The next generation of embedded analytics | Rogan Sage - Embeddable

Summary

In this Tech Point podcast, Christian interviews Rogan, VP of Growth at Edible, a headless embedded analytics tool. Rogan explains how Edible addresses the challenge of delivering customer-facing analytics within applications, offering a flexible and customizable solution that integrates natively without the need for extensive engineering resources. They discuss the company's flat pricing model, target audience, and the benefits of their approach, including faster innovation and improved user experience. The conversation also touches on the origins of Edible, its growth strategies, and Rogan's personal journey in tech.

Takeaways

• 📊 Embeddable is a headless embedded analytics tool, allowing users to integrate analytics into their applications with their own frontend.
• 💡 The concept of 'headless' refers to the ability to bring your own frontend, providing flexibility in how analytics are presented.
• 🚀 The idea for Embeddable originated from the team behind Trevor, an internal BI tool that has been operational since 2016.
• 🔍 Embeddable aims to solve the market gap for delivering customer-facing analytics within applications, providing a more integrated solution than existing options.
• 🛠️ Traditional options for analytics in applications involve either building a solution from scratch using open-source libraries or using off-the-shelf BI tools that may not be fully customizable or optimized for direct customer use.
• 🏗️ Embeddable offers a developer-focused approach, providing the flexibility of custom builds with the convenience of an out-of-the-box tool.
• 💻 The platform uses a web component or JavaScript snippet for integration, avoiding the use of iframes for a more native and seamless user experience.
• 💰 Embeddable currently offers flat pricing with no usage-based model, aiming to encourage adoption and innovation with the tool without incurring additional costs.
• 🎯 The target audience for Embeddable includes a wide range of software companies looking to enhance their analytics capabilities within their applications.
• 🌱 The company's journey began with Trevor, a BI tool designed for non-technical users to easily query data and generate outputs, which has evolved into the development of Embeddable.
• 🌟 The vision for Embeddable is to increase efficiency in analytics development, allowing companies to innovate faster and provide better customer experiences.

Q & A

What is Embeddable and how does it differ from traditional analytics tools?

Embeddable is a headless embedded analytics tool that allows users to bring their own front end for analytics, offering customization and flexibility. It differs from traditional tools by providing the ability to integrate analytics natively within an application's user interface without the need for an iframe, resulting in a more seamless user experience.

What was the inspiration behind creating Embeddable?

The inspiration for Embeddable came from the team behind Trevor, an internal business intelligence tool that had been running since 2016. They identified a gap in the market for delivering customer-facing analytics within applications and sought to create a solution that was both flexible and user-friendly.

What are the main challenges that Embeddable aims to solve for its customers?

Embeddable addresses the challenges of integrating analytics into applications without the need for extensive engineering resources. It provides a solution that is fast, customizable, and does not require rebuilding from scratch, thus reducing the engineering burden and improving the user experience.

How does Embeddable handle the issue of customization and flexibility in analytics?

Embeddable offers an open-source component library in React, allowing users to modify the analytics to fit their specific needs. It also supports the use of any open-source charting library and the integration of design elements from the user's own system for a consistent look and feel.

What is the pricing model for Embeddable, and how does it compare to other analytics tools?

Embeddable currently offers flat pricing with no usage-based model on top, which is different from many off-the-shelf tools that have usage-based pricing that increases with the number of users. This approach aims to encourage customers to make the most of the tool without worrying about additional costs.

Who is the target audience for Embeddable?

The target audience for Embeddable includes software companies that require fast-loading, customized analytics within their applications. This ranges from startups to billion-dollar revenue companies and unicorns across various industries such as fintech, edtech, and more.

Can you tell us about the origin and purpose of Trevor, the BI tool related to Embeddable?

Trevor is an internal BI tool started by the co-founders in 2016, designed to make it easy for non-technical people within companies to query their data and generate results. It allows for the creation of alerts, dashboards, and data integration into platforms like Google Sheets, making data analysis accessible to a broader audience within a business.

How did the idea of launching Embeddable come about, and how long did it take to develop?

The idea for Embeddable emerged from the need to provide a better solution for delivering analytics to customers within applications. The development from concept to the first users on the platform took about four to five months, and since then, Embeddable has been adopted by over 60 companies.

Is there a separate team for Trevor and Embeddable, or do they share resources?

The same team works on both Trevor and Embeddable. Trevor is set up to run relatively autonomously due to its maturity, allowing the team to focus on the growth and development of Embeddable.

What is the vision for Embeddable, and how does it aim to impact the tech industry?

The vision for Embeddable is to create efficiency within businesses by reducing the time engineers spend on building analytics experiences. This approach aims to accelerate innovation and improve the customer experience with analytics, ultimately helping businesses to deliver better results.

What advice does Rogan have for recent college graduates looking to start their careers in tech?

Rogan advises recent graduates to be open to learning and taking on new challenges. He emphasizes the importance of common sense and self-teaching in startups, where data and guidance may not always be available, and encourages graduates to seize opportunities to learn by doing.