Spire.io is a platform (group of APIs) for developers to build awesome apps. They are going for nothing less than being the most cutting edge tech company in SoCal (and beyond!). Just at the start of this new year, Spire.io had their official “launch to beta”.
CEO and Founder of Border Stylo, Diego Prats (check out the Lalawag post about Border Stylo here), answered a few questions about the beta launch of his new product Spire.io.
Give us a brief description of your company.
We’re an LA-based startup that makes building Web and Mobile apps easier for developers by providing the industry’s premium REST-based APIs and client libraries (www.spire.io).
Remind us about your products GLASS and the app RETROLLECT and what they are exactly.
We are still maintaining GLASS and Retrollect, and even launched iPhone and iPad versions as well as other goodies, but our focus is entirely on Spire now. We’ve done a lot of work around Web and mobile applications in the past with the idea of eventually introducing APIs for developers.
What is the new product your company is introducing?
Spire: www.spire.io.
Our first API is for a realtime messaging service and we’re rolling out a registration and login service soon. All our APIs our REST-based with platform and scenario-specific client libraries to help accelerate development. Our goal is to make the developer experience as smooth and enjoyable as we can. We’re currently in open beta and we love to hear from developers about how we can make our services even better.
What was your inspiration behind this new product?
Our dedication to a platform move was always the end-goal (http://lalawag.com/2011/01/25/la-startup-spotlight-diego-prats-ceo-of-borderstylo-glass/). That being said, three thing stand out:
1. We wanted to have a real impact in the world. We could either build a successful product which moves the industry or we could help improve the way that apps are built across the industry. We chose the latter.
2. We dedicated a lot of energy, research, and work into some small details of Glass and other apps which we could really help others more, so we should share them.
3. We actively use other services to helps us dedicate to what we do best, ever more every year. We are all the better for it. If we can save someone headaches like people have saved us, then we did well.
How does this product stand above the competition or what special features about it make it unique?
1. Quality: our APIs are truly REST-based, powered by a state-of-the-art evented worker architecture, built on Node.js, designed to grow and evolve with you as a developer.
2. Comprehensiveness: We support both Web and mobile development, and our APIs and client libraries increasingly support a variety of common scenarios that developers face. It’s not one-size fits all.
3. Security: This is really part of quality, but one of the hardest things to provide. We do EVERYTHING over HTTPS – it doesn’t cost extra. And we use a state-of-the-art approach to security based on capability security.
What’s the hardest/best thing about being an entrepreneur?
Hardest thing: Channeling creativity via simplicity and clarity creativity into doing just one thing. And making sure everyone from the Board of Directors to Engineering team to Biz Ops know what that one thing is.
Best Thing: The people I work with.
What’s one of your most successful decisions? Can you share something that’s worked really well for you that you think other entrepreneurs could learn from?
Something which has worked well: To cut out anything that I cannot explain or appreciate simply and clearly.
also listening Thomas Dunlap’s adventures (@spladow).
