We asked Fodmapedia founder Emmanuel, about building an app that allows users to search for different types of foods related to the low-FODMAP diet. Emmanuel has a background in product and marketing and created his first startup ten years ago with a partner. He chose Bubble because the no-code platform enabled him to iterate quickly without creating stories in a backlog, waiting for their development, and quality testing them.
Tell us about your app and what it does.
People with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) suffer from digestion issues, and it’s not a disease we can cure. Following a low-FODMAP diet is a proven diet for this disease that can relieve the symptoms by identifying the foods that trigger them. Fodmapedia is the database of food that helps you succeed with this diet because it’s a tricky one.
How does your app work?
It’s a search engine for daily use: search for any food. Fodmapedia will tell you if you can eat it or not and provide additional tips and nuances because everything is not always black and white with FODMAPs. If you find a high-FODMAP food (that you shouldn’t eat), it will offer a low-FODMAP substitute. Or will provide a picture of what exactly is 1 cup of pineapple so that you don’t have to take your measuring cups out all the time.
Tell us a little about your background and how you discovered no-code tools like Bubble.
I created my first startup ten years ago with a partner that was my CTO; I was the product & marketing guy. I first heard of no-code and Bubble five years ago and started playing with them for side projects. I liked the freedom it brought me. But when it came time to launch new ventures, Bubble allowed me to have the products right in my hands. Iterating fast without creating stories in a backlog, waiting for their development, quality testing them, and deploying them ten days later made a difference. I loved it. Side benefit: it made me a better product guy: I now only build necessary features. I start small and iterate if needed. No more huge developments of features that end up not being used by visitors!
Why did you build your app on Bubble?
Well, not much existed in the no-code world when I started! But after playing around with it, I bought a cheap Udemy course that quickly allowed me to step up my game, and with the combined help of the forum that is so active, I could create stuff that I never imagined was possible for a product guy (not dev) like me.
What have been your milestones or successes so far?
I reached a milestone of 500 paying subscribers on my initial markets (french speaking ones), with an average retention of 10 months, and with the biggest Facebook group about Fodmaps in France (>3,400 members). Almost half a million food queries have been done by users so far; it’s great to know what people are looking for and enrich the database. I decided to market it internationally more, and now I’m really into the US market, with the help of a Facebook ad agency that is helping me on that. V2 is a complete redesign and is now available to all English-speaking users; both UI and UX have been revamped.
What are your next steps or future plans for your app?
I need to deploy v2 for the French markets in the coming days, but my main focus will be marketing as I focus more on the product. As the product feels mature and retention is good, I need to work on my free trial, onboarding, and marketing. I used to have no free problem, almost all my users converted just with the freemium model (some features are restricted, and visitors were sent to a subscription page), but a free trial should help me reach broader audiences.
Learn more about Fodmapedia: Instagram (En) | Instagram (Fr)
About Bubble
Bubble is a leader in the no-code movement. Bubble offers a powerful point-and-click web editor and cloud hosting platform that allows users to build fully customizable web applications and workflows, ranging from simple prototypes to complex marketplaces, SaaS products, and more. Over 500,000 users are currently building and launching businesses on Bubble - many have gone on to participate in top accelerator programs, such as Y Combinator, and even raise $365M in venture funding. Bubble is more than just a product. We are a strong community of builders and entrepreneurs that are united by the belief that everyone should be able to create technology.
Do you want your app featured by Bubble? Reach out to us and tell us about your app. In addition to this series, we sometimes select our best apps to showcase on our website.
