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28 aug, 2020 • Substly

Why we created Substly

Ola & Felix

Lacking control of subscriptions, users, and costs

Substly was founded in Sweden in 2018 by Ola Stål and Felix Sjöstedt. They got fed up with trying to keep track of SaaS, users, and fees in spreadsheets.

“I remember how we used to forget to cancel unwanted subscriptions before they renewed. We acquired new software without knowing if there was a similar service in use, and when people left, we often missed cancelling user accounts”, says Felix. “Due to a lack of a good overview, we wasted money and shared our company data with people that shouldn’t have access to it,” Ola adds.

No reasonable solutions on the market

As they looked for a tool to help them with these challenges, they realized no good options existed on the market and decided to build one on their own.

“We failed to find a product that could be used and loved, even by non-techies, so we decided to build one ourselves. Companies use two to three times more subscriptions than they think, and there is surprisingly much to be saved by tracking subscriptions and managing users in a structured way”, says Ola.

A long-awaited overview

The subscription tracking application Substly developed made it clear to Felix and Ola how poorly they used to track subscriptions earlier.

“It surprised us how much was spent on subscriptions and how many services we used without our knowledge. Who would have known that finding subscriptions would be such a pain point? Not only did Substly allow us to get back in control, but it has helped us stay in control ever since”, says Felix.

The team is growing

Today the team consists of six team members and is constantly growing. The whole team creates, shares, and participates in the work.

“We have put much effort into creating an innovative and engaging environment. That has enabled us to attract awesome people to the team. We have a lot of fun as we create value for our customers. Sharing the experience of this journey means a lot to us”, Ola finishes.

Next up: Measuring usage

The next step in the development of Substly is to provide insights to customers about their software usage and how it can be optimized. A professional athlete keeps a close eye on his equipment. No matter how fit they are, they know that the equipment is often the difference between winning and losing. “Given the strong connection to performance, it is remarkable that so few companies are working in a structured way to follow up on what they get out of SaaS and other equipment their employees use in their work,” Felix says. “A lack of access to information makes it difficult to know how the situation looks. And if you do not know what the situation looks like, you can’t act”, Ola adds.

Here is where Substly comes into play. Substly’s service will be able to provide insights into how different services are used and experienced by employees. By measuring and visualizing data on usage, Substly can help companies save money and time and get more efficient and satisfied employees. “There is great value in measuring and acting on that data. We have seen clear examples of this in pilots we have carried out”, Ola says.

Only scratching the surface

The team looks forward to releasing this and other features that strengthen Substly’s position as the natural choice for businesses that realize the value of working more strategically to track their subscription services and manage their users. “We have only scratched the surface regarding the value Substly can contribute to companies that look to increase the output they get from their employees and the support systems they use,” Felix concludes before running off to the next meeting.


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