Although a country with a relatively small population, Croatia has one of the most developed IT industries in the region.
Over recent years, the Croatian economy is being pushed forward by its IT industry, as its exports of in 2021 exceeded €1.2bn, thus reaching a share of 6.4 percent in Croatia’s total exports.
With more than 35,000 employees in that branch, Croatian IT companies have had an outstanding performance during the last few years, especially when compared to other industries. In this article, The Recursive takes a look at which are the companies that are driving the Croatian IT industry.
M SAN Grupa
Revenue for 2021: €291M
Founded in 1995, M SAN Grupa is a privately held company and currently the largest IT company on the Croatian market.
The core business of the company is the distribution of computer hardware, software and consumer electronics. The Croatian company has more than 800 employees and in addition to M SAN Grupa in Croatia, the group comprises a number of regional companies such as Kim Tec Serbia, Kim Tec Bosnia and Herzegovina, Pakom Kompani Macedonia, Kim Tec Montenegro, and AskTec Kosovo, and has more than 6,100 partners.
Ericsson Nikola Tesla
Revenue for 2021: €209M
Ericsson Nikola Tesla is the Croatian affiliate of the Swedish telecommunications equipment manufacturer Ericsson. Named after the inventor Nikola Tesla, the company is the largest specialized provider of modern telecommunications products, solutions and services in Central and Eastern Europe, related to the health care, transport, state administration, communal activities and multimedia communication sectors.
The main focus of the company’s products are in the segments of 5G, cloud and IoT, and basic activities include sales and marketing in Croatia, on foreign markets and within the Ericsson group, R&D, creation and implementation of complete communication solutions in the operator segment, and solutions for the industry and society.
The company has 3,200 employees, almost a half of whom work in the largest domestic R&D center.
King ICT (part of M SAN Grupa)
Revenue for 2021: €96M
KING ICT is a system integrator specializing in advanced ICT solutions. Based on new technologies, the cloud and mobile first principle, the company creates innovative enterprise solutions. such as ERP, MS and employee efficiency management products such as HRplus.
The company also builds data centres, optimizes IT infrastructure, introduces security solutions and develops new ways to manage information, leading to the creation of products such as the BI business reporting system and GIS solutions for the exchange of spatial information.
Based in Zagreb, KING ICT includes a number of specialized companies, including Aktivis, specialized in document management; Smart Energy, specialized in implementing measures in the area of energy efficiency; and Planet IX, specialized in the use of artificial intelligence and its applications in data processing, robotics, drones, and pilotless aircraft. The company is also present in other countries in the region such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia.
Combis (part of Hrvatski telekom grupa)
Revenue for 2021: €75M
Combis is a regional high-tech ICT company focused on development of applications, communication, security and system solutions and provisioning of services. The company also sells computer and communication equipment, and provides software support services.
Founded in 1991, the company has been present on the market for more than 30 years, and in 2010 it became a part of the HT (Croatian telecom) Group.
Today, Combis has more than 400 employees, has implemented around 1000 successful projects in Croatia and abroad, 900 professional certificates and more than 70 technology partners worldwide.
Span
Revenue for 2021: €73M
Span is a global IT company based in Croatia, specializing in providing professional services for the design and development of information systems and technical customer support for business users and large corporate enterprises.
The company has more than 30 years of global experience in digital business transformation, having its services and solutions already being used by global companies such as McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Nando’s.
Span group currently employs over 650 people, with its affiliate companies located in the UK, USA, Slovenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Germany, Switzerland and Moldova.
Microline
Revenue for 2021: €63M
Founded In 1989, Microline is a Croatia-based company mainly engaged in wholesale of computers, computer components, printers, and office supplies.
About 85-90% of the company’s total sales are performed online, with its customer base including various companies, retail chains and individual clients in Croatia. The company also exports a portion of its output to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary.
Infobip
Revenue for 2021: €62M
Communications software company Infobip is Croatia’s first unicorn and a global leader in omnichannel engagement, with a broad range of messaging channels, tools and solutions for advanced customer engagement, authentication and security.
Founded in 2006, over the last 15 years the company has managed to open more than 65 offices in 6 continents and over 3,000 experts. Today the company is one of the world’s largest providers of A2P SMS services.
Last year the company also acquired global VoIP provider Peerless Network, outlining its international growth strategy and ambition to expand into the US market.
Links
Revenue for 2021: €49,6M
Founded in 2001, Links is a leader in the sale and production of computers and computer components. We are present throughout Croatia with 12 specialized stores in 11 cities, as well as a webshop with over 8,000 items.
With more than 140 employees in 14 offices across the country, the company’s main goal is optimal coverage of workplaces and a continuous growth in revenue. With a package of services related to the sale of computers (expertise, speed, availability, warranty), the company aims to enable the market with quality solutions.
NETS CEE
Nets CEE is a Croatian provider of payment solutions, dedicated to processing card transactions, offering digital, security and authentication payment solutions.
The company processes 1.5 million transactions per day and 560 million yearly on average. Established in 2009, in 2018 the company became part of Concardis Payment Group, a leading provider of digital payment solutions in DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), and in 2019 they became part of Nets Group, leading payment provider in Scandinavia.
APIS IT
Revenue for 2021: €47M
APIS IT is a Croatian IT company, founded at the end of 2005 by the contract between the Croatian Government and the City of Zagreb, to develop and trace the implementation of the directions, norms and politics in eGovernment.
APIS IT also gives support to the bodies of the government administration in the development of its own strategy in eBusiness, while also developing a common ICT infrastructure in the country.
Since 2019, APIS IT has been a partner to the Central State Office for the Development of the Digital Society in the establishment of the Center for Shared Services (CDU), as a strategic EU project of Croatian public administration, aimed at consolidating the state’s information infrastructure and creating a private public administration cloud.
Source: Bisnode/Dun & Bradstreet (https://www.dnb.com/hr-hr/)
