TheTestMart is adding a whole lot of smarts to software testing, using machine learning and automation to make the process faster and less risky. Being a part of Callaghan Innovation’s Deep Tech Incubator programme has done the same for TheTestMart.
At a glance
- Auckland-based TheTestMart is automating the software testing process for businesses through the likes of machine learning, making it faster and less risky.
- Through Callaghan Innovation’s Deep Tech Incubator and Bridgewest Ventures, TheTestMart has had the investment and startup support it needed to grow as a business.
- Alongside growing their New Zealand and Australian customers, TheTestMart is set to disrupt global markets, with a plan of attack for the US already underway.
The key really is in the word ‘incubator’. We were looking for support to help us get past that initial stage; to get those foundation things in place.
- Thomas Clyma, Co-founder, TheTestMart
Automatic software testing like no other
Software testing is time consuming and tedious. Auckland-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business, TheTestMart, is here to change that.
Set up in 2020, TheTestMart automates the testing process across a range of complex Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software especially, the likes of Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP, Oracle and Salesforce.
But as Co-founder Thomas Clyma explains, TheTestMart is unlike any other testing automation platform as it has built a library of already-proven tests that can be quickly configured to suit customer needs.
“Other test automation companies around the world build tests from scratch. They may have knowledge of the underlying system, but they don’t have pre-configured tests. We’re building processes and tests that business can use out of the box,” says Clyma.
TheTestMart Co-founder Thomas Clyma
TheTestMart is also building a collection of repeatable, ‘fast commands’ that can be used to rapidly build an automated test. All up, it means not only is testing now a lot faster, but businesses are able to reduce the risk that comes with software upgrades.
“With our platform you can build an automated test, in about the same time it would take to perform a manual test. That was previously unheard of,” Clyma says.
The technology incubator TheTestMart needed
Helping kick-start the business, Bridgewest Ventures entered into a joint venture with TheTestMart as part of Callaghan Innovation’s Deep Tech Incubator programme.
Bridgewest Ventures’ General Manager John Robson says what initially stood out about TheTestMart was its unique approach to platform-based testing. However, the global potential of the platform especially was highly appealing.
“The platforms that they’re sitting on are all enterprise platforms, and the solution they are building is common across all those platforms. Whether it’s Microsoft Dynamics or another ERP production platform, they can apply this software right across the spectrum. So it was pretty much a global opportunity from day one,” Robson says.
A true partner within the Deep Tech Incubator programme, Bridgewest Ventures takes an active part in the business’ board, and has put in place an advisory board. This helps free up Clyma and co-founder James Farrier to focus on the bigger picture as opposed to operational details, and as Robson explains, gives them the expertise needed to guide them through any challenges.
This was exactly what Clyma and Farrier were looking for when they heard about the incubator programme. “The key really is in the word ‘incubator’,” says Clyma. “We were looking for support to help us get past that initial stage; to get those foundation things in place.”
A faster, smarter way to global disruption
With the right support in place, TheTestMart’s immediate focus is growing its customer base offshore, such as in the US, whilst growing their New Zealand and Australia customer numbers also.
Bridgewest Ventures’ support will again be key, especially given their strong, established relationships in the US.
“That’s the next stage,” says Clyma. “That’s when we’ve come past the incubator stage to the enhancement of the business and you have a true partner to help you grow.”
In terms of the platform, TheTestMart is again not sitting still. The business plans to keep expanding the levels of automation and machine learning to be even smarter and faster.
“We want to get to a point where we can interrogate the customer’s ERP, find out what data sets they’re using, see which tests they should be running, and automatically build those tests without any human interaction,” says Clyma.
