Doug Baird of RainFocus

March 25, 2022 thetechtribune

An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Doug Baird (founder and president) of RainFocus, which was honored in our:

Tell us the origin story of RainFocus – what problem were you trying to solve and why?

RainFocus was founded in 2013 to enable companies to better manage customer relationships at events. The goal was to help them collect the right data to create unique experiences for their customers and accelerate business relationships. At the time, companies had pieced together IT systems to manage event data. There wasn’t a solution that could aggregate the data collected from a portfolio of events and provide a single connection point to marketing automation systems.

We wanted to create a solution that manages events of all sizes and accommodates the variety of requirements needed to run even the most elaborate events. Now, companies can use RainFocus to drive distinctive experiences for their customers and boost business performance.

What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?

While building RainFocus and transforming the platform into what it is today, a true SaaS platform, we made the realization that marketing automation for events wasn’t working as it should. Event management systems were built on old architectures and too disconnected to drive the customer value we were looking for, so we had to build event management functionality into our platform. Today, we continue to create innovative technologies that drive impact and increase value for our customers.

Additionally, in 2021, we hit an inflection point in our growth as event technology moved entirely virtual. There was a lot of uncertainty as physical events came to a halt. We were forced to think about things that we weren’t before, and we added new workflows and functionality, all of which propelled us forward, and the things we perfected, like hybrid events, stayed with us.

This was also a personal challenge. While we were transitioning to fully virtual, we were, and still are, seeing tremendous growth with our client base. Aggressively expanding our product functionality and our customer base at the same time posed a pretty big challenge. We responded by expanding our team and hiring great talent from all over the country in the middle of a pandemic.

What does the future hold for RainFocus?

Events take up a decent portion of a company’s marketing budget (anywhere from 25-50%), and as we progress with events, they’ll continue to become a part of the core marketing funnel. We intend to be at the forefront of that growth.

We have witnessed hybrid events change the industry and how we do business at RainFocus. We will continue to innovate and provide unparalleled hybrid experiences so our customers can meet their business and marketing goals.

What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in Lehi?

I think the world is catching on to the exciting things happening here in Utah’s “Silicon Slopes”. Interestingly, most startups in Lehi that have seen rapid growth have to do with SaaS, which has wholly evolved as an ecosystem. I’m interested in knowing where the local tech startup scene heads in the near future and how RainFocus will be a part of that, as RainFocus started as an enterprise software company and now is a true SaaS solution.

What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

The most important thing I’ve learned in growing a business is that it’s all about your team. As you start your journey, find people that are smarter than you and don’t try and do it all yourself. It’s the single most important thing to be successful. Learn from them and grow as an individual and as a professional.