The rise of Rella: A story of engineering entrepreneurship

There are important moments in our lives that require a little courage to take that leap of faith. At least, that is how Natalie Barbu, industrial and systems engineering ’18; Nick Kane, electrical and computer engineering ’20; and Connor Boyce, electrical engineering ’20, felt when they first launched their brand-new business, Rella, in app stores.

Rella is a digital workspace helping content creators and influencers manage their business that was initially spearheaded by Barbu, a lifestyle influencer and now CEO. From content planning to revenue insights and sending invoices to analytics, Rella manages creators’ workflow.

“We wanted to be a digital workspace that can be the backbone of content creators’ and influencers’ businesses, and alleviate frustrations for creators by being an all-in-one package so that they don’t have to go anywhere else,” Kane said.

Small beginnings

Barbu came up with Rella as a way to manage her own business. Beginning her journey as a lifestyle influencer in 2011, Barbu’s follower count began climbing as people resonated with her content following her life as an NC State engineering student. Barbu’s popularity continued to grow after graduation as she posted content detailing her life as a technology analyst at Accenture. 

Barbu has amassed more than 300,000 followers on YouTube and 60,000 on Instagram. But to get to this point, she had managed her growing business using multiple apps that did not integrate well with her workflow.

“I was wasting my time trying to manage my business through these tools, and looking at other industries, I noticed they had their own management tools, but there was nothing for influencers and creators,” Barbu said.

Noticing this gap, Barbu decided to take matters into her own hands and design her own tool.

Kane and Boyce were initially hired on as consultants when working at their own company, Collab, a software consulting firm they founded in Raleigh. They are now co-founders and work full time at Rella, and were intrigued by the expanding influencer and content creator industry

“When Natalie came along, we saw these cool applications coming out of a young industry and saw the potential in growing our careers here by being a part of the ongoing development of Rella,” Kane said.

Boyce and Kane began working for Rella full-time by September 2021, helping Barbu lay the foundation for Rella.

Moving forward

Since its launch in January, Rella has gained more than 10,000 users. They primarily consist of micro-creators who are beginning to generate revenue and have around 10,000 followers on social media. Rella continues to grow through support from funds raised during a pre-seed round and venture capital based in San Francisco.

Rella users have expressed their satisfaction with managing their businesses through the technology.

“We have been very fortunate to get incredible feedback from our users, like ‘where has this app been,’” Boyce said. “Most importantly, as we’ve continued to improve Rella, people feel heard, especially those who have been with us since the app was first released.”

As Rella finishes navigating its first year, Barbu, Kane and Boyce see the app continuing to grow. The trio are excited to bring on new managers and extend the capabilities of Rella.

While Barbu, Kane and Boyce move forward, they advise entrepreneurial-thinking students to put themselves out there by networking with industry professionals and professors, and connecting with services such as NC State’s alumni network that can help expand contacts.

“Begin talking to people who can point you in the direction you need to go and can help you expand your network, because being a CEO of a startup is about networking,” Barbu said.

Additionally, they advise students to not be afraid of taking the plunge, but to make sure they understand what they are diving into headfirst the best they can. “Take the leap and make sure you understand why,” Boyce said. “You don’t need all the answers, but understand the industry you want to be involved in, and as you build, be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”