One of the biggest barriers to startup success is the cost of technology development.
Phil Gold, who founded management consultancy Mpulse 25 years ago, is well aware of how even well-funded projects can flounder – and now hopes to be at the forefront of a movement to change that through his no-code platform Zapt.ai.
“Thanks to large language models such as ChatGPT, awareness of the potential of technology such as ours is through the roof,” he tells BusinessCloud.
“There’s a massive and increasing demand for rapid application development. It’s changing the face of software development, and tech development in general.”
Zapt.ai, billed as ‘your technical co-founder’, claims to allow for apps to be built 10x faster than traditional methods – in weeks rather than months – at a fraction of the cost.
The platform contains a powerful set of intricate instructions and prompts which work with large language models to generate quality code – then uses this to build applications.
“It’s an end-to-end product. It includes API integration and database functionality. It has analytics, and allows users to monetise their idea without leaving the platform,” explains Gold, who founded Zapt with machine learning PhD David Fox (pictured below). “We also recently built in some customer support functionality.
“Zapt.ai is effectively a platform that empowers anyone to bring great ideas to life quickly and affordably, without the need for developers or coding.”
The $50,000 app barrier
Fox has described how Zapt is seeking to break down the ‘$50,000 app barrier’ on social media.
“The problem isn’t that people don’t want to build apps: it’s that the traditional model makes no sense for most entrepreneurs,” he wrote.
Gold, an investor himself, says a common problem startups face is the creation of an MVP (minimum viable product), which can be costly.
“They might have raised some pre-seed capital, but that can run out very quickly if it costs them tens of thousands of pounds to build that MVP,” he says. “We’re here to help them solve that problem.”
Even the tech development agencies which earn their crust from such projects see the value in Zapt.ai, he says: “We’re not a threat to them: they’ve told me that there’s a genuine need for what we’re doing because a lot of people go to them to get something built but they haven’t got the required budget.”
IRA bomb
Gold has long admired the potential of technology to drive productivity and efficiency. A key member of the consultancy team tasked with rebuilding Manchester city centre following the 1996 IRA bomb – which injured more than 200 people but thankfully did not kill anyone – he harnessed database management system Microsoft Access to manage multiple projects.
“When you’re dealing with loads of different organisations, consultants and contractors, all hell can break loose,” he explains. “A good project manager has to keep track of all the actions and allocate them appropriately.
“Everything back then was written down, and I thought: ‘There’s got to be a better way.’ I cobbled together this program that helped me manage all the tasks and actions and it worked really, really well – to the point that all my colleagues were saying ‘can you do us a copy?’
“I remember thinking at the time: ‘It’d be great to monetise that at some point.’ I never got down to it… until now!”
Gold would become a key member of Manchester’s Building Schools for the Future programme in the 2000s, which looked to incorporate tech into the buildings themselves.
He grew his consultancy practice Mpulse to several million turnover and 30+ staff and associates as it delivered public sector contracts for both local and central government before the financial crash of 2008 forced him to downsize.
“We survived,” he states simply. “Many of our peers disappeared overnight as the work dried up. Thankfully we were able to re-build over time, but the experience taught me a great lesson in that, even when everything is going to plan, you can never take anything for granted – black swan events can come out of nowhere.”
Impact of new Man Utd stadium on Manchester’s green credentials
‘Shared success’ model
Fast-forward to 2023, he and Fox launched Zapt with a model of becoming a strategic growth partner to entrepreneurs.
Those tapping into their development expertise need only shell out an initial $500 fee, with zero maintenance costs. Zapt then receives a 50% revenue share split as part of this ‘shared success’ approach, with the customer owning 100% of customer data, content, branding and business logic.
There is also a complete self-service option, which includes a lower revenue share deal of 30%.
Among the apps built using Zapt are RiskAssist.org, which acts as a virtual risk advisor simplifying the risk management process; Administrate.co.uk, a no-frills app which helps busy people keep track of tasks and actions across multiple projects; and grantfunding.org.uk, a free app that helps startups and SMEs search for grants to support their business.
“We have a good product – but we need support,” concedes Gold. “We’re not aware of anybody in the UK who’s doing exactly what we’re doing right now. The potential is huge.”
Ascend
Gold, who along with Fox, raised a pre-seed round of funding for Zapt, was part of the first cohort for GM Business Growth Hub’s Ascend Scale Up Programme, delivered in partnership with KPMG.
ASCEND mentor Susanna Lawson with mentees Dave Mansbridge of Mercury Support Ltd, Phil Gold of ZAPT & Dominic Appleby of H2Origin at Web Summit in 2024
“The regular sessions at KPMG helped to lay the foundations – from funding to legal, general strategy and marketing,” he reflects. “But it’s not just advice that you could read in a business book, learn on an MBA course or watch on YouTube – this is coming from people who really know their stuff.
“My mentor Susanna Lawson grew OneFile from a startup into a multi-million-pound business with more than two million customers… when you’re able to talk to someone like that, or ask the advice of a senior partner at KPMG, the value in that is tremendous.”
Zapt was recently recognised as one of the GM Rising Stars of Business for 2025.