It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since Unboxed first opened its doors (or should we say, it "unboxed" itself?). From humble beginnings to becoming a leading force in digital delivery, it's been quite a journey. Today, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the company’s first 10 years: the early challenges, the breakthroughs, and the defining moments that shaped Unboxed into the people-first, purpose-driven company it is today.
Unboxed was born from a desire for something different. Our founder, Richard Stobart, envisioned a company that prioritised people and purpose over profit, a place where work-life balance wasn't just a buzzword but a core principle. This vision, coupled with a passion for innovative software development, laid the foundation for what Unboxed would become.
Richard was four and a half years into what was supposed to be a three-month contract at Sky. With a young family back in London while he worked in Scotland, he was determined to create a company that valued work-life balance, collaboration, and innovation.
A conversation with a friend sparked the idea of opening up his own company, bringing the first employees onboard and contracting initially with Sky. Just like that, Unboxed was up and running.
"The reason I wanted to have my own company is because I wanted to work in a company that I wanted to work in." – Richard Stobart, Founder
Our first client? Sky, where Richard had been contracting. This provided immediate stability, allowing us to focus on building our team and refining our approach. Initially, our work revolved around tech consulting, but the drive to create bespoke software solutions was always present.
The first official developer, Simon Rentzke, remembers his unconventional interview process:
"Richard said, 'Cool, let’s meet at a pub,' and that was my interview. He bought me a bunch of Ruby on Rails books and said, 'Go for it.'"
Richard’s vision was always to create custom software solutions tailored to clients' needs. The team started to experiment with new technologies, setting the stage for what would become a defining moment: the adoption of Ruby on Rails.
The adoption of Ruby on Rails (RoR) was a pivotal moment. It was a game-changer, enabling us to develop and deploy software at a speed we hadn't previously managed.
Ruby on Rails changed everything.
"At the time, Rails was brand new, pre-version one, but it had the nuts and bolts of what it is today. I fell in love with Rails and I’m still doing it today." - Simon Rentzke, first Developer at Unboxed.
This new found agility attracted new clients and solidified our reputation as a forward-thinking agency.
"RoR transformed our business. It allowed us to develop and deploy much faster." – Richard Stobart, Founder
Unboxed was early to embrace Agile methodologies, inspired by Richard’s experience at Easynet. "They were doing Agile at scale," he remembers. "They had pairing stations, daily stand-ups, and full team codebase knowledge. We took to it like a duck to water.
This further streamlined our processes, fostering collaboration and allowing us to respond to client needs with unprecedented flexibility. We weren't just building software; we were building partnerships. Projects like "Funky Monkey" for Osgood Clothing and "Tipped" (a precursor to Yelp) gave us valuable experience and helped us hone our craft. We also began working with MacKay, developing innovative mobile solutions for the medical industry.
"Stobart came from a background of much bigger projects and implementations, where they were more strict and well managed. He had fallen in love with the agile way of doing things. To this day I haven't really experienced that kind of calmness of projects than in those days. The projects were really executed well.“ - Simon Rentzke, first Developer at Unboxed.
The Channel 5 era marked a period of significant growth where our team grew to around 30 people. Projects like Holy Soap, Fifth Gear, and The Gadget Show pushed us to new heights, expanding our team and our capabilities. We even opened an office in Cape Town, fuelled by our work with Channel 5 and a desire to connect with the South African tech scene. This period also saw Simon Rentzke, our first developer, making significant contributions.
"We're working with some really good people at Channel 5. They had a strong product owner. They wanted to do Ruby on Rails. We wanted to do Ruby on Rails. We evolved their thinking, and they helped us evolve ours." – Richard Stobart, on working with Channel 5
The move into public sector work was another pivotal moment for Unboxed.
Our work with the Land Registry, providing agile training and consultancy, marked our entry into the public sector. This led to one of our proudest achievements: the development of the UK Government Petitions website. This project not only showcased our technical expertise but also demonstrated our commitment to using technology for positive social impact.
"The GDS consulting work was something I was really proud of. It was about using Agile to make a difference in government." - Richard Stobart, Founder
More than any single project or technological advancement, our culture has been the bedrock of Unboxed's success. It's the 'why' behind everything we do. From the very beginning, we set out to create a company where people thrived, not just survived. We believed that if we took care of our team, they would take care of our clients.
This people-first philosophy led us to prioritise collaboration, creating an environment where every team member felt valued and empowered to contribute their best work. Even our choice of purple as our company colour reflects our unique spirit. It's a bold, unconventional choice, and as we playfully discovered, it's a colour our brains actually create – a perfect symbol of the creative and innovative thinking that defines Unboxed.
“It was always about creating the kind of company I wanted to work for.” - Richard Stobart, Founder
As Unboxed celebrates its 20th year, the first decade remains a defining chapter. We consistently delivered exceptional work, built lasting relationships, and established strong values. We embraced innovation, championed agile principles, and never shied away from a challenge.
From those early days at a pub interview to government-level impact, the first 10 years of Unboxed set the foundation for everything that followed.
And what about the name "Unboxed"? It reflects our commitment to thinking outside the box, to delivering software not constrained by traditional methods. It's about freedom, flexibility, and a passion for pushing boundaries.
