Starting a software business is never clear-cut and no experience can be matched with another entrepreneur’s. But something all tech entrepreneurs have in common is a customer with a problem to solve.
For Rory Fraser and Iain Taylor, co-founders of Chorus, the start-up journey was driven by a shared vision of supporting organisations navigate through an energy transition that is as uncertain as it is necessary.
Both knew that the move away from traditional carbon based fuel systems to a greener future was going to be tough - and the toughest for those working in hazardous industries where there is no margin for error.
So how do you map and plan for the future if you’re uncertain about what you need whilst maintaining safety and emergency resilience at all times? For our co-founders, they knew that existing software solutions didn’t go far enough to accommodate the essentials and they had the key.
Through a combination of extensive industry know-how and end user focus, they’ve built a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that is changing the face of traditional competence and workforce planning models.
Plugging the digital training gap
Chorus launched in August 2022 but Iain and Rory’s story started long before that. The two met during their studies at Robert Gordon University, where Rory honed his craft in Design for Digital Media and Iain got stuck into Business Studies. Neither could have imagined starting a business together years down the line but their complementary skill sets honed a perfect match.
Fast forward through graduation and their starting career steps, Iain and Rory crossed paths again when Iain’s former employer - the largest global training provider in wind and oil and gas - acquired the company where Rory worked. Iain at the time was looking for companies in the digital space that supported the utilities, infrastructure and transition sectors, but that company “just didn’t really exist,” Iain recalls.
“At that time, the goal was to diversify and digitalise. We were keen to find a business that was working in areas of hazardous industrial training that had a big focus on software and had the tools to help fix our customers' problems. What I found though, was that the type of business just didn’t really exist.
“The utility sector is really underserviced for digital training. There’s only e-learning providers with old fashioned or disjointed software that doesn’t aid organisations or its end users. For example, how do companies plan for diversification into carbon capture or hydrogen? This involves a lot of moving parts, significant planning and lots of training - it’s near impossible in the current status quo.”
And the gap in the market continued to remain unfilled as time went on. The opportunity to establish a software product that helped companies struggling with complex safety requirements that put end-users at the heart became more evident. The idea to start Chorus was sparked and blended Iain’s expertise in customer experience and Rory’s passion for digital - an unrivalled dynamic was forged.
From BAFTA game fame to Chorus
During his studies, Rory had a placement with games designer Dynamo Games, which evolved into a full-time role after he graduated. He joined the company in 2007 just as mobile gaming started to take-off and saw him work on a catalogue of games set to glue users to their phones.
Here he was encouraged to constantly play games to learn about user-experience and in-turn learn how to keep users engaged - which soon became his area of expertise. Two notable games he was behind were mobile versions of Championship Manager and The Crystal Maze which both topped app store download rankings and went on to win BAFTAs.
Rory’s career took an unconventional shift in 2011 when he decided to put down tools and move into a multimedia developer role in the energy industry. The career switch that suggested being far removed from gamification was quite the opposite.
He reflects: “Moving into the world of energy and utilities was completely alien to me and a totally different experience to what I was used to. But this was where my interest in the gamification of e-learning and training began and how to use it to drive positive safety outcomes.
"People often think it’s strange combining gaming and health and safety, but when you boil it down, you can apply the same gaming principles. It’s all about making the process interactive and engaging - something that is very much my passion.”
Focusing on product development, Rory’s using his experience in team and software building to drive Chorus. “Our application is very exciting, it allows us to house all our content and creates the pillar of our SaaS solution.
“An application I built in a previous role was the driver behind that company’s acquisition, so we understand what it takes. We’ve been lucky that some star players working in software development have come to join us too and the likes of Chris Toothill brings with him huge know-how and expertise.”
The secret sauce
Customers aren’t just a priority but a driving force to Chorus. The company’s product-market fit is something Iain refers to as the company’s "secret sauce”. Using their know-how and knowledge, Iain and Rory have developed a SaaS solution that remedies the pain-points their customers face.
Iain details: "You find more often than not that, at some companies, the customer isn’t the most important person in a business and that’s always frustrated me. We’re in regular dialogue with our customers and take their lead on what they need and find the best solution. Product-market fit is something we pride ourselves on.
“A lot of software does bits of what we do, but few do all of it and nobody pulls it together in a simple SaaS solution like us. New challenges like the move away from carbon based fuels need big solutions and there is a lot we have learned in the energy sector to help us create this solution.
“The blend of our product-market fit and know-how is our secret sauce. We have one platform with everything in one place for our customers that’s AI enabled, easy to manage and use at scale.”
Continuous customer listening and adapting to industry trends are crucial for the growth of Chorus. "We’re always asking ourselves, ‘Is that the easiest way to deal with that problem? How can it be simplified based on what we have done before?’, ‘How does it look for the end user?” Rory adds, “It all helps us create products that are not only effective but engaging and fit-for-purpose."
Key learnings and the future
“We knew that we were friends, but had no clue whether we could run a business together,” Rory says, reflecting on those early start-up days. “It took us a long time to finally take the leap and start Chorus. Patience was key and allowed us to take the time to develop a software product that wasn’t like anything else.
“Things have definitely picked up pace since then and our growth is exciting and we are proud of the positive outcomes we deliver to our clients."
For Iain, the transition from managing a business to creating a start-up was something that came as a learning curve.
"Building something from nothing takes a lot of time and energy. Getting all our blocks in place to keep pace with our fast growth has been hard at times. We have made some mistakes but also some great decisions. Looking back though, it’s all been key in our growth and success as a business so far.”
And on the topic of business growth, what’s the plans for the future? “We have already started expanding into overseas markets within Northern Europe and the Middle East. We have found that our approach is working and dealing with scale is challenging and exciting at the same time,” Iain says.
Rory adds, “On the tech front, leveraging AI is a key focus to help our customers alleviate consuming administrative tasks, help in decision making and aid the development of key workforce planning frameworks. Our team’s collective know-how and speed allows us to capitalise the latest advances in technology and keeps Chorus steps ahead of competitors.”
As Chorus continues to grow and evolve, the focus on user experience, digital innovation and know-how of its founders cements a solid foundation to close the safety gap of any business.
To discover the value the Chorus can unlock with your team’s training, get in touch to speak with the experts.
