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This week on Tech Teams Today I sat down with ProcessMaker Founder Brian Reale. Brian’s journey is anything but typical: from his early days selling modems in Miami to starting Bolivia’s first ISP, and eventually bootstrapping ProcessMaker for nearly two decades before raising $45 million in funding. What followed was an in-depth discussion on entrepreneurship, taking strategic risks, and how AI is reshaping the future of automation. Here are some of the highlights from our conversation.
Embracing the Unexpected: From Selling Modems to Bolivia’s First ISP
One of the first things that struck me about Brian was his willingness to take risks—big ones. During the episode, Brian shared the wild story of how he went from selling modems in Miami to starting Bolivia’s first internet service provider. With no prior telecom experience, he found himself learning on the fly, driven by the challenge of building something entirely new.
As Brian explained, the opportunity came up unexpectedly, and he simply ran with it. The lesson here is one I think every product or engineering leader should take to heart: sometimes the biggest opportunities don’t come from careful planning—they come from being open to change and learning as you go.
Building ProcessMaker: A Bootstrapped Journey of Resilience
After selling the ISP and navigating the fallout of the dot-com crash, Brian founded ProcessMaker, a business process management software company that started as a small open-source project. For nearly 20 years, ProcessMaker was entirely bootstrapped while steadily growing—a rarity in today’s startup world, where VC funding is often seen as the first step. This part of Brian’s story resonated with me because it speaks to the value of playing the long game.
It was fascinating to hear how ProcessMaker’s slow and steady growth turned into a global leader in workflow automation, especially in industries like banking and higher education. By staying laser-focused on delivering value, Brian was able to build a business that has endured and grown consistently for over two decades. It’s a reminder that not every company needs to chase hyper-growth from day one; sometimes the key to success is persistence and resilience.
Taking Strategic Risks: From Bootstrapping to PE Funding
Eventually, in 2021, Brian decided it was time to take ProcessMaker to the next level, raising $45 million in private equity. We talked about how this shift changed the way the company operated—from increased pressure to scale, to more accountability, and ultimately, faster growth.
What stood out to me was how strategic risk-taking played a role in every phase of Brian’s journey. Whether it was betting his life savings on an ISP in Bolivia or finally accepting PE funding after years of bootstrapping, Brian’s story is a masterclass in balancing risk with reward. He made sure to stress the importance of finding the right investors who align with your long-term vision—funding can be a rocket ship for growth, but only if you have the right co-pilots.
AI and the Future of Automation: Supercharging, Not Replacing Teams
Of course, no conversation in 2024 would be complete without diving into the impact of AI on the industry. ProcessMaker has made significant strides in integrating AI into its workflow automation platform, and Brian shared how AI is transforming everything from customer support to developer productivity.
But what I found most compelling was Brian’s take on AI’s role in engineering teams. Rather than seeing AI as a threat to jobs, Brian believes that AI is supercharging teams by automating repetitive tasks and freeing up engineers to focus on more strategic, creative work. It’s not about replacing talent—it’s about enabling them to do more with less.
We also talked about AI’s limitations. As Brian noted, AI is great at handling 80% of the work, but there’s always that critical gap where human judgment, creativity, and decision-making come into play. For complex business processes, AI is a tool to enhance productivity, but it still needs strong orchestration from talented teams.
Key Lessons for Engineering and Product Leaders
If there’s one recurring theme from my conversation with Brian, it’s adaptability. Whether it was pivoting from modems to ISPs or navigating the leap from bootstrapped to PE-funded, Brian showed time and again that the ability to adapt is a critical skill for any leader. And in today’s rapidly changing tech landscape, that’s more true than ever.
For product and engineering leaders, Brian’s journey offers several key takeaways:
- Embrace the unexpected. Some of the best opportunities come from the least expected places.
- Play the long game. You don’t have to chase growth at all costs—sometimes slow, steady progress builds the strongest foundation.
- Strategic risks are worth taking. Whether you’re bootstrapping or raising VC, calculated risks are a necessary part of scaling a business.
- AI is a force multiplier. Use AI to supercharge your teams, not replace them. It’s about amplifying human potential, not automating it away.
Closing Thoughts: A Journey Worth Listening To
Brian’s journey from selling modems to leading a global workflow automation company is a testament to the power of persistence, risk-taking, and adaptability. For anyone in tech—especially engineering and product leaders—his story is packed with valuable insights that can help you navigate the complexities of building resilient teams and businesses in today’s fast-changing world.
If you haven’t listened to the episode yet, check out the full conversation on all major podcast platforms. It’s a deep dive into the realities of entrepreneurship, AI, and the future of tech that you won’t want to miss.
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