With Ford and IKEA as customers, this international startup chose a Maryland HQ to stand out

This story was produced with support from the Howard County Economic Development Authority, which operates the Maryland Innovation Center and helps entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes access the funding, guidance, and connections they need to grow in Howard County, Maryland.

A Maryland startup aims to cut down on the software sprawl business owners face while juggling an ever-growing list of apps.

Gokhan Erdogdu, CEO of Columbia, Maryland-based CloudOffix, is leading the startup after experiencing this problem firsthand. In his first venture, an IT services company, customers often got overwhelmed by too many disjointed services. 

CloudOffix aims to streamline that process with a customizable platform that brings tools like email marketing, customer invoicing and live chat into a single system. It’s similar to other “all-in-one” platforms, such as HubSpot and Salesforce, aiming to differentiate itself by providing more in-house offerings. 

“We can’t change everything overnight,” Erdogdu said. “Sometimes customers say we want to continue with Salesforce in one way, but use your marketing [application].” 

Workflow automation and employee productivity tools can be mixed and matched with third-party options to fit business needs, according to Erdogdu.

Through a low-code approach, Erdogdu says its customers can customize workflows within a single platform, though the apps may not be as seamless as standalone options. 

Unlike Salesforce, which added AI features gradually, CloudOffix was built with AI baked in — and it generally doesn’t require separate licensing for core integrations and AI-driven capabilities that are often sold as add-ons in legacy enterprise platforms, according to the company.

Maryland offers a chance to stand out

CloudOffix serves more than 100 businesses, including Ford and IKEA. Now, it’s developing a discounted package for startups.

“We are proactively focusing on the midsize and enterprise side, but we also want to support the startup community,” Erdogdu said. 

Most of CloudOffix’s customers are based in Europe, where the company got its start. 

Erdogdu relocated his family from Turkey to Maryland last year to participate in the state’s global gateway soft landing program, which offers free rent for up to six months and access to mentorship services. 

Erdogdu chose Maryland for practical reasons, he said. It’s closer to Europe’s time zones, and there’s a less-crowded landscape for software companies. 

“I can have more support from the government and community here,” Erdogdu said. “Here, a personal success story would also be a success story for the region.”