Shaping up for new age
GOLD Coast entrepreneurs Chris Greben and Ryan Mets have their sights set on helping surfshop owners ride the digital wave while connecting to a global marketplace.
The pair founded Boardcave.com in 2012 – a website that brings together surfboard buyers with leading shapers from around the world – and launched the search engine in Australia, Brazil and the US.
Two years ago the pair started Cavewire to sell licences for their software, which was used to develop Boardcave.com.
Customers, including manufacturers, suppliers and retailers, use the technology and its user network to track and update inventory, order products and process sales.
Mr Mets said the platform has been used to process $35 million in sales over the past 12 months. He said there were more than 1000 users around the world in countries including Australia, the US, Thailand, Vietnam and China.
“We started to market the software because we were approached by companies interested in how we were managing orders brands,” he said.
“Basically we have streamlined the process by enabling customers to do a range of things including tracking orders from production right through to delivery.”
Cavewire’s success comes as a new report from NBN Co shows small businesses trading internationally add $2 billion to the value of Australia’s exports annually.
NBN Co is rolling out the nation’s high-speed broadband network.
Mr Mets, whose Burleigh Heads-based business uses the NBN, said bricks-andmortar retailers were a key focus.
“We want to help retailers compete rather than missing out on sales. If a client comes in looking for a surfboard that isn’t in stock, the owner can look it up in the inventory and find the nearest supplier.”
Mr Mets said the software could also be used to automatically update information to systems including pointof-sale units and websites.
The company has also recently launched to the market software for creating 3D surfboard models, which Mr Mets said, would enhance the instore customer experience. for 30