Podcast Summary: The Entrepreneurs — Eureka: Building Consumer Apps for Brands in Under a Week with No Coding Required

Podcast: The Entrepreneurs
Host: Tom Edwards (Monocle)
Guest: David Brunier, Founder & CEO of Kata
Date: September 19, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features David Brunier, founder and CEO of Kata, a Singapore-based SaaS platform that empowers restaurants and retailers to quickly launch fully branded consumer apps—without the need for coding or heavy upfront investment. David shares his entrepreneurial journey, from building e-commerce and food delivery giants to creating Flash Coffee and now Kata, with a focus on democratizing technology for offline businesses.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. David Brunier’s Entrepreneurial Path

• Early Start: David began his entrepreneurial career straight after university, launching a premium wine e-commerce business.
• Scaling Food Delivery: He joined the founding team at Foodora, expanding to over ten markets in the first year before selling to Delivery Hero ([01:14]).
• Move to Asia: David relocated to Singapore to lead APAC growth and marketing for Delivery Hero and Foodpanda.
• Flash Coffee: Co-founded a fully digitalized coffee chain operating across Asia-Pacific, which later became the technological foundation for Kata.

Quote:

“I was one of those people who didn’t really love university … I really wanted to get into business and started my first company already out of university.”
– David Brunier ([01:14])

2. Recognizing the Technology Gap in Offline Retail & F&B

• Customer Expectations: Modern consumers expect seamless, digital-first experiences even for everyday retail and food orders.
• Industry Lag: Despite consumer demand, retail and F&B have fallen behind in tech compared to sectors like e-commerce.

Insight:

Many large F&B groups struggled to build high-quality consumer apps and sought ready-made solutions, often approaching Flash Coffee for its superior technology ([03:32]).

3. Genesis of Kata

• Bottleneck: No satisfactory SaaS providers for branded consumer apps existed when Flash Coffee sought them.
• In-House Innovation: Flash Coffee developed its own robust tech stack, hiring 120+ engineers and full teams to build superior consumer apps.
• Validation: Industry players repeatedly tried to license or buy Flash Coffee’s tech, highlighting a widespread need for sophisticated, easy-to-implement solutions.
• Company Pivot: David and his co-founders founded Kata to turn their tech into a scalable product for other businesses, acquiring all relevant IP and team members ([04:40]).

Quote:

“That day I realized, oh wow, there’s really something in for it if we’re able to provide other players with this tech so they can grow.”
– David Brunier ([04:00])

4. Solving Industry Pain Points

• High Traditional Costs: Building solid consumer apps in-house or through agencies often takes a year and up to a million dollars, with disappointing results that can damage a brand ([05:53]).
• Kata’s Model: Fast deployment, no upfront charges, alignment with client growth through transaction fees, and ongoing partnership and support.

Quote:

“Either you have a really good app or you have a not so good app, and there’s really not so much in between.”
– David Brunier ([05:53])

5. Kata in Action: Case Study of Guzman y Gomez

• Key Client: Kata’s first major rollout was for Guzman y Gomez, a fast-growing, publicly-listed company.
• Results: The app quickly achieved top positions on Singapore’s App Store, with exceptionally high transaction numbers (exact figures undisclosed) ([06:23]).

Quote:

“Already in the first few weeks have hit number one spot on the App Store frequently. And we’re very, very proud of it.”
– David Brunier ([06:23])

6. Expanding Horizons and Future Vision

• Beyond Singapore: Kata is now working with brands outside Singapore and even outside the region.
• Broader Ambition: Plans to extend beyond F&B into services, grocery, and specialty retail—transforming any offline business into a digital-first player.
• Tech Focus: Active development of AI features and advanced payment automation to drive partner growth ([08:35]).

Quote:

“It’s all about empowering our partners, and that goes way beyond just providing them with an app or an app infrastructure. It’s really about helping them grow.”
– David Brunier ([08:57])

Memorable Moments & Takeaways

• Movie-Like Negotiation: David recalls a CEO of a major food chain flying into Singapore, asking him to “write down a number on a piece of paper” to buy the tech, underscoring the industry’s desperation for digital solutions ([03:50]).
• Risk-Sharing Model: Kata’s commitment to share risk and only profit if clients grow sets it apart from traditional SaaS and agency approaches.
• Vision for Digital Transformation: David is passionate about making digital growth accessible to businesses of all sizes, not just large brands with tech resources.

Timeline of Notable Segments

| Timestamp | Topic / Quote | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:14 | David’s early ventures and growth of Foodora | | 03:32 | Realization of industry demand for ready-built consumer app tech | | 04:40 | Transition from Flash Coffee to Kata, acquiring team and IP | | 05:53 | High costs and pitfalls of DIY or agency-built consumer apps | | 06:23 | Success story: Guzman y Gomez app launch results in Singapore | | 07:46 | Kata’s focus on new markets and expanded partners | | 08:57 | Vision for AI and automation to empower partners beyond just an app |

Concluding Thought

David Brunier and Kata are leading a shift in how offline industries adopt technology, transforming costly, risky IT projects into agile partnerships that are accessible to all. Their journey epitomizes how entrepreneurial insight and deep industry experience can drive sector-wide innovation.

For more on Kata and its mission, visit kata.sg.