Dashdot helps Dripl make an impact: “On the one hand they are super pragmatic, on the other they have a long-term vision”

Dripl is helping us say goodbye to sugary soft drinks in plastic packaging: their healthy vending machines connect to tap water and provide healthy drinks that are good for the planet. Since they started up at the end of 2019, they’ve helped save 100,000 disposable packages. We talked to co-founder Colin Deblonde about how Dashdot helped make it happen.

Need for external technical support

Dripl is made up of two aspects: hardware and software. “Our machines are controlled by software, which captures data,” explains Colin. “We already had basic software, but it needed to be more professional and to support us operationally. We also saw that our tech stack wasn’t scalable. We needed extra hands to dig into the code and continue developing it. This was essential to our growth.”

Dripl’s in-house software developer was out for a while, so they were looking for external support. “We had gotten to a point where we were hesitating between hiring a CTO or an external expert,” Colin tells us. “The expertise that dashdot demonstrated from Day One was decisive. Once we talked to them, we knew they could take on that strategic CTO role.”

Like-minded entrepreneurs

Dashdot went beyond supporting Dripl in software development “They’ve simply taken the software component of our business off our hands,” says Colin. “On the one hand they are super pragmatic, on the other they have a long-term vision. In a startup everything is super urgent, but they really knew what to do to ensure what would pay off in the long run.”

That’s really the entrepreneurial mindset Dripl wanted in a partner as a growth company: a kind of “for startups, by startups,” as Colin puts it. “Dashdot co-founder Maarten worked overtime for us to make sure we didn’t get burned,” he adds. “He actually worked at our office to get a feel for the company and stay in tune with it. He took over our tech stack in a very short time, and the transfer went very efficiently.”

Long-term success guaranteed

Dashdot took on the professionalization of Dripl’s entire tech stack, together with Accelerate Studio who handled the design aspect. “Our programs and tools were all over the place, but they optimized our stack so that there is really a common thread running through it and a clear strategic composition,” Colin explains. Applications for internal use made Dripl more scalable. For example, Balena, an IT asset management system that can update devices remotely when needed.

“Our IT system itself wasn’t ready yet, they made everything work,” says Colin. “Now we’ve reached a milestone of 100,000 single-use containers saved, and partners like dashdot helped make it happen. We still have them on board to help out with technical issues where necessary. We’re really thankful we found them!”