Company is Top 5 Software in Ranking 100 Open Startups 2021, which brought together more than 3,300 corporations, and consolidates itself as one of the companies most connected to the startup ecosystem
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the private sector challenged different companies to develop effective actions to remain relevant in their respective markets. In the year, one of the highlights in resilience is the software segment, which mobilizes the creation of technologies, the offer of digital services and the origin of innovative solutions, in most cases, accelerated by the connection between large companies and startups. This convergence with new businesses has as one of the current references Softplan, a company that for 30 years has been one of the largest software developers in Brazil. For the second consecutive time, the company from Florianópolis (SC) is one of the leaders in “open innovation” in the country.
The recognition was granted at an online event on Monday night (23), when the company was awarded in the "Top 5 Software" of the Ranking 100 Open Startups 2021, which had the participation of more than 3,300 companies and 2,300 national startups. The merit is annually dedicated to the corporations that most promote open innovation actions with startups and the most attractive startups for the Brazilian corporate market. In the Software segment, the champions were TOTVS, Microsoft, Softplan, Sankhya and SAP.
Guilherme Tossulino, Softplan's M&A director, credits his presence in the ranking as a result of the company's planning and recent efforts to work on initiatives for the company's organic and inorganic growth, in tandem with collaboration with the innovation ecosystems in the areas in which it operates. : Justice, Public Management and Construction Industry. For this, there were internal changes and improvements in processes and practices to enable the hiring of services and technologies from startups and add them to the company's portfolio.
“What we have become in recent years is a clear reflection of the strategic decisions taken in the 2016-2020 strategic planning cycle. We decided, among many things, to become a company that exudes innovation and that collaborates with the ecosystems we are part of. Based on this, we structured base projects to leverage and develop skills, prepare leaders to face new challenges and approach problems from a different angle. We opened up and began to actively participate in local and national innovation and entrepreneurship movements. We make Softplan a company that talks and moves in the main scenarios of startups and scale ups in Brazil”, he explains.
Investment in M&A and prospecting for new business
Softplan's growing innovation process included studies, benchmarking, application of new methodologies and a change in the business structure since 2016, mobilizing efforts in three pillars: intrapreneurship; open innovation; and venture builders. The strategy evolved and had as an important milestone, at the beginning of this year, the creation of a new M&A area with the perspective of investing R$ 200 million in three years, to manage mergers and acquisitions.
Since then, two new companies have been incorporated into the group: Checklist Fácil and Construtor de Vendas – CV. Among the companies acquired and invested by Softplan in recent years are Wegov, 1Doc, and Refera. Guilherme Tosulino believes that the company's maturity in generating business with the startup ecosystem was crucial to strengthen the company's presence among the leaders in open innovation.
“Each new acquisition teaches us a little. Historically, the post-acquisition integration process is complex and requires both resilience and persistence. We've learned that there are countless (better) ways to solve a known problem, and we've truly opened up to that. In the field of interactions with the ecosystem, we start to listen more, even when the company or business doesn't seem to have a connection or fit with us at first. We understand that companies led by good entrepreneurs find a path to success, whether adapting to what they have learned or creating and educating a new market. Certainly, having acquisition and investment contracts is one of the factors that the ranking considers and the execution of our inorganic growth strategy through mergers and acquisitions was a relevant factor”, he justifies.
For the company, recent acquisitions indicate that the path of bringing its business platform closer to that of other SaaS companies with high potential for scale and growth is an asset that has proven its worth. Among the indications are the growth rates realized, above 60% per year in the case of 1Doc and CV, and the high rate of sales of these products in the company's base.
According to Guilherme Tosulino, the strategy should be maintained. “When we look to the future, we can say that we see ourselves systematically making acquisitions that complement our portfolio or bring in new markets. We are more and more convinced and enthusiastic about the movements we are carrying out and the conversations we are having with different companies”, he confirms.
“We are prospecting SaaS businesses with high growth rates and potential return, with revenue predominantly coming from B2B businesses. There is no specific size for the companies, but today we have business in the pipeline ranging from R$ 5 million to R$ 50 million in sales per year”, he adds.
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