Focus on Mariam Hakobyan, co-founder of Softr

If you have been following the Nocode news, then the Softr platform may have caught your attention... Indeed, this Nocode tool has just raised $13.5M and won the "Golden Kitty Awards 2021" for "Product of the Year" in all categories, awarded by the American website Product Hunt. We took a look at its founder and CEO, Mariam Hakobyan. A look back at a journey that has left its mark on us!

The year is off to a great start for Softr. After raising $2.2 million the previous year, the startup has just raised $13.5 million in Series A funding. At the same time, their online platform, which allows users to create powerful websites and applications without coding, was awarded the "Golden Kitty Awards 2021" for "Product of the Year" at the end of January by Product Hunt. This American website, which is very popular with new technology enthusiasts, allows users to share their projects and submit them to other users' votes.

At the origin of this success story, two engineers, including a young woman, Mariam Hakobyan. After obtaining a master's degree in mathematics at the University of Yerevan, the Armenian capital, she began her career in 2007 as a web developer. She participated in the deployment of one of the very first European dating websites, Be2! She then moved on to different companies where she managed technical teams. 

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Birth of Softra committed startup

 2019. Mariam Hakobyan and Artur Mkrtchyan, co-founder and current CTO, launch the startup Softr. At the same time Mariam is following a 12-month mentoring programme for young entrepreneurs, which aims to increase diversity and inclusion within the startup ecosystem.

The first version of the platform was released in August 2020. Like a construction game, it allows users to design websites by creating and assembling blocks according to their needs. A few months later, a second version was released: it is now possible to create, in addition to websites, powerful web applications, using Airtable.

As Mariam Hakobyan explains in an interview with Inside.com magazine, Softr was conceived from the respective experiences of its two founders, who were tired of developing the same devices over and over again for different companies, which ultimately needed the same types of functionality (internal tools, messaging, customer portals, etc.). Softr was therefore initially conceived as a tool enabling engineers to automate recurring tasks, and thus to devote their time to more complex tasks requiring more technical expertise.

In addition, Mariam wants to see a real democratisation of software development. It is crucial for her to allow everyone to be able to create their own applications, without technical skills. Softr's mission is clear: "to democratise 'technical engineering' and give the power of creation to 99% of the planet [...]".

This desire for inclusivity therefore also includes empowering entrepreneurs, freelancers and organisations to create any application they need. Thus, Softr can be used in many cases: creation of e-commerce, applications, customer portals, organisation tools, portfolios, etc.

Spotting opportunities in a busy market 

Although there are already several Nocode tools that have proven their worth on these issues, the two engineers believe that there is a real "gap" between the different offers on the market. Some platforms allow the creation of efficient applications but are, according to them, still too complex to use; while others are certainly easy to use, but quickly limited in terms of functionality.

The market is proving them right; users are flocking in and so are the returns. They raised their first $2.2 million in early 2021. But this success did not happen by chance.

Perseverance, passion and leadership: Mariam's Rule of 3

Softr is not Mariam Hakobyan's first attempt. A true challenger, she launched herself into entrepreneurship very early on. In 2012, she created her first company, Daily-Challenge.co, a website that allows candidates wishing to join large tech groups to prepare for interviews. The site offers a daily challenge with typical questions that can be asked during the recruitment process.

This first project, already oriented towards mutual aid and inclusion, is coming to an end after two years.

She therefore continued her career as a salaried engineer and moved into management positions in technical teams that were mainly composed of men. In an interview with Inside.com, Mariam admits that she has never had any major problems in her various experiences, but she does recognise that there is still a real gender bias in many companies and organisations.

As the only woman, and a young one at that, in the department she was heading at the time, she reveals that it was sometimes tiring. Nevertheless, she believes that the important thing in this type of situation is to prepare yourself psychologically and to work on your mindset. My best advice would be: always believe in yourself and believe that you can do anything and achieve anything you set your mindto. Your biggest enemy is yourself. Challenges either discourage you or make you stronger and better at what you do, it's a choice be bold" (Inside interview May 2021).

Beyond his perseverance, his passion for software development and his investment in the Nocode community have been key assets in his recipe for success. 

Indeed, the two co-founders owe a lot to the Nocode community, to which they are close. Long before the launch of the first version of Softr, they had already gathered an audience and identified the needs and expectations of their future users. They were able to benefit from a large visibility thanks to the multiple shares and recommendations. This popularity also allowed them to improve their product, through the numerous feedbacks made by their beta-testers and first customers.

The ultimate recognition of this Nocode community: the famous "Golden Kitty Awards 2021" from Product Hunt, obtained thanks to public support. With a constantly improving platform and a second round of funding, Softr's development looks promising.

Through her company Softr, Mariam Hakobyan promotes values of collaboration, sharing and brings together a team of individuals who are certainly " ambitious and eager for success" but also very humble. In addition, this leader presents herself as a tech enthusiast, but also as a mother of two: a detail that stands out from the profiles of traditional tech leaders. This "engineer turned entrepreneur" is, in our opinion, a personality to follow and a source of inspiration for the (future) students of the Alegria.academy. Let's hear it...