/h3>\n

How business is done in Australia can vary greatly to how it\u2019s down in other markets, so it\u2019s vital to research local customs and laws to get an understanding of how things work before you walk in, says Leach.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurround yourself by trusted advisors and take the time to do the homework,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Follow StartupSmart on<\/em>\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0and iTunes<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Queensland startup is making a break into one of the fastest growing cities in the world after a state<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,3,4,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39255"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39255\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}