Transition from Startup to Growth Phase in a Software Development Company. A Case Study of Ramsalt Lab AS

Abstract

Aim for most of the companies is to grow in size and in terms of revenue; more specifically for startup companies. In addition companies, in pursuit of growth, strive to elevate the level of customer satisfaction as they consider their clients to be the driving force for success. In this thesis we explore how such growth aims have enabled one IT-consultancy company in Tromsø to develop their strategy. The thesis is predominantly based on the review of theoretical concept and assimilation of these concepts to understand the case study of Ramsalt Lab AS.

In essence our thesis is driven by the topic based on a case study of Ramsalt Labs AS and their transition from startup to growth phase.

Ramsalt Lab AS (Ramsalt) is a consultancy company that currently delivers services related to web development. Their customers include organizations that organize one-time and recurring events, newspapers and universities. The services they deliver include the use of a Content Management System (CMS) named Drupal, which is an open source platform. This is a framework in which Ramsalt Lab AS wants to be a market leader. Recently Ramsalt modified their business model from being an exclusive IT-consultancy company to a more hybrid version of business model. This enables them to stay as a consultancy company at the core but also utilize the benefits of product oriented firms.

Our thesis has explored Ramsalt’s experience with the launch Ramsalt Media as a standardized spin-off product. Furthermore, we have attempted to create a model (Spin-off Opportunity Model) which will assist Ramsalt to adopt similar strategy of spin-off products in other market segment and thus enabling them to grow. We also believe that the model created in this document will be further explored and can be applied by other companies in the software development companies.