Founded in 2013 by four partners, Pedro Nicolau, Sofia Bastos Santos, Rui Couto and Ana Rosado, askblue is a consulting company dedicated to the development of projects in different sectors (financial, utilities, health, industry and retail). as a priority the effective response to the most complex technological and business challenges of its customers.
The company’s core mission is to collaborate with customers by developing and implementing new businesses, identifying and exploiting development opportunities, optimizing and transforming operational performance, and aligning information technology strategy and objectives with strategy and business goals.
Last year askblue achieved a turnover of approximately 7.9 million euros, which corresponds to a 66 per cent increase over the previous year. Although its main focus remains the domestic market, the company assesses the possibilities for growth in the international market.
The outlook for 2019 is positive and continuing growth. Based on the analysis of the behavior of the first quarter of 2019, when the company achieved a result of 2.4 million euros, it is expected that this year will exceed 10 million euros in annual results.
In order to be able to respond to the growing number of client requests for new projects, askblue plans to increase the rate of hiring and training of consultants, and the team of over 70 consultants is expected to grow.
In 2019, the company has invested in the development of the international market, anticipating to reach an export volume of 750 thousand euros in this first year. To achieve this goal, the company has invested in a team dedicated to developing the markets of the Middle East and Northern Europe. Several projects are already underway in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands, precisely the main betting regions
In the international market, askblue has been developing custom computer applications. These projects include identifying customer requirements, designing the application and implementing it on the most appropriate technology. In Saudi Arabia, the company is developing an application similar to Uber Eats for an organization that intends to market it in that market.
In response to the challenges presented by business developments and customer requests, the company launched in January 2019 a new “Business Unit”, whose main manager is Miguel Freire, askblue partner. This “Business Unit” is dedicated to the area of application maintenance services, which can be performed at the client’s premises or at the “atc – askblue technology center”, which operates in the Lisbon facility and in a new facility in Coimbra, operating since February of this year.
According to Pedro Nicolau, CEO of askblue, “The company is increasingly distinguished in the domestic and international markets, due to the diverse professional experience of its team, made up of professionals recognized for their work, as well as the proximity and understanding of their needs. customers, which allows them to develop new businesses, enhance the value chain and optimize and transform operational performance in each project developed. In addition, it is also important to mention the commitment, flexibility and quality of our services. ”