 | Goto-Silicon-Valley.com is the premier directory for Silicon Valley & San Francisco Bay Area business resources for startups and entrepreneurs. |
| Goto-Silicon-Valley.com is the premier directory for Silicon Valley & San Francisco Bay Area business resources for startups and entrepreneurs. |
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Fifteen years ago, bananas, coffee and sugar were Costa Rica's main exports. Today, technology is with over 150 companies producing and exporting their software to the US, Europe, Asia, Africa and other Latin American countries. What's behind this dramatic shift? Companies like Avantica Technologies for one. Headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., with operations in Costa Rica, Avantica Technologies provides technical software services - analysis, design, implementation and solution support -- as well as consulting in a wide range of technology areas, such as database design, network architecture, network security and web design. The driving forces behind the company are Costa Rican natives Mario Chaves and his younger brother Luis. When Mario was fourteen, he left the family home to come to the United States with relatives. In the States, he pursued his education, ultimately graduating from the UC Davis with a specialization in computer science, and eventually becoming a US citizen. He embarked on a career in Silicon Valley building a considerable reputation for his work at Software Publishing, where he created Harvard Graphics, and Intuit where he led the development of new products for the Quicken product line. Back home in Costa Rica, Luis also pursued a technical career, which eventually led him to a job as CIO of a commercial bank in San Jose, the capital. In the mid 90's, Mario and Luis created an investment partnership, which in 1996 led to a small software development project with Intuit. The project provided enough revenue to enable the brothers to purchase several computers and hire a handful of people on a break-even basis. Though Mario and Luis continued to focus on their respective jobs, they began to think about growing the company. In 1998, a friend approached Mario about managing a sizeable software development project. This new project encouraged the brothers to take the next step, and Luis quit his job at the bank to dedicate himself full time to the company. In 1999, Mario and Luis officially launched Avantica Technologies. Today, with a team of 45 developers, Avantica's client roster includes
companies with diverse business and e-commerce offerings, including
OneMind Connect, Chordiant, Leapfrog, Digital Think, Openitems.com,
Atomz, kinderfolio.com, and Babcock & Brown. Part 2 of this column: Riding the Wave of Offshore Software Development "Across the Pond - A Transatlantic CEO's Perspective on Establishing A Global Business" is a monthly column that takes a look at an emerging technology company whose business needs require establishing operations in some other part of the world. Whether it's a Silicon Valley company setting up operations Europe, Asia or Latin America or an overseas company establishing a presence in Silicon Valley -- Barbara Kohn in SV and Jeffrey Peel in Northern Island -- look at the steps - and missteps - companies make when going global. More about Barbara & Jeff... |  |
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