Libryo is a South Africa legal startup that enables any person, working in any organisation, to understand the legal obligations in any situation. The startup was recently part of Kickstart Accelerator in Switzerland. We had an interview with one of the founders of the startup Malcolm Gray. He told us about his startup, the acceptance of Libryo by South Africans and his experience at the Kickstart Accelerator.
Can briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Malcolm Gray and I am one of the co-founders of Libryo. Libryo is a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform built to help businesses overcome regulatory complexity. Libryo delivers only the relevant legal obligations applicable to a specific business context, enabling any person, working in an organization to understand what it requires to be compliant. The Libryo founding team are South African entrepreneurs, with headquarters in London.
Can you tell us about Libryo and how it works?
In every region, there are thousands of laws. Law is good – it keeps us on track and it makes actions just and fair. But when it comes to knowing the law, there’s complexity – reams and reams of it. Typically, law is not well organized, it’s written in a complicated language, it changes regularly, and not all of it applies to a particular business.
To solve this problem, Libryo provides a web-based, site-specific solution that enables users to answer the question, “what does the law require my business to do here and now?” Libryo enables companies to navigate regulatory complexity with clarity and with certainty.
How will you describe the acceptance of Libryo by South Africans?
The Libryo offering has been very well received in the South African market, especially in domains like environmental and health and safety law. In South Africa, we are also now covering all regulatory law. Our sales strategy in South Africa (and beyond) is to highlight the consequences for non-compliance – both on an individual and environmental level and also to sell the cost, time-saving and emotional benefits that the Libryo solution provides.
How did you feel when Libryo was selected as one of the African startups to represent Africa in the Kickstart Accelerator?
Our team was so excited to be part of the Kickstart Accelerator 2017 programme. We knew that we were up against other great startups so selection was an encouraging vote of confidence for us as founders and for our hard-working team – our “Libryorians”. Libryo is incredibly proud of its African roots and we are delighted to fly the South African flag in Europe.
Can you share your experience at the Kickstart Accelerator? Any outstanding moments? How will your participation impact your startup?
When selected, we wanted to use the opportunity to prepare for Libryo’s launch into the European market, refine our distribution model and connect with Kickstart partners to develop Proof of Concept (PoC) solutions for the EU market. We have set up some really exciting PoC’s with incredibly innovative and inspiring partners and have also had the amazing opportunity to speak to individuals, governmental entities and large multinationals. It has been an extremely worthwhile and highly energetic experience.
What are the challenges of running a startup
Managing a start-up is fun, but not without its challenges. Between funding, content and sales there are plenty of demands, but we have an awesome team of innovators and solution-finders, who make the journey that much better!
