Melbourne-based Bugwolf says its gamified approach to beta testing saves money and speeds the testing process.

The aim is to "de-risk digital product launches," CEO and founder Ash Conway (pictured) told iTWire. Teams of beta testers compete with each other to spot problems, particularly in the functionality, user experience and user interface areas.

This makes work more interesting for the testers, and gives better results for the company's clients, which include Australia Post, IBM, NAB, and Penfolds.

"We're across quite a few different markets," he said. "We're dealing with a large percentage of the top 10" companies in Australia, as well as organisations in other parts of the world.

Anything from web applications to native mobile apps can be tested, and Bugwolf's platform can be run wherever clients need it.

Bugwolf can provide its clients with testers, or they can bring their own. Thousands of testers can be brought to bear if necessary, and it is possible to arrange for teams in different parts of the world (e.g., to test multilingual applications).

Depending on what's being tested, the return on investment enjoyed by Bugwolf customers ranges from 300% to 1000%, said Conway.

The most recent platform to be added is IBM's Bluemix enviroment, and the migration took just 12 hours.

Working with IBM has put Bugwolf in contact with "customers we wouldn't normally have access to," Conway told iTWire, adding that several of these customers will be coming on stream during 2015.

While the company has financially bootstrapped so far, Bugwolf may seek external funding during the year to help it reach global markets.