Established in early 2021 as an off-shoot of Scope Solutions, a local leader in financial and accounting cloud solutions, ZeroBubble’s purpose, Managing Director Chris Ellul reveals, is to fill a gap in the market — servicing any retail operators in need of a strong partner for their retail technology needs.   

The business is built on four main founding pillars. From basic cash registers; to cloud POS solutions; eCommerce; and payment services, primarily through its recently launched ZeroBubble Order & Pay.  

ZeroBubble’s one-stop-shop concept enables them to service a wide spectrum of customers, Chris explains, “from the hawker and village veggie truck who need a no-frills and easy-to-use traditional cash register to punch in their daily sales, to more advanced users who wish to explore cloud point of sale solutions and want to drive innovation by taking their business online and into the digital age.”  

This unique approach differentiates them from other companies offering similar services, he says. “We've created a unique space where customers that have different needs can be serviced from A to Z – from small, entry-level traditional electronic cash registers (including repairs, rentals and leasing), to tailor-made POS solutions, including all hardware and consumables. This is quite unique to the island, as there aren’t other companies offering this entire spectrum of retail technology, all under one roof.”

And it is precisely this broad spectrum of knowledge that the Managing Director himself brings to the business. Boasting 22 years of experience in the technology sector, Chris began his journey in the industry in the early 2000s, “in a small shop where we would build computers out of parts, and then sell them as ready-to-use computers for households. That's where my passion for IT started growing,” he recalls. 

From there, Chris got noticed by one of the local partners of tech giant HP, and was approached for an entry-level position. “I was still in my early 20s, and working for a brand like HP was huge for my portfolio. I ended up spending 11 years with that company, working in various roles,” he continues. 

He eventually moved to one of the island’s leading system integrators within the IT space, where he continued to expand on his knowledge and was responsible for some of the company’s key enterprise customers, which are also some of the biggest employers in Malta. “This enabled me to continue to grow my network in this space, and it was one of the most important steps in my professional career,” Chris says. 

Then, in 2018, looking to gain an international dimension, he joined a world leader in the Web Application security space as an Account Executive. Things moved quickly, and within a few months he was leading the Global Channel Customer Success team, managing a team of nine people spread over three continents and 12 different time zones. 

Some time later, in June 2020, upon receiving the news that his partner was pregnant with their first child, Chris decided the time was right for a sabbatical. Apart from enjoying the first few months with their little one, he notes, “I also used this time to do some soul-searching and invested my time in personal development, focusing on key areas that I felt needed work, to get me ready for my next adventure in life,” he smiles.  

It was during this time that one of his partners in ZeroBubble approached him with the idea to open this new operation, and thus his next adventure took root.  

Looking back on his journey, Chris reflects, “every experience comes with some level of teachings that takes you to the next level. I love how my career has turned out, from the very start, opening boxes and selling PCs, to now, driving this unique startup as its Managing Director.” 

And despite being just under a year old, ZeroBubble has already experienced a number of milestones, the most recent of which being a partnership with a global leader in restaurant order and pay solutions. “We are their exclusive ambassador in Malta, and together we have created the ZeroBubble Order and Pay solution, which will help the catering and hospitality industries marry their traditional way of doing things with the innovation and digitalisation they need to increase their revenue in this day and age, where everything is going digital.” 

Setting the scene to explain what it’s all about, Chris starts by painting a picture. “Let's picture ourselves at the beach, on a sunbed on a sunny day in summer, and you’re craving a cold cocktail or beer, but no one is around to take your order. You have to get off your sunbed, walk to the bar, find someone to take your order, wait for your drink and then walk back to your spot. How much easier would all that be if you had the facility to scan a QR code, found on your umbrella or sunbed, or on a flyer handed to you upon entry, order and pay through your phone, and have your drink delivered to you? That is what the Order & Pay solution is about.”  

“Let's picture ourselves at the beach, on a sunbed on a sunny day in summer, and you’re craving a cold cocktail or beer, but no one is around to take your order."

“We understand that the hospitality industry is changing. COVID has had a huge impact, and businesses that don’t change their way of doing things are going to risk being left behind. This is the gap we're trying to help with,” he continues, highlighting the range of services tied to Order & Pay, starting from this table (or sunbed!) service, to room service for hotels, using a QR code in hotel rooms.  

“The possibilities are endless,” Chris notes, adding that beyond the benefits to merchants and their customers, it also helps in terms of keeping each other safe – an issue that COVID has very much brought to the fore. “With a tool like this, the interaction is limited but you're not eliminating it completely, because ultimately, the human element in hospitality remains a key element,” he says.  

Looking ahead, the Managing Director considers one of the key opportunities for the young company to be growing its portfolio of products, cloud apps and POS software. “Starting out in the environment we started in a year ago, and all the realities businesses were facing at the time, it was not easy to find our feet, but it helped us to consolidate our portfolio of products. Now, it's time to start looking beyond that as we continue to build our local and foreign partner collaborations to make ZeroBubble a truly unique partner hub for the retail and hospitality industry,” he reveals. 

Adding a special mention to the team behind ZeroBubble, without whom the startup’s growth would not have been possible, Chris looks favourably to the future, maintaining, “as we continue to expand our portfolio of hardware and cloud services and apps while continuing to grow our customer network, the key focus area for the coming year is to be the lead disruptor in the way technology is used in the hospitality industry and drive the change that many don’t know they need, yet! We have the right mix of product, team, vision and energy to make this a reality.” 

Citing the team’s energy and commitment despite the challenges faced over the last year, he concludes, “we've still found ways to grow and we’ve been very successful at putting the ZeroBubble brand out there in the market. It’s been a very interesting 12 months, which augurs well for the years ahead.” 

Photos by Inigo Taylor