Anaplan founder launches new startup Kaleidoscope in UK

Michael Gould, a veteran technology entrepreneur known for founding Anaplan, has launched a new venture named Kaleidoscope from his home in North Yorkshire.

Gould, who has a Mathematics degree and a Master's in Computation from Oxford University, has been a software engineer and technology entrepreneur for over 40 years. Following Anaplan's successful initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, he embarked on his new endeavour with Kaleidoscope, with just a fortnight's break in between.

The new business planning software platform is aimed at empowering businesses to make confident decisions by simplifying the processes of analysis, forecasting, and planning. The platform addresses decisions related to product offerings, stock levels, production costs, and cash flow with an accessible and powerful solution designed to streamline operations in a complex, uncertain world.

The company is actively collaborating with several small businesses through an early adopter programme, where these businesses gain free access to Kaleidoscope's tools in exchange for feedback on their experience.

Michael Gould stated, "I finished with Anaplan intending to start again because I recognised that there was an unsolved problem. It was always my intention to build a system where users can create a logical data model that naturally reflects what is happening in the real world, and we made some progress toward that at Anaplan. But we found that the system still wasn't a match for the complexity of the real world. This time around we have a good idea of how to solve this."

Gould has acknowledged the limitations faced by smaller businesses in adopting existing modelling software, which often requires external consultancy services to implement. "We've also recognised that most modelling software out there is not accessible to smaller businesses. They can't afford to bring in external consultants to implement such complex, heavy-duty systems. So initially we're trying to provide a modelling platform for these smaller companies," he explained.

To enhance accessibility, Kaleidoscope is focusing on offering out-of-the-box templates, which allow businesses to start with ease. However, these solutions will be different from what the industry has seen previously. Gould noted, "This has been tried many times over the years in our industry, but it has never been done successfully. Out-of-the-box solutions are either too simple - trying to solve only the most basic things that everyone has in common - or too complex - trying to do everything for everyone. We recognised that users need to be able to assemble their solutions from smaller building blocks that plug together, so they can get to a solution that really works for their business. This is a problem that just hasn't been solved, either in spreadsheets or any of the bigger enterprise systems."

Replacing spreadsheets in business planning is a key goal for Gould. "Spreadsheets are incredibly easy to get started with, but then they quickly become very complicated if you're trying to plan your business with them. That's why we want Kaleidoscope to replace the use of spreadsheets for business planning," he stated.

Gould emphasised that Kaleidoscope will pursue a measured growth strategy compared to venture capital-backed companies. "We are taking our time to get to the point where we have a product that starts to get traction in the market. This is in contrast to a VC funded company that expects very fast growth by ramping up the sales team and engineering team, and is only focused on bringing the next customer deal. Our approach involves improving the product until it begins to sell itself. It will take a longer time to get there, but we believe the product will be better," he conveyed.

Kaleidoscope operates as a fully remote company from the UK, with a team of 18 employees, and is currently expanding its workforce.