Pender Ventures Podcast: Building Software That Communities Depend On
How Class Software transformed chaotic registration lines into critical infrastructure for municipalities worldwide.
In this episode of the Pender Ventures podcast, host Maria Pacella, Pender Ventures Managing Partner, sits down with Ralph Turfus, Founder, Alex Barnetson, VP Sales, and Gary Young, Class’s very first customer, to trace the full arc of Class Software, from North Vancouver recreation center lines to a 2004 acquisition. They cover the origin story, what it really takes to sell mission-critical software into government, how they achieved customer retention, and the lessons that still apply to founders building in the public sector today.
Key Takeaways:
01:50 – The Problem That Started It All
03:40 – Building the First Product
08:00 – Selling to Municipalities
17:40 – The Sales Playbook
24:30 – Scaling Beyond Canada
28:00 – How They Scaled the Team
41:40 – The Active Network Acquisition
Episode host and guests:
- Pender Ventures
- Maria Pacella
- Ralph Turfus
- Alex Barnetson
- Gary Young