Overview
David Knape and Jon Berglund founded Yaytrade in 2016 to rethink resale and keep clothes in use. I joined as the fourth team member and CTO, and later sat on the board through the IPO. I built the technical foundation and the team, designed the platform and set the product strategy through a rebrand and a pivot to SaaS.
My Role
Scope
Process
I built and led a team of 11: a design lead, three product owners, two frontend and two backend developers, plus sales and content. With Kurppa Hosk we did a full rebrand that repositioned the company.
Decisions
A design system made to change
I led a design system built to change with the business. It carried us through the pivot from a consumer marketplace to a SaaS platform for fashion brands.
Ready for a public listing
On the board I took part in the decisions that led to the IPO and made sure the platform could stand up to the scrutiny of a listed company.
Outcome
Yaytrade listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market, the first company I helped take public. It became Refine Group, via Spherio Group, which runs resale marketplaces and builds SaaS for overstock, samples and second-hand stock for large fashion brands.
From the early team to the IPO
Need a CTO who stays through the next version of the company?
I build the product, the team and the technical foundation that carry a company through growth, pivots and a public listing.