1) INP-Software was a Ukrainian software company that hit difficulties during the financial crisis when they lost their clients and had to start from scratch with a team of just four people. 2) Through hard work and perseverance, they expanded their team to 30 employees and successfully accessed new markets with the help of Switzerland's Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO). 3) At CeBIT 2013, their first trade show with SIPPO's support, INP-Software's traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts helped them attract attention and make important new contacts, starting them on a path to access partners in Europe and potentially Switzerland.

1. “We didn’t receive any salaries
for months and the situation was
nearly out of control.”
Irina Yukhimchuk, Director of International Relations
The INPSoftware team
attracted
attention at
CeBIT 2013,
wearing traditional embroidered Ukrainian
shirts.
Swiss import promotion programme INP-Software
Starting from scratch
INP-Software, a Ukrainian software company, hit rock bottom during the
financial crisis. With entrepreneurial leadership, highly qualified employees and
team spirit, they expanded their team from just four to their current workforce
of 30 employees. INP-Software is now successfully accessing new markets with
the help of the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO).
I
n 2009, the professional future of Irina Yukhimchuk was looking bleak. Her team, consisting
of highly educated professional developers,
testers and managers, had been successfully developing projects such as E-Mail clients,
messaging systems, chats and online training
systems. But due to the global economic crisis,
30 IT specialists, herself included, were laid off with
immediate effect. The IT department she represen-
10
ted, an affiliate of a Czech-Israeli-US owned company specialising in business process management,
ceased operating in Ukraine.
“When our department asked me and Natalya
Katyukha, our CEO, to start searching for foreign clients who were looking to set up their IT departments
in Ukraine, we didn’t hesitate, despite the crisis,” says
Irina Yukhimchuk, now Director of International Relations. Natalya and Irina made a proposal to their
Fotos: Courtesy of SIPPO/INP-Software
Text Sibylle Zumstein
loyal business partners, Petr Belik who is now their
Chief Technology Officer, and Sergey Rudnitsky who
is now the Chief Financial Officer, that they organize
a private business unit. With no previous sales experience and a non-existent client base, the team of four
set to work. “We didn’t receive any salaries for months
and the situation was nearly out of control,” Irina remembers, shuddering. However, they didn’t give up
and continued working relentlessly, as the main task
was to preserve a close-knit team of professionals.
They spent six months searching for and selecting
potential clients, and soon succeeded by establishing
a partnership with a large US marketing company. A
short while later, INP-Software LLC was founded in
Zhitomir, a city numbering 300,000 inhabitants located 120 km west of Kiev.
Now employing 30 IT specialists, their continuous
search for new clients has paid off: since entering the
programme, INP-Software has greatly enlarged its
potential client base and established promising new
contacts in a number of European and American
markets. The company provides a broad spectrum of
services: software and web development, web design
as well as testing for sectors such as marketing, telecommunications and retail.
In 2012, Irina and her team visited CeBIT, the
world’s largest computer expo in Hanover, Germany.
That’s when they first met Christian Bernet, a representative of Switzerland Global Enterprise’s SIPPO
programme, who was evaluating promising IT companies from their partner country Ukraine. “We were
looking to expand our client base and were very keen
on exhibiting at CeBIT the following year, after having
been there as visitors. We signed up for the SIPPO
programme immediately,” Irina continues. After a
thorough review, INP-Software was accepted on the
programme. A great deal of preparation followed: drawing up lists of potential clients, analysing their competitors, booking meetings, printing leaflets, renewing their website, promoting their services via social
media to encourage clients, visitors, other exhibitors,
partners and investors to visit them at their very first
stand at CeBIT 2013, and preparing branded gifts for
stand visitors and loyal partners. “SIPPO supported us
in promoting our expertise, providing sector information and matchmaking services,” Irina continues.
Once on site, the team chose to wear traditional
embroidered Ukrainian shirts, which made them
stand out from the crowd – clearly a winning tactic as
the bright clothes, coupled with the rest of their formal clothing, attracted a lot of attention.
But the team was well aware that participating in
their first trade show might not result in immediate
contracts. “We used the platform to show our professionalism, learn about new trends, speak to potential clients and partners, and hear about the needs of
potential customers,” Irina adds. And in that respect,
the participation was definitely successful. The team
is motivated and keen to participate again, the programme being both a challenge and an opportunity
to develop. In addition to their more than seven years
of experience, their high-quality service and their ability to adapt to their customers’ needs, the team spirit
of INP-Software is palpable – something Irina is convinced will help them gain access to new partners in
Europe – and perhaps even in Switzerland.
More Information:
www.s-ge.com/switzerland/import
11