Exist Global eyes partnerships with Cebu's new IT companies

New companies may be able to join an international software development company called Exist Global Inc. as it plans to acquire or partner with small, but potential IT start-up firms.

Exist, which maintains an office located at the Cebu Asiatown IT Park, announced plans to expand its operations here in order to take advantage of the good IT engineers, and eventually smaller start-up firms which may want to take be part of the company's wide global market penetration.

One of the primary requirements for Exist to provide opportunity for start-up firms to grow, is for IT companies to have good software and web development base, said Exist chairman Winston Damarillo in a press conference.

But, before the company would enter into partnership or acquisition of start-up IT firms, Damarillo announced the expansion of its Cebu operations within this year. Exist would need about 50 to 80 software developers.

Exist is the premier global software company supporting open source technology.

Established in 2001, the company has helped in designing, developing, testing, and managing software solutions for global companies. It serves huge market base in Asia-Pacific, North America and Europe.

Those companies which develop services, which have large consumer web service, huge user interest, and global market potential, are candidates for partnership with Exist and acquisition focus.

However, Damarillo said, the company will have to strengthen its factory of services and employ train its engineers first in order to build a better name in the global market.

While other software companies have difficulties in looking up for good software engineers here, Exist general manager Jerry Rapes said the company is confident to easily attract human resource pool, as it has established a good training facility within the company, to improve the technical competence of staff.

In fact, the company has started its Exist Code Camp, program in Manila (La Salle and UP), including UP Cebu Campus, to provide cutting edge technology knowledge to students and teachers, to improve the capability of graduates to easily get software development jobs.

Over time, the company's Research and Development (R&D) operations in Cebu, will expand into developing high volume technology and content, such as animation, entertainment content creation, as aside from its expertise in deep technical and software development services.

According to Steve Nathan, Global Exist president and chief executive officer (CEO), the company is also moving at entering into Initial Public Officer (IPO) at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, to provide opportunity for the investing public to participate in the huge outsourcing business in the world.

About 90 percent of the company's "brain" or technical people are Filipinos. Its Los Angeles headquarters on the other hand, focuses on marketing its products.

Exist Global Inc. is the premier global outsourced software development company focused on outsourcing projects with headcounts of less than 30 engineers.

Founded in 2001 with the vision to offer world-class IT talent from the Philippines to companies worldwide, Exist Global is the only offshore development company to provide cost-effective full lifecycle development for enterprise-class products and cutting-edge web applications with uncompromised product quality and responsiveness.