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Netguru, STX Next and Merixstudio are the superstar software houses that come from Poznan. They are the pioneers of what Deloitte called âdisruptive outsourcingâ.
This is a hard one. Very cool tech companies in Poznan, booming city and talented professionals. Hard to say there is one "best software houses". Nevertheless we have 3 companies that rock the growth marketing scene.
What do all these companies have in common and how are they disrupting the âIT Outsourcingâ industry?
In today's article will reverse engineer their growth and show you how they did marketing, community management and employer branding in a series of 4 blog posts, this being the first one.
While we are based in KrakĂłw, and we are super proud of the tech scene here, the Poznan tech scene is something we envy ( in a good way ).
I looked into the best software houses in Poznan, how they built their employer branding and their digital marketing.
Here are my findings.
Table of Contents
Before dwelling more into the Poznan tech and IT outsourcing playgrounds I want to lay some groundwork here.
In the past, companies used to outsource to improve back-office operations through cost reduction and performance improvement.
Not anymore.
Today you innovate or die. As simple as that. Be it machine learning, cloud computing, IoT or robotics and AI, youâd better choose your weapon.
Pandoraâs box has opened. And if you do not have the right product and the right marketing skills, youâre kaput.
First, let's understand why so much buzz around Poznan and which are the catalysts for its tech market:
Because we have some Star Trek fans around the house, I want to tell you a prophecy from Mr. Spock:
The next companies are trying to do just that, are they successful?
You judge.
In our quest weâll stick our noses into what former clients and employees have to say about these companies, what products theyâre building and communities theyâre frequenting.
Next, for the digital marketing footprint, weâll analyse the website, content marketing strategies and social media presence.
First, let me warm up the conversation a bit through making some introductions:
Website: www.stxnext.com
No. employees: 300+
Revenue: 7M+ (Owler estimations)
Technologies: Python, Django, Android, iOS, Javascript, React, Angular and more
Services: web development, product design, software testing
Verticals: FinTech, big data, e-commerce, pharma, transportation, cybersecurity, gaming, blockchain, education & NGO and more
Key clients: Seerene, Verve, Hogarth WW, Pixomondo, Unity Technologies, Blocktrade, IMD Optimad, Wunderman, Vyze, Coras, Realface, BetBright, KNMP, Paze, Decernis, TBSeen, Newable Business Finance
Offices: Poznan (HQ), PiĆa, ĆĂłdĆș, GdaĆsk, WrocĆaw
Reviews: 4.8 - Clutch (44 reviews), 4.1 - Glassdoor (7 reviews)
CEO: Maciej Dziergwa
With an eye on employer branding and the other on client satisfaction, STX Next is one of the most rapid growing companies in the CEE.
According to Clutch, they are world leaders as Python and Django Developers.
In our next blog posts we will look into reverse engineering STX Next's marketing and employer branding.
More importantly how they get traffic and what are their conversion strategies.
If you want to learn more about them this video done by their CEO talks more about their values, awards and history.
Website: www.netguru.com
No. employees: 450+
Revenue: $21M - 2018 (Netguru's Wikipedia page)
Technologies: Ruby on Rails, Node.js, React, Python, machine learning, Android, iOS, progressive web apps
Services: consulting, web development, mobile development, product design, code review
Verticals: automotive, FinTech, SaaS, hospitality & leisure, education, marketplace, e-commerce,
Key clients: Volkswagen, solarisBank, Oncimunne, temi, ClickMechanic, ChaperHome, Apps for Good, Herdius, Taqsim, FundCo, Helpling, The Know, Artemest, Case.One, Motarme, SeaHub, Intellection, Tourlane, Vendr, Evvnt, Clarity, NinetyPercent, Chorus, Whym, Raqib50, OpenBooks, ForrestHill Church, ShiftWear, Hiperpool, Barometa, Helpr, Hungr, Property Detective, CD Projekt, PolicyGenius
Offices: Poznan (HQ), Warsaw, GdaĆsk, BiaĆystok, WrocĆaw, KrakĂłw
Reviews: 4.9 - Clutch (22 reviews), 4.7 - Glassdoor (28 reviews)
CEO: Wiktor Schmidt
Here is part of their story.
10 years ago they were a 3 person startup, in 2015 they got the award of the Deloitte 50 the fastest growing technology companies in Central Europe.
Their success is inspirational, not only that they grow as a company, but I believe they are one of the most community involved software houses in Poland.
They are running a bunch of meetups on product development, design, UX and coding.
They are the only Polish software house I saw, investing so heavily in content marketing. I will write about their marketing strategy and how they grew more than 1200% their traffic in just 2 years.
Website: www.merixstudio.com
No. employees: 74
Revenue: $15M+ (Owler estimations)
Technologies: Django, PHP, JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3, Python, React Native, React, Redux, Symphony, Drupal, Angular
Services: front-end development, responsive web design, illustrations & corporate identity, back-end development, software development, web applications, UX design, UI design, quality assurance
Verticals: automotive, retail, fashion, gaming
Key clients: The Julliard School, Toshiba GS1 SendinBlue FOX, Deutsche Post, HSBC, Marks & Spencer, Volkswagen, The Independent, Tesco, Payback, Bronson Laboratories, Herald.ie, Billabong
Offices: Poznan (HQ)
Reviews: 4.6 - Clutch (42 reviews), 5 - Glassdoor (3 reviews)
CEO: Adam Ćledzikowski
Remember when I said STX Next are worldâs best Python and Django Developers?
Well, Merixstudio wants to challenge that. Theyâre fast, furious and not afraid to engage in the combat.
2018 was the peak of their community involvement.
They were literally everywhere! They organized Django & front-end meetups, workshops series and attended lots of tech conferences.
For Merixstudio 2018 was the growth year: from employees (adding 26 more team members), events and projects.
Want to learn more about how Merixstudio turns growth resolutions to reality? I will show it to you in my next blog post.
So, weâve got a city bursting with technology - Poznan and three agile companies who want to make a name for themselves in IT outsourcing.
All 3 top software houses in Poznan use Hubspot as Marketing / Sales CRM. In the next 3 posts we will unfold their inbound marketing strategies, analyze their social media presence and understand their employer branding.
Until then, I'm gonna leave here some spoilers, just to give you a hint of what I'll reveal in my next three blog posts.
But our IT Outsourcing saga goes beyond Poznan. For those hungry for more than stories of software houses in Poznan, check some other successful growth stories made in Krakow, Warsaw and Wroclaw in our latest ebook: The Growth Marketing Secrets of Top European Software Houses - Poland Edition 2019.