International Business of the Year 2008

Business description: Glasgow-based mobile solutions provider Picsel Technologies was created in 1998. Its technology promises to bring content to life on mobile, whether viewing files, browsing the web or toying with photos or videos. It has secured contracts with Samsung and mobile operator NTT DoCoMo in Asia, and derives all its revenues from overseas. It has satellite offices in London, San Francisco, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing.

Judges’ comments: The criteria for Picsel’s category asked for at least 20% of revenues to be derived from overseas. It was impossible to ignore the fact that a Glasgow-based company had managed to establish itself in Asia and secure major contracts with huge players out there in Samsung and NTT DoCoMo, with international sales making up 100% of its impressive turnover.

This business proved that if the domestic market isn’t ready you have to look elsewhere and to achieve what it has in the ultra-competitive Asian mobile market is nothing short of outstanding, particularly when you consider that its growth has been organic. But far from a skeleton workforce remaining in the UK, Picsel has instead built its business to employ more than 200 developers from over 15 nations from the heart of Scotland.

In addition to its creative approach to business, the company’s mobile solutions and content distribution platform are cutting edge too and suggest that it could well beat a path back to Europe and the UK in the near future.

www.picsel.com