Specialist
Former executive at Quickbase Inc
Agenda
- Low- and no-code app development market overview
- Competitive dynamics among major players such as Mendix, OutSystems and Google App Maker (NASDAQ: GOOGL)
- Future value proposition, product innovations and threat of cloud vendors to pure plays and other players such as Appian (NASDAQ: APPN)
- Use case expansion and international market opportunities
- Adoption rate, demand dynamics and market outlook for H2 2022 and beyond
Questions
1.
Could you give an overview of the low-code, no-code app development industry, pulling 2-3 key trends or drivers that you think should be front of mind for investors or anyone looking at the industry?
2.
How do you see the mix of users with programmable skillsets vs citizen developers in terms of the marketable opportunity for low- vs no-code evolving over the next 1-3 years? Are any growing at a larger growth rate relative to the other bucket?
3.
Could you explain the competitive dynamics between low-code app development or pure-play low-code players such as Mendix and OutSystems, if any? Do they ever go head-to-head with Smartsheet or Airtable, or it’s perhaps more relevant for Unqork in enterprise? You discussed the enterprise use cases for low- vs no-code. What is the relative pitch to enterprise customers in terms of the cost savings and benefits analysis that goes into their decision-making process to work with a vendor?
4.
What is the future value proposition across specific verticals with more complex data or security requirements? You mentioned the value proposition for a horizontal low-code solution across industries. Do you see any specific use-case evolution or increased need for low-code, no-code application development in specific verticals – such as healthcare, financial services, government and life sciences – as the industry matures? If so, what verticals would you expect to pace adoption of these platform and solution types?
5.
Do you think there will be one large horizontal player that can cover specific verticals, and if so, how do you see that occurring? Will it primarily be through industry consolidation as it matures, or are there players capable of organic growth? Would you see the large cloud vendors as likely winners in such a scenario?
6.
What overall inning would you say the adoption of low-code, no-code is in? I’ve seen estimates from third parties that low-code appdev could be responsible for over 65% of all app development by 2024.
7.
You mentioned OutSystems and Mendix have strategies to enable their respective partner ecosystems to develop low-code proprietary industry extension plays on top of platforms. Could you expand on that trend? Are there any tangible examples or data points that exemplify whether this is happening, how this strategy is working or how effective it is? What does this look like practically in the market?
8.
Could you expand on some examples of fastest-growing use cases for low-code and no-code – such as RPA [robotic process automation], virtual assistants or chatbots? How do you expect demand to evolve over the next 1-3 years, based on some of those key use cases for low- and no-code appdev? You placed us in the top-third inning.
9.
Do you see any near- or long-term divergence in demand for low-code or no-code, based on any external market pressures – such as the increased difficulty to hire and retain software engineers? Can we use anything to delineate between demand for low- and no-code solutions in the short term, or is there enough room for pure-play low-code and no-code solutions to grow together?
10.
Could you outline the typical sales process for low- vs no-code, based on the use cases in the trends you mentioned? How does CAC [customer acquisition cost] differ across B2C and B2B, both in enterprise and downmarket?
11.
What is the pathway for driving user monetisation if we consider the freemium model, for example with Smartsheet? What do you think is the most valuable cluster segment for players who are adopting that model to target?
12.
What’s your view on consolidation and acquisition opportunities for players in the low-code, no-code industry? How do you see M&A activity playing out?
13.
You mentioned RPA and it seems to be a prevalent use case. What do you think about UiPath as a potential industry entrant?
14.
What is your 3-5-year outlook for the industry? Who might be the winners or losers in the space in five years’ time?
