The challenge
Fishburners was the largest startup incubation hub in Australia, a physical co-working space in Sydney where hundreds of founders built their companies side by side. For many Australian startups, it was the first place they had a desk, a community and access to the advice and services they needed to grow.
Running a hub like that is a technology problem as much as a property one. Members need a way to connect with each other, find events and share what they're working on. They need access to the services that early-stage companies rely on, from legal and accounting to design and development. And the hub itself needs systems to manage memberships, communications and the partners who support its community.
As an organisation built around startups, Fishburners didn't have a large in-house engineering team. It needed software that worked reliably for a busy, demanding community of founders, and a partner who could build it, maintain it and keep improving it as the hub's needs changed.
The brief was ongoing by nature. A community platform is never finished. New members arrive, programs change and the people running the hub always have the next idea. Fishburners needed a technical partner, not a one-off project.
Our approach
Become the technical partner
We took on all of Fishburners' software as its technical partner, working directly with the CEO to set priorities and decide what to build next.
Build for the community
We built a community platform where members could connect, and a service hub marketplace that put the services startups need within easy reach of members.
Maintain and improve
We kept the platform running and evolving over time, so it kept pace with the hub's programs and its members. Everything ran on Bubble, which let us ship improvements quickly.
The results
Fishburners had one partner responsible for its entire software stack, with a direct line to its CEO. Instead of juggling several vendors or relying on volunteers, the hub had a team that knew its systems inside out and could act quickly when something needed to change.
The community platform gave members a digital home that matched the physical one. Founders could find each other and stay connected beyond the walls of the co-working space. The service hub marketplace connected startups with the providers they needed, adding value to membership and strengthening the hub's relationships with its partners. Fishburners only ever needed one software partner, because we built and maintained all of it.
Because we maintained the software as well as building it, Fishburners avoided the common trap of a platform that slowly decays after launch. Issues were fixed, features were added and the product kept up with how the community actually used it.
For Lightning Ventures, the partnership was an early proof of a model we still use: being the long-term technical partner for an organisation without its own engineering team.
“Lightning Products has honestly changed my life completely. Before working with them, I struggled with slow and difficult processes. Their thorough expertise and streamlined methods have allowed us to ship products faster and more efficiently. Having a team we trust and communicate with effectively is invaluable.”
What this means for your business
If your organisation runs a community, membership or network, your software is part of the experience you offer. When it's unreliable or out of date, members notice.
We act as the technical partner for organisations without their own engineering teams: building your platform, maintaining it and improving it as your community grows. You get one team that knows your systems and answers to your leadership. If you need a partner rather than a project, let's talk.
