From Support Engineer to Data-Obsessed Developer
David Fraser cut his teeth as a support engineer at Siemens Communications (now Atos Unify) in the early 2000s. Faced daily with repetitive tasks, he began building automation tools to save time—and quickly earned the affectionate nickname “Rain Man” for his uncanny knack for data insights. By December 2012, after redundancy at Siemens, David had honed both his engineering chops and his passion for analytics.
Building Robust Integrations
Stepping into Copart UK Ltd, David designed web services that linked Copart with their insurer clients—slashing overheads, accelerating claims processing, and underpinning a culture of efficiency. These projects taught him to balance ambition with pragmatism: how to scope big ideas, meet tight deadlines, and deliver under pressure.
In June 2015, he joined Ge-Mac Systems Ltd, where his fascination with extracting data from legacy machinery and crafting performance dashboards truly took off. Years of travel and collaboration forged industry contacts and deepened David’s belief: when you combine reliable data pipelines with clear visualisations, teams act faster and smarter.
A New Chapter as Purple Arch
When COVID-19 struck, David founded Purple Arch Ltd to stay close to his two teenage daughters and support their wellbeing. He bet on his technical talent and data expertise—but quickly learned that a specialist business must resist the temptation to say “yes” to everything. Early wins came slowly, but each taught a lesson in positioning and purpose.
November 2023: Becoming Software Clever Rebranded as Software Clever and armed with a sharpened pitch from Sales Geek, we refocused exclusively on Data & Analytics and Shopify solutions. The transformation paid off: our first major contract with Historic Newspapers migrated them from WooCommerce to Shopify—and unlocked fresh revenue streams through real-time analytics.
