October 3, 2018
For the second time this year, Accelerance visited Ukraine to investigate the capabilities of custom software development firms. Last Spring we went to Kiev - in central Ukraine. This time, we went to Lviv to meet the top software development company in western Ukraine. The city felt like a college town crawling with energy and tech students. And on the outskirts, we found modern offices with tight security. It was a striking juxtaposition against the rich history and tradition that surrounded us in the city center.
Silicon Valley… Really?
The software company we visited told us, “Lviv is the Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe.” Really? It seems that every city with a solid tech scene identifies itself as the Silicon Valley of something or other. The iconic California region is synonymous for a mature software industry, tech innovation and growth, a superior engineering culture and plenty of job opportunity that draws young and seasoned developers in droves. With Lviv, the comparison is justified. As an example of impressive innovators, Whatsapp founder Jan Doum and Paypal cofounder Max Levchin are both from Lviv.
Companies like Samsung, Oracle and Microsoft have already discovered the talent and cost savings in the region and have established offshore offices. This implies maturity in custom software development in Ukraine. But with an engineering workforce that’s expected to double to 200K workers in the next 2 years, there’s plenty of software talent to go around. We were impressed to learn that Ukraine has 1% of the world’s population and an impressive 6% of the worlds physicists, chemists, mathematicians, biologists, computer programmers.
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1000 Developers (and Free Massages?)
Imagine a pool of 1000 software developers to pick from. And more ready and waiting in the wings.The software company we went to vet and verify is the largest tech firm in western Ukraine, with more than 1000 developers and the ability to ramp up large, dedicated teams in a matter of weeks. Their software testing, QA, design and development programs for startups were impressive.
We were just a little jealous of the free massages offered to every employee. Seriously. I need that perk.
Travel Bonus: Get Your Head Set on Fire
Our team has traveled all over the world to investigate software companies. We’ve seen some exciting software outsourcing destinations like… Puerto Rico where we visited the rain forests, Peru where we climbed Machu Picchu. We went to India to learn whether software outsourcing is still a thing, then to Pakistan to meet .NET talent and even Sri Lanka to find outsourcing talent. You could say we’ve been all over the world and seen a lot. Still, on this trip, Lviv blew us away as a top outsourcing destination.
In Lviv, you’ll not only find some of the best software development companies in Ukraine, you’ll also want to be sure to get that travel budget approved and travel to meet your software team in person. Accelerance always recommends that you visit your software outsourcing partner regularly. With Lviv, you’re going to love the travel perk.
You’ll discover a walkable city that many travel blogs refer to as “Little Paris”. The city is famous for museums, coffee (which they stole from the Persians), chocolate which was actually incredible, and plenty of churches to explore. We found activities for every tourist taste on your team - from history, architecture and opera to rock bands, vodka towers, a beer museum, and hidden basement cafes that literally set your head on fire.
All in all, outsourcing your software development to Lviv will not only be a great business decision, but you’ll look forward to visiting your development partner again and again.