Here is a collection of well-funded tech companies and startups that fully or partially outsource development to Ukraine through their own R&D or IT outsourcing vendors. We have included in the list only those companies that raised over $2m in funds and can be identified in public sources as companies that have built teams of outsourced developers in Ukraine. Hope you enjoy the read!
1) Smartling
What they do: Smartling is a cloud-based translation management system that helps localize content across a variety of devices and platforms.
What’s interesting about them: Smartling was recognized by G2Crowd as the leader in the “G2 Crowd Grid® for Translation Management” for winter 2019. At the beginning of this year, the company reported that it increased its language services bookings by a whopping 211% year-over-year. Among its clients are such famous brands as Slack, Vimeo, Pinterest, Kodak, TED, Spotify, Shutterstock, SlideShare, and many others.
Funding: $63.1m
Headquarters: New York, USA
Development team location: Dnipro, Ukraine
Company size: 51-200 employees
2) Shape
What they do: SHAPE is a Germany-based startup that offers a number of products under a broad range of categories including instant messaging, social networking, productivity, utilities, entertainment, etc.
What’s interesting about them: SHAPE is a developer of IM+, Business Card Reader, iDisplay, Sicher that have millions of users around the globe. Over the years, it has built partnerships with leading mobile device manufacturers, resellers, OEMs, and online distributors such as Google, Apple, Appia, Oracle, and more. SHAPE claims to be a leading cross-platform independent software vendor and a web-based services provider.
Funding: $10m
Headquarters: Stuttgart, Germany
Development team location: Odesa, Ukraine
Company size: 51-200 employees
3) Jelastic
What they do: Jelastic, Inc., is a multi-cloud platform-as-a-service that provides cloud-based configuration tools for developers, as well as project management tools for IT departments.
What’s interesting about them: In 2018, Jelastic was awarded the “Java Duke Choice Award”. The platform helps to speed up software development, reduce the cost of IT infrastructure, improve uptime and security. It supports Java, PHP, Ruby, Node.js, Python, .NET, Go environments, as well as Docker and Kubernetes clusters. Moreover, Jelastic offers advanced collaboration, access control, monitoring, backup and disaster recovery, built-in billing and business analytics tools.
Funding: $7.1m
Headquarters: Palo Alto, CA, USA
Development team location: Zhytomyr, Ukraine
Company size: 51-200 employees
4) Currencycloud
What they do: Currencycloud is a B2B platform that delivers cross-border payments as a cloud service.
What’s interesting about them: Currencycloud was named as one of the UK’s most successful digital companies as part of Tech Nation’s Future Fifty 2019 cohort. Recently, the company has partnered with Visa to streamline innovation in cross-border and travel payments. The Ukrainian software development company N-iX has helped the company to extend its engineering capabilities ensuring the scalability and security of the solution.
Funding: $68,1m
Headquarters: London, UK
Development team location: Lviv, Ukraine (N-iX)
Company size: 51-200 employees
5) Elementum
What they do: Elementum is a supply chain automation platform that unifies procurement, logistics, manufacturing, and inventory operations in real time.
What’s interesting about them: In 2017, Elementum was named Glassdoor's Best Place to Work for the second year in a row. The Germany-based chemical company, BASF, was one of the first companies to leverage Elementum's Platform. Now, among company’s clients are OSI, Dyson, Flex, Office Depot, and others.
Funding: $67m
Headquarters: Mountain View, California, USA
Development team location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Company size: 201-500 employees
6) RateSetter
What they do: RateSetter is a leading peer-to-peer lending service in the UK.
What’s interesting about them: The company allows its users to lend and borrow money directly from each other according to their own interest rates. The software development team at N-iX has helped the company to move to the microservice architecture and modernize the tech stack. And thanks to its flexibility, Ratesetter has achieved this year the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category.
Funding: £43m
Headquarters: London, UK
Development team location: Lviv, Ukraine (N-iX)
Company size: 201- 500 employees
7) DisclosureNet
What they do: DisclosureNet provides cloud-based and in-house enterprise disclosure management solutions and services that improve the quality of internal and external reporting.
What’s interesting about them: The company serves clients across the U.S. and Canada including Allscripts, Aon Hewitt, Deloitte, Hasbro, Duke Energy, Sears, Torys, Osler, and KPMG. In 2016, a leading provider of software and services for equity compensation and financial disclosure management and reporting Certent, Inc. acquired DisclosureNet.
Funding: $10m
Headquarters: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Development team location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Company size: 51-200 employees
8) CloudMade
What they do: CloudMade is a London-based startup that leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence to build software solutions for the car industry.
What’s interesting about them: In 2018, CloudMade had run 70 proof of concept projects with 7 car makers in North America, Europe, and Japan. CloudMade provides automotive manufacturers, OEM consumer electronics companies, and apps developers with a range of innovative tools and APIs that let them create unique location-based devices and applications across all major web and mobile platforms.
Funding: €12m
Headquarters: London, UK
Development team location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Company size: 51-200 employees
9) Adswizz
What they do: AdsWizz is a leading technology company that provides advertising and analytics solutions for the digital audio industry.
What’s interesting about them: In 2018, AdsWizz was acquired by Pandora, the largest digital audio publisher in the US. The company’s clients include Coca-Cola, Dell, Amazon, Rogers, Deezer, TuneIn, and many others.
Funding: €2m
Headquarters: San Mateo, CA, USA
Development team location: Lviv, Ukraine
Company size: 51-200 employees
Why do businesses outsource development to Ukraine?
IT outsourcing in Ukraine has seen a rapid boost in recent years. According to SkillValue, Ukraine ranks 8th among the world’s top countries with the best programmers with an average score of 91.26%. And in 2018, the Global Sourcing Association recognized Ukraine as the UK’s top delivery destination of the year. Here come the reasons why so many leading companies choose to outsource development to Ukraine.
Large tech talent pool
Ukraine is home to the fastest-growing number of IT professionals in Europe. This figure ranges from 166,000 to 184,500 software developers. Most of them work in outsourcing software development companies in Ukraine.
Wide tech expertise
Ukraine is a powerhouse of software developers with unmatched expertise in Java, JavaScript, Python, .Net, Ruby, Scala, and other technologies. Ukrainian IT specialists have experience working in outsourced development teams delivering solutions across a variety of industries including finance, healthcare, hospitality, telecom, energy, etc.
Cultural affinity
Ukraine is culturally close to Western culture, so its people share the same values and business ethics. Ukrainian software developers are always willing to speak their mind, suggest additional waves of the product development, and contribute to the success of the product.
Geographical and time proximity
Ukraine’s convenient geographical location creates favorable conditions for foreign investors to set up an outsourced development team in Ukraine. Visa-free travel to the EU countries eliminates extra headaches and expenses. There is a small time difference with major European cities and the short flight distance between Ukraine and other European countries. As for the working hours in the USA and Ukraine, it’s always possible to find at least a three-hour overlap to communicate with an outsourced team.
Wrap-up
Ukraine has a competitive advantage over other IT outsourcing destinations in Eastern Europe. Businesses that have outsourced development to Ukraine are now experiencing great results. If you are looking for a reliable partner for your next project, consider Ukrainian software developers. Should you need any help on how to outsource development to Ukraine, don’t hesitate to talk to our expert.
