Ex-Versent executives establish new technology consultancy Nexifi

A new technology consultancy – Nexifi – has been launched in Melbourne by former Versent executives Robert Frendo and Carl Rigoni, with a team of over 30 professionals already in place.

Nexifi will offer a range of strategy, product development, and optimisation services grouped around CX and digital, data & AI, cloud & DevOps, and CRM (customer relationship management), with a team crossing from Rigoni's 2018-founded digital consultancy SixSix. .

“After seven years as CEO of SixSix, I am thrilled to announce the launch of Nexifi,” Rigoni stated. “Starting a new venture is never easy, but with an amazing team behind us, Rob and I could not be more confident in what we have set out to achieve together."

In addition to his CEO role for SixSix, Rigoni has also been serving as a product and customer experience director at Versent, where Frendo has been services managing director for the past five years. Earlier, the pair also worked together in senior positions at Sensis and Australia Post.

Speaking with CRN, Frendo said Nexifi addresses a need in the Australian market for nimble, outcome-based providers; “There’s a lot of consultancies out there, but we position ourselves as an outcome-driven business. We don’t see ourselves as a project-based organisation that flies in and flies out – we’re a solution, not an ingredient.”

With the SixSix product & digital experience team transitioning to Nexifi, its dual managing directors have also made the point that in terms of recruitment (the company presently has 15 open roles), it would be targeting high-level talent, but will also have a strong focus on people & culture and place an equal emphasis on employee and customer experience.

So far, those to have joined the fledgling advisory include SixSix COO Peter Barclay in the same role, and Kroum Klutchkov as head of digital engineering, the former who likewise held senior positions at Sensis and Australia Post and the latter ex-Versent. According to reports, Versent, which sold to Telstra for $267 million in 2023, will continue its strong association as a client.

Ultimately, Nexifi champions the nexus of product, user experience and engineering; “We don't divorce the three, and what we tend to find when they come together is that we get the optimal outcome for the customer,” said Frendo. “We certainly spend a lot of time, perhaps more than other tech organisations, working on our product architecture, services ladder, and validation process.”