People-Oriented Approach: The Secret to WEBSPARK's Success
During two years of full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian IT community continues to work and achieve success in extremely challenging conditions.
WEBSPARK is an IT company based in Kharkiv, specializing in custom web and mobile development as well as proprietary products. Their path to success and innovation is based on several key principles that not only enable the company to grow but also strengthen the IT industry.
Partnership and Trust
During challenging times, WEBSPARK maintained all current clients and partners: it was loyalty and trust that helped ensure the timely delivery of solutions.
"We continue to build relationships with our clients and move towards synergistic partnerships, where the community works for mutual development and market positioning strengthening. Our old clients are all with us. We value this and reciprocate. Currently, we are present in markets such as Israel, Germany, the UK, the US, and Ukraine," shares Eugene Katrich, founder and CEO of the company.
Thanks to established partnerships, WEBSPARK increased new sales volume in the external market, as reputation is one of the company's key assets. When new clients continue to join based on recommendations, it further confirms that real strength lies in trust and unity defined by values, not geography.
Team: Expertise and Support
Retaining teams and working remotely posed real challenges for IT companies. WEBSPARK stayed true to its principles: people are the most valuable asset. During these challenging years of full-scale intrusion, the company not only retained employees but also continued hiring.
"In 2023, WEBSPARK focused on strengthening and retaining the team; we actively participated in expert events and workshops. Throughout the year, the Kharkiv IT Cluster held a series of events aimed at preserving jobs and strengthening business continuity processes. In particular, thanks to the Legal Talk workshops on protecting IT professionals' rights, we received practical advice on reservations, rights, and duties of specialists during visits by TCs representatives. People are the foundation of our company. Therefore, thanks to the practical advice of experts, we were able to retain employees and even attract new teammates. Today we have a stable team of 70 people, and new positions are being created. We prefer to hire from Ukraine to support our specialists and the country's economy," Eugene Katrich explains.
To preserve the mental well-being of their employees, WEBSPARK brought an experienced psychologist into the team. They also developed their support system through gamification, and collaborative activities like chess, and prioritized a cool merch shop. Additionally, the company began sharing valuable information and interesting tips with employees and other subscribers on social media platforms.
Innovations Driving Social Change
WEBSPARK had planned to create its products even before February 24, 2022. However, over these two years, it became an essential part of their strategy. WEBSPARK's expertise lies in the web, so they ventured into implementing AI solutions in this field and vice versa - improving AI solutions through web capabilities and data. To develop this direction, the team educates youth, participates in webinars, and lectures, and acts as experts at AI forums. They also created a Telegram channel called JedAI, where they talk about AI novelties in the market, share tips on using various applications, and some amusing AI hallucinations.
Social Responsibility and Advice for the Future "Us"
Since the beginning of the full-scale intrusion, WEBSPARK has been helping residents of Kharkiv and the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In particular, the company created the eTurniket service, the mission of which is to provide timely and reliable information on pre-medical assistance. The team constantly collects and updates information on responses to army turnstiles. These steps demonstrate a deep readiness to preserve and increase achievements, regardless of the challenges facing the company in the modern world.
"If we conclude from all this, the only advice we can give to ourselves and others like us is not to stop working. Keep evolving, helping, and making a difference," emphasizes Eugene Katrich.
WEBSPARK is not just a company; it is a community that persistently moves forward toward its goal, develops, and brings benefits to its clients, employees, and society. Their experience proves that belief in goals and a desire to change the world are key tools on the path to success.
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