Gizzada Software

Gizzada Software is a Jamaican software development company started in 2017 by Christopher Gayle and Joel Christian. The mission of Gizzada Software is to create a line of platforms which improve the day to day human experience, first in Jamaica and then to viable markets across the Caribbean and the world which are sure to require similar solutions. Gizzada Software has had a wealth of experience integrating and developing beautiful and highly functional software. They fully understand that creating client-oriented solutions requires a mixture of technical excellence and clear communication, and they strive to always deliver an innovative solution. Gizzada Software is committed to software development in Jamaica, they are a Software As A service (SaaS) provider through their platform Jamaker.com which is like a swiss army knife for business productivity and customer relationship management. In this way they are committed to helping fellow entrepreneurs and creatives manage their projects and businesses with all the tools they need in the most effective way.

Here is The Yaad’s interview with Gizzada

What is the story behind the founding of Gizzada and deciding on the name “Gizzada”?

When time came for us to decide on career paths, it only made sense to form a company together as, ever since we were kids, we had always been interested in working together, and had done various projects as a team over the years leading up to the founding of our company in 2017. Given our talents, we eventually decided to fill a gap in the local software scene as that is where our impact would likely be the greatest. Our objective has always been to create the country we wish we had grown up in, and we saw technology solving problems abroad and recognized that it fell on our generation to implement useful software at scale in Jamaica. We are also big fans of online games, especially because of how they may be used to connect with friends, for learning, and sharing experiences. So creating Caribbean-themed games is also a major part of our objectives. With all this in mind we decided to form Gizzada Software and, while trying to decide on a name, we had sat together and looked up at giants like Apple and Microsoft for inspiration. It just so happened that we were sharing a Gizzada at that very moment, which seemed fitting, as it's something we all liked, routinely shared, and it reminds us all of home. 

What are some of the major factors that Gizzada faced in working in the technology sector in the region?

Jamaica being relatively new to tech meant that the general population did not understand nor appreciate what we spoke about and therefore would put very little faith in us. This made the task of educating our community and building trust one of the most significant hurdles we faced from the onset.  We have also come across a lot of bureaucracy and gate-keeping where influential persons that are intimidated by technology and concerned with becoming redundant push back against innovation or, worse, simply don't want anyone else (especially young, and unfamiliar faces) to come in and make money from what they believe is an industry that belongs to them. Funding has also been difficult. Local banks and investors have no interest in supporting start-ups, government programmes are almost impossible to benefit from due to complex grant processes and poor communication, and we have had our fair share of discouragement after having entered pitch competitions and lost. Sometimes due to cronyism, and other times we have seen judges (maybe inexperienced in tech or business) award monies to impractical theories rather than any (of ours, or others) real projects that were in desperate need of the support to survive. So to build Gizzada we have not only put in the sweat, but have financed it all ourselves and lead public education from the ground up almost every time. 

How important do you think it is for Jamaican businesses to utilise local growing software companies, amidst the presence of international technological giants?

Historically, Jamaica has leaned into foreign companies in various industries, especially because these companies often pay bribes to officials, or offer favours that local companies simply cannot afford. This story has castrated many local entrepreneurs for decades, and it trades in the long term potential of generational growth for the short term and convenient benefits to a few. However, today the tech industry is young everywhere so foreign giants barely have complete systems that we really really need. In most cases they simply have a thing we can patch together for the time being. Without investing time to tailor software to match our audience's needs, a software simply will miss the point. And no one abroad knows the lifestyle, needs and challenges that Jamaicans face with technology like Gizzada does. One must even ask whether or not foreign entities will even care, beyond the dollars that they are able to extract. So to experience greater progress, Jamaicans would benefit the most in the medium and long term from having systems built by local developers. When in need of upgrades or repairs, calling the technician down the road is always better than sending an email to someone across the world in a different timezone who may even be speaking a different language altogether. Jamaica is its own country with dreams of being truly independent, so it only makes sense that the tech resources we utilise be built and owned by Jamaicans. This allows us to nurture local talent and help build an industry we can all benefit from. Outsourcing our tech needs will rob our citizens of new ways to earn and prevent us from truly solving our local problems with any sense of urgency. Without local tech, we will forever be waiting for those abroad to eventually have similar problems, which we may then borrow their solutions for. 

Technological and software development, locally and regionally, is rapidly growing and improving but, with limited resources, many developers have not been able to showcase the technological innovations that are being created in the region. What would you like to see improve locally to assist the development of local technological talent?

The industry is so young here that it really is up to the government to set the stage, after which I trust that the local tech community can do the rest. The government can provide grants enabling people to invest in their research & development, as well as incentivising organisations that have the ability to mentor and familiarise new creators with the other elements that will go into their ventures such as business management, marketing and so on. Some of this education could, and should, also be included in our school's curriculum so that the youth are better prepared for business when they graduate. The government's focus cannot however be to micromanage towards an obvious outcome. No one predicted that Google's search or Facebook's timeline would be worth trillions (JMD) today. So similarly no one can confidently predict what venture from Jamaica will do the same. But the spirit in venture capital circles can act as an inspiration here, where if millions are invested in thousands of entrepreneurs and just one is a unicorn, the return still dwarfs the initial investment and goes on to have the domino effects seen in places like Silicon Valley as successful companies are likely to hire and invest locally. 

What advice would you give to any young person who wants to start a technological business in the region? 

Proof/prototype is key. Whilst abroad it may be possible to get support for just your idea, that is not the case in our region. Our people are extremely sceptical, and/or simply have not seen anything similar to what you may be proposing and are unlikely to grasp the significance of what you are doing. So Gizzada's approach is to satisfy ourselves that an idea is good first, and immediately put together a prototype to utilise in our demonstrations. Even then, please be prepared for the uphill battle as you fight to earn trust, especially if you do not have a recognisable last name or significant social influence of your own just yet. Make sure that you believe what you are doing is important, and persevere. Your support system will also be very important, so find friends and family members that understand your idea, and as you progress check in with them for feedback. Over time, as your venture grows, some of those people may even join your team or connect you with people or resources of their own as your vision becomes even more articulate and stable. Please be patient with your creation and most importantly with yourself. Remember that it is okay to pivot, and it is okay to stop. If you tried hard, you learned a lot, and that knowledge will help you to make progress in any new direction, in this or in another venture altogether. 

What’s next for the Gizzada?

We are now transitioning into operating a SaaS platform we built named "Jamaker", which is a multi-purpose business productivity and customer relationship management system. Its original purpose was to manage our team's operation of "Get There" internally, but it has since evolved into a platform that our clients and peers are now also using to manage their projects and businesses. Helping other entrepreneurs / creatives in this way has been remarkably fulfilling, and so we intend to double down and ensure that Jamaker is the tool every Jamaican business reaches for when they think seriously about their future.

We see the Caribbean as a tenement yard where everyone is trying to get by and contribute to the development of the region, in their own unique way. What’s Gizzada’s contribution in this yard?

Ultimately our aim is to get involved with elevating every industry in our region. But so little digital infrastructure exists that we must first develop some of that basic plumbing ourselves. So while we work towards that final objective of building a Caribbean that is paradise, we are consistently refining our solutions and sharing them with our neighbours so that more people like us are able to have the best tools at their disposal when attempting to move their organisations, businesses, and projects forward. This is the best way we have found to make a contribution to our community's evolution so far.

Profile introduction by Paige, a member of Tenement Yaad Media