‘Companies need to democratise innovation’ – James King

Flows is creating massive waves on the start-up landscape and with good reason. And its new CEO – GiG’s former director of sales James King – gives SiGMA the lowdown.

Flows, the start-up that’s already attracted so much hype, certainly comes with a strong pedigree. It was founded by GiG’s former CEO himself, Robin Reed. Today, it is helmed by James King, another former GiG stalwart.

Quite the legacy. Which is why SiGMA decided to catch up with James himself, to find out exactly how this start-up is creating so many ripples. What does Flows bring to the table?

In simple terms, the project strives to provide the tools to re-imagine and redefine jobs and industries by harnessing streams and API data. The agnostic integration platform hopes to empower organisations “to build, innovate and drive digital automation without code”. James acknowledges that this type of access is vital as we continue to experience an unprecedented societal shift brought about by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The unforeseen impact on the future of work has accelerated significant changes many believed would not happen for decades, pushing businesses to turn to integration to construct a future proof scalable infrastructure. It also forced individuals to step out of their career induced boxes, becoming more resilient in times of change by adapting their skillsets to “thrive mentally, physically and economically as communities.”

According to James, Flows saw an opportunity to spearhead the democratisation of innovation with the founding team, having worked for or as affiliates, operators and suppliers, experiencing their fair share of restrictions and frustrations in each vertical over the years.

“We also want to drive choice and a truly agnostic industry where operators and suppliers alike are not restricted in who they use or integrate with and also how they use them,” he says.

Flows provides clients with a fast and easy way to build, innovate and drive digital excellence without the over-reliance on their Tech and IT departments, allowing them to work on more complex projects. With the platform’s simple interface, clients can absorb any data they require, tailoring the journey by employing either pre-created and packaged flows, the company’s flows creators or its feature builder. They can then flow the data back out to any API they like, such as another database, or messaging services like Slack.

“If Flows reduces the number of projects that a company’s Tech/IT team has to deliver over the next two years by 50% by enabling the broader organization to deliver those projects, just imagine what a company can do with that additional resource as you move them from being reactive, to proactive.”

In other words, Flows will help to unlock the previously untapped potential of a company’s wider workforce, freeing up their time and skills for other business needs. The company will now need to rally as many businesses both within and outside of the industry to open their API’s to push past any previously imposed limitations. Flows and its functionality bypass legacy infrastructure and systems, the biggest blockers to digital transformation, allowing companies to grow and adapt to an ever-changing digital workplace.

The ongoing pandemic produced an undeniable global shift to the future of work as the world experienced a move towards remote working, marking what some have called “the beginning of the end of offices”. It also accelerated existing trends, increasing the need to access data, digital capabilities, and resources. As such, the desire for the democratization of technology has become increasingly more evident with many of the emerging trends such as automation and flexibility showing no signs of disappearing.

“Every part of our industry has and is facing sudden and immediate change and the imperative is to deliver fast. The pandemic has challenged all our assumptions about the future of work.” – James

Flows is ready to bridge the digital divide by offering companies the chance to reposition their tech infrastructure to what James refers to as a “self-service model”. This will allow a more streamlined remote working model and enable employees to realise and deliver their ideas in a timely and cost-effective manner. Implementing Flows will also help facilitate greater collaboration amongst businesses, strengthening the digital ecosystem within gaming and entertainment. However, it doesn’t end there.

“Every industry in the world, not just gaming and entertainment is affected by the digital revolution which has been supercharged by the global pandemic, and every company should be if it isn’t already looking to figure out how they can cope with the change and take advantage of the opportunities it affords,” James concludes.

iGathering Riga:

The next SiGMA iGathering networking event will be held in?Riga. The dinner, which is planned for the 26th of August, at 19:00, is set to take place at the stunning Royal Casino. The evening will also welcome guests from neighbouring countries Estonia and Lithuania, tapping into a wide network of the region’s top industry thinkers.

For more information on the event please contact Emily on?[email protected]?or visit our website to find out more about?upcoming iGathering events?on the SiGMA calendar.