You're reading: 66 Ukraine-connected firms enter global ranking of best IT companies

At least 2020 was a good year for someone.

Sixty-six Ukraine-connected tech firms have entered the prestigious annual ranking of the top 1,000 leading information technology companies published by U.S. firm Clutch.

Clutch works as a matchmaker for IT companies and contractors who need their services and has data on at least 100,000 outsourcing firms. Having analyzed them all, Clutch compiled a ranking of the 1,000 best — no matter whether they develop websites, mobile applications or artificial intelligence tools.

Blurbed as Clutch’s “most exclusive award,” the ranking takes into account things like average hourly rate, number of employees, favorable location, minimal project size valued in U.S. dollars.

As a result, the list includes only those companies that have an “impressive background of projects, responsive customer service, and superior skill sets in their fields,” Clutch founder Mike Beares said.

The list includes both foreign companies that have their research and development centers in Ukraine (Ciklum, Sigma Software, Daxx, AltexSoft) and chiefly Ukrainain firms (Intellias, Digis, OTAKOYI, Frontmen).

Sigma Software, a Swedish-Ukrainian software company of Ukrainian origin that has provided IT services for 18 years, entered the list, too. 

“I am incredibly proud of this and congratulate the whole team,” Alexandra Govorukha, Sigma Software’s head of growth in the U.K. and Israel, wrote on Facebook.

For the past year, the company has grown significantly, signing agreements with over 30 new clients and hiring 200 new programmers.

Another tech firm, Waverley, was listed 97th in the ranking. “We are thrilled and grateful to be featured so high on the list,” the company’s statement says.

Intellias, a firm employing 1,500 techies in seven offices located in Ukraine and Poland, was also in Clutch’s list. Moreover, in August, Clutch named Intellias a top software developer in Ukraine.

“We thank the whole Intellias team for this achievement,” the software developer wrote back then in a public address.

In the past five years, the number of IT specialists in Ukraine has at least doubled, surpassing 185,000 in 2018 and nearing 200,000 today.

In 2019 alone, the software development sector grew almost by 20%, and currently there are nearly 4,000 IT companies operating on the market, according to a research by software developer N-iX.