In this episode of the DevReady Podcast, host Andrew Romeo welcomes Anita Patturajan, the dynamic Founder and CEO of Anitech, and Co-Founder of Lahebo. The conversation traces Anita’s journey from compliance engineer to tech entrepreneur, uncovering how her early love for coding and technology, especially in Java during her engineering studies, shaped her path. A pivotal moment during an audit at CSR inspired her to launch Anitech, a business built on the vision of supporting underserved small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with compliance and tech-driven solutions. Anita shares how those formative years, working hands-on with SMEs, provided insights that later fuelled her ambition to productise risk management through Lahebo.
Anita shares how her early fascination with technology and coding, particularly in Java during her mechanical engineering studies, shaped her career. She recounts the pivotal moment during an audit at CSR that prompted her to start Anitech, motivated by a consultant’s encouragement and a passion for serving underserved small to medium businesses. Anita explains how she initially bootstrapped the business through her network, offering compliance support and tech-driven solutions, and reflects on how working closely with SMEs taught her valuable lessons about business operations. The conversation sets the stage for how these experiences later influenced the productisation of risk management through Lahebo.
Anita reflects on the evolution of risk management and compliance over her career, particularly how technology has dramatically reshaped the landscape. Initially reliant on manual tools like Excel and VBA due to the high cost of enterprise software, she now sees a democratisation of data management through low-code platforms, AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through..., and affordable tech solutions. Anita emphasises how Anitech has evolved from a consultancy to a full-spectrum service provider, offering audits, occupational hygiene, and AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... advisory, to help businesses navigate real-time data and make informed decisions. She highlights the challenges small to medium businesses face in adopting AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through..., especially around data governance and intellectual property risks. Through education, webinars, and hands-on support, Anitech is guiding clients toward responsible and effective AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... adoption.
In this segment of the DevReady Podcast, Anita and Andrew discuss the urgency for small businesses to adopt AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... and emerging tech to avoid disruption. Anita draws parallels between the rise of AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... and the early days of computing, emphasising how it’s transforming business operations and decision-making. She shares how Anitech began receiving client requests for custom AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... solutions like building an AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... agent for Salesforce, which ultimately inspired their team to bridge the gap between business needs and cutting-edge tech. The conversation also covers Anitech’s transition from consulting to product development, driven by the limitations of spreadsheets and the high cost of off-the-shelf platforms. After unsuccessful partnership attempts with existing software vendors, Anita and her team embarked on building Lahebo, a risk management SaaSThe term SaaS stands for Software as a Service. SaaS is an evolution of an application that runs on the... platform designed to offer affordable, organisation-wide visibility for SMEs.
Anita opens up about the complexities of transitioning from a service-based consultancy to marketing a scalable SaaSThe term SaaS stands for Software as a Service. SaaS is an evolution of an application that runs on the... product. She and Andrew discuss the difference between product–market fit and message–market fit, highlighting the need for precise, targeted communication to resonate with distinct industry audiences. Anita reflects on how Lahebo had to evolve its marketing strategy after initial assumptions about target sectors didn’t align with actual demand, which emerged from highly regulated industries like financial services and aviation. She shares how her startup journey with Lahebo has forced her to rethink long-held assumptions, embrace continuous learning, and adapt the product for simplicity and full usability. The key lesson: success in SaaSThe term SaaS stands for Software as a Service. SaaS is an evolution of an application that runs on the... demands agility, humility, and a deep understanding of who really values your product.
In this insightful segment, Anita reflects on the sobering realities of building Lahebo, a SaaSThe term SaaS stands for Software as a Service. SaaS is an evolution of an application that runs on the... platform born from her successful consultancy, Anitech. While initially expecting broad uptake across her client base, Anita soon realised that not every Anitech customer was the right fit, requiring a more refined understanding of buyer personas and message–market fit. She emphasises the importance of a strong, multidisciplinary team, calling out the need for “rockstars” in finance, client engagement, software development, and marketing. Over time, Lahebo’s ideal customer profile evolved to CEOs of highly regulated businesses who value simplicity and compliance transparency, including sectors like finance, aviation, and consulting. With regulatory fines reaching millions, Anita positions Lahebo not as software, but as a smart investment in operational resilience and long-term business growth.
In the closing segment of the episode, Anita shares her long-term vision for Lahebo: transforming it from a risk and compliance platform into a comprehensive, data-driven software solution. She envisions Lahebo evolving into a real-time monitoring tool that aggregates safety, environmental, and business process data to enable proactive risk management. The goal is to empower businesses to take timely action, avoiding regulatory fines and operational disruptions often caused by unanalysed or misunderstood data. Anita also outlines aspirations for Lahebo to expand beyond Australian compliance and support multinational organisations across jurisdictions. Her commitment to helping businesses stay compliant, supported, and resilient remains central to the platform’s roadmap.
Topics Covered
- Anita’s journey from compliance engineer to tech entrepreneur
- Founding Anitech and supporting SMEs with compliance and technology
- Evolution of risk management and the impact of emerging technologies
- Transitioning from consultancy to SaaSThe term SaaS stands for Software as a Service. SaaS is an evolution of an application that runs on the... product development
- Building Lahebo: challenges, lessons, and early product strategy
- Understanding product–market fit vs message–market fit
- Identifying the right buyer personas for a compliance platform
- Importance of assembling a multidisciplinary “rockstar” startup team
- Vision for Lahebo as a real-time, data-driven global compliance solution
- Regulatory risks, fines, and the business case for proactive compliance tools
Important Time Stamps
- Bootstrapping Anitech: A One-Woman Mission to Simplify Compliance (0:07 – 6:08)
- The Risky Side of AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through...: Protecting Your IP in a Digital World (6:09 – 14:09)
- Disrupted or Evolved? Why SMEs Can’t Afford to Ignore AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is a very large and broad spectrum of technologies which most people would be familiar with through... (14:10 – 20:38)
- No VC, No Problem: Building a Startup with Customer-First Grit (20:39 – 29:36)
- From ‘Everyone’ to the Right One: Nailing Your Target Customer (29:37 – 34:53)
- Compliance Mistakes Cost Millions—Lahebo Costs Less (34:54 – 42:47)
- From Reactive to Proactive: Anita’s Vision for Smarter Compliance (42:48 – 45:36)
