Who is StepAhead?

StepAhead was founded by two friends, an aerospace engineer turned computer scientist and an economist who has built small businesses himself, on one belief: small business owners deserve the same firepower Fortune 500 companies enjoy, delivered personally and priced for a small business.

Why did we start StepAhead?

We grew up around small businesses, watching family put in full days of real work and then lose their evenings to invoices, scheduling, and paperwork. Meanwhile, the companies with engineering teams quietly automated all of it years ago.

That gap bothered us enough to build a company around closing it. The tools that used to require a corporate IT budget now fit a small business, if someone who deeply understands both the technology and the economics sets them up properly. That's the job we signed up for.

Fortune 500 firepower, without the Fortune 500 invoice.

Who are the founders?

Two founders, no account managers. The people you meet on the free consult are the people who design, build, and maintain your systems.

Filipe Botas Co-Founder · Technical Lead

Trained as an aerospace engineer and computer scientist at the University of Michigan, Filipe has a variety of expertise, from engineering space systems commended by NASA to coordinating the digitalization of industrial operations in the oil industry. Today, Filipe turns complex AI technology into systems small businesses can rely on.

Jacob Rafiy Co-Founder · Strategy Lead

An entrepreneur from New York City, Jacob has built three companies, most notably JHRcommodities which scaled to $250,000+ in revenue and served thousands of customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jacob studied economics and philosophy at the University of Michigan and business through Harvard Business School’s CORe program. He excels at breaking down complex problems and devising practical solutions.