A Technical Founder’s Journey: Building Quikly — Past, Present & Future

In a world where small businesses struggle with rising software costs and complex per-user pricing, one fullstack engineer decided to take a stand. This is the story of building Quikly, a platform designed to give small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) access to predictable, affordable software solutions.

Join us for an evening exploring the real-world challenges of leaving a full-time tech career to build something new — from the early fears and trade-offs to the breakthroughs that shaped Quikly’s vision today.
This talk dives into what it truly takes to go from employee to founder: identifying a problem worth solving, bootstrapping from scratch, and finding traction in the crowded SaaS landscape.

### What You’ll Learn

How It Started: The problem that sparked Quikly’s creation and the pivotal decision to leave a stable career behind.
Where We Are Now: Lessons from the first month of operations — winning 10+ paying customers and shaping an early go-to-market strategy.
Where We’re Headed: A look ahead at Quikly’s roadmap and how it aims to help SMEs scale sustainably.

### 🎙️ About the Speaker

Roland Jeffrey (Jeff) Decena is the Founder and Director of the Quikly Booking Platform. A software engineer turned entrepreneur, Jeff brings over a decade of technical experience from the Philippines and New Zealand. He now leads Quikly with a mission to make high-quality software accessible to small businesses everywhere.
He also actively contributes to New Zealand’s Filipino IT community through mentorship and community events.

📖 Read more: Filipino-built startup in New Zealand is changing how small businesses manage software costs
🔗 Connect with Jeff: LinkedIn Profile

### Who This Talk is For:

• Aspiring technical and non-technical founders
• SME owners frustrated with software costs
• Developers, engineers, and product managers
• Startup enthusiasts and entrepreneurs
• Anyone curious about the global tech and startup ecosystem

Come ready with your questions for an interactive Q&A session!