Why companies rename software products

Last October, we faced a high-stakes decision at Gamma: Rebrand our platform that 30 million users already recognized, or stay the course. We pulled the trigger, despite knowing it could (and would) confuse our existing user base. But when we had 10 million users, we faced the same choice. Resources were tight, and our team was deep into critical foundational work. We knew rebranding was essential, but we didn't have the bandwidth to do it right. So we pushed it back. Fast forward to October 2024: Our user base had surged past 30 million. We finally had the resources to tackle this project properly. The math made our decision clear: Adobe and PowerPoint serve billions of users. Our 50 million was a drop in the bucket. Why rebrand at all? Our original brand had limited "DNA" – it made us feel like a simplistic tool when our product had evolved into something much more powerful. To capture a piece of that billion-plus market, we needed a brand that could resonate with professionals seeking a powerful tool for real work. We estimated the rebrand would take about 12 weeks end-to-end. Reality check: It took nearly 6 months longer than anticipated. Navigating through design iterations, stakeholder feedback, technical implementation, and communication strategy proved far more intricate than we initially predicted. Here's what I wish someone had told me about the rebranding timeline: 1. Whatever you think it will take, double it 2. No matter how much you plan, it will take longer 3. Quality matters more than arbitrary deadlines But the strongest advice I can give about rebranding? You can't rush it. If you're committed to doing it properly, be comfortable with the timeline shifting despite your best efforts to stay on track. Better to briefly confuse and then educate our existing users than miss out entirely on the much larger market opportunity ahead. The rebrand gave us the foundation to reach beyond our initial market. For us, the timing wasn't about hitting a specific user milestone. It was about having the resources, confidence, and strategic clarity to execute at the level our ambitions demanded.

Why Founders Rename Their Startups (Originally published for Slice of Startup Life on eChai Ventures) Founders fall in love with their first startup name. It is on the first t-shirt, the first invoice, the first pitch deck. It feels permanent. But startups do not stay still. Products shift, markets expand, ambitions grow. One day, the name that once carried everything suddenly feels too small. That is when founders make the hard call to rename. For Chirag Panchal, that moment came after seven years of building under the name Enerlyf. What had started with three products and a scrappy spirit had evolved into something larger. “After 7 years with Enerlyf and three products, I knew the name no longer fit the vision ahead,” he said. “The customer personas had evolved, the positioning had become more premium, and the ambition had gone global. I wasn’t iterating anymore, I was building with intent. Climyn marked a fresh start, a bold new identity shaped by experience, driven by clarity, and built for global scale.” It is the same reason Backrub became Google, when the ambition went global the name had to grow with it.

🚀 𝗦𝗔𝗣 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗔 𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲‑𝗯𝘆‑𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 🚀 SAP isn’t just rebranding; it’s recalibrating its entire approach to meet customers where they are. Here’s how the changes stack up: 🔄 🔽𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 👇🔽⬇️ 💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢 👉𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲? 📌𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀: ‘SAP Cloud ERP (Public/Private)’ replaces ambiguous S/4HANA versions with clear deployment intent. 📌𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆-𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗚𝗧𝗠: 𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗘 = digital transformation, GROW = greenfield growth. It’s about the path, not the product alone. Fully supported by fresh analogies: “RISE is Cloud ERP, Private Edition… GROW is your startup #espresso #shot” 📌𝗔𝗜-𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴: Renaming Business Apps to Intelligent Apps directly signals GenAI and semantic capabilities in workflows. 📌𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Sales, support, and marketing no longer have to decode legacy acronyms—naming is intuitive and direct. 🛠️ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 & 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗗𝗼 1.𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 – Websites, slide decks, proposals, CRM labels. 2.𝗥𝗲-𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 – Discuss “RISE” and “GROW” in context of your client’s origin: on‑prem vs start‑up. 3.𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 – Ensure everyone from pre-sales to support uses consistent terms. 4. 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 – When using Intelligent Apps, highlight embedded AI like Joule, smart filters, cost‑center summaries. . 📈 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗦𝗔𝗣’𝘀 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗼 👉2023 rebrands: AppGyver → Build Apps; IRPA → Build Process Automation; Launchpad → Build Work Zone . 👉Today’s ecosystem-wide rename marks a strategic shift toward messaging simplicity and AI integration. 🧾 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹📍 SAP’s renaming is more than a lexical update. It reflects: A 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵, simplifying how solutions align with their journey. A 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 around cloud deployment (public vs private). A 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱-𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆, placing AI at the core of business apps. 👉 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂: If you're updating proposals or positioning conversations with clients, this renaming offers a clear opportunity to realign GTM, emphasize AI value, and speak in customer terms no translation needed. 💡 👉Curious how this plays out for your tech stacks? Let’s unpack it in the comments. #SAP #CloudERP #AI #DigitalTransformation #RISEwithSAP #GROWwithSAP #IntelligentApps