Last year, a serial entrepreneur and designer co-launched a startup in Vancouver that leverages artificial intelligence to help users create and manage their own business.
Durable—the brainchild of Vancouverites Ross Howard-Jones, James Clift, and Helio Bentes—helps launch a business in less than a minute using the power of artificial intelligence technology.
The company offers different products covering different aspects of the business, such as Website Builder, Invoicing, and CRM. Durable envisions a future with more small businesses—a world “where everyone can become an owner.”
In 2022, Durable raised more than US$6 million in capital across a pre-seed and seed round from investors including Altman Capital, Torch Capital, Dash Fund, Infinity Ventures, and South Park Commons.
“We’re building this business to last, and want to help you do the same,” the company stated at the time.
We observed early momentum and an interesting business model and named Durable to our annual Techcouver list of Homegrown B.C. Startups to Watch.
In 2023, the state of artificial intelligence in BC—and around the world—is hotter than ever. As an AI-based startup, Durable sees opportunity.
“While the rest of the world is worried about AI meaning the end of jobs,” a recent statement from the company reads, “Durable believes it’s the beginning of anyone’s entrepreneurial journey.”
Four months into its own journey, Durable has announced its first major milestone: one million websites built through its AI platform.
Or perhaps this isn’t such an achievement, considering how effortless the startup makes website building and launching.
According to Clift, all it takes is the click of a button to generate a “fully up-and-running site with copy, images, a contact form, even a map that displays your location.”
“What I’m most excited about is the fact that we’re breaking down barriers for people,” the entrepreneur says. “You don’t have to hire an expensive marketing agency or copywriter in order to compete with big companies anymore.”
He says Durable makes it “possible for anyone to become a solopreneur.”
“My mission in life is to enable more entrepreneurship,” Clift, who serves as CEO, declared. “Durable is all about giving everyone access to tools that can make becoming a business owner easier.”
Moving forward, Durable is further developing its CRM technology. The AI-powered customer relationship management tool allows users to auto-respond to inbound leads and customer messages. And, as users continue to exchange messages with their customers, the AI learns from the conversation, providing more personalized responses and information the more engagement it gets.
“A million websites built is a huge milestone for us,” Clift said. “But it’s only the beginning.”
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