ITDS Portugal celebrating 2 years on the Portuguese market

In 2021, ITDS, already having a successfully established office in Poland, arrived in Lisbon. As Portugal indeed is Europe’s tech-tiger it was quite natural to us. All the possibilities and potential hidden here proved us right. But obviously, it wasn’t a piece of cake – recalls Riadh Chaabouni, CEO of ITDS Portugal.

The ICT sector represents nearly 10% of the Portuguese GDP and it employs more than 80 thousand people. Lisbon’s tech scene is really thriving, and it’s become one of Europe’s fastest-growing tech hubs, often likened to Europe’s Silicon Valley. We began our journey right in Portugal’s capital and soon expanded our presence to Porto.

Portugal? It was an absolute must

It all started with the fact that we already knew the IBERIA market because we’d been doing a project there and there was an opportunity to work with one of our main clients, KLX, around asset lending and providing expertise on the software. But as the pandemic hit, even though we were trying to provide our support from Poland, we quickly realized that it needs to be more local and on-site – Riadh Chaabouni explains.

The decision to establish a presence in Portugal was due to the many favourable conditions, including government’s strong support for the technology sector. Furthermore, Portugal boasts a highly educated workforce, with a significant number of post-graduates. Many of them are multilingual, which adds to the country’s appeal as an attractive destination for international companies seeking to broaden their operations.

Entering the Portuguese market was quite an adventure. While we were already familiar with this region and had clients here, establishing an office was a completely different thing, the CEO of ITDS Portugal says. What we truly liked from the very beginning was the work culture. In Portugal, people not only make excellent colleagues during office hours but also foster strong connections outside of work. We even went as far as launching a surf club to promote team integration. While it might not seem like a critical factor in the business world, in reality, it makes a significant difference.

Ready to aim even higher

We’re excited about the future and happy to be still expanding. Having offices in both Lisbon and Porto and having extended the number of employees by over 100% last year, we can see nothing but another chance for growth. We’re optimistic that this is just the beginning, and we eagerly look forward to celebrating many more anniversaries. Thank you to our wonderful team that works hard everyday to #makeITbettera and to all our clients who have trusted us!