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In this new installment of our 10 Years of Lizard Global blog series, we are delving deeply into the IT industry insights, sneaking a peek at Lizard Global's road to becoming a global brand and learning never-before-seen insights into the company's meteoric rise to being the leading software development company — Lizard Global — in an exclusive interview with our Co-founders, Jeremy Raes (CEO) and Guido van Beek (CTO).

By the end of this interview, you, as a reader, a potential client, or an existing partner, will be able to understand better who Lizard Global is, the challenges faced as Lizard Global's frontmen, the story behind the quick expansion beyond the Netherlands in the first five years, and the distinctive value that makes Lizard Global's startup unique from others.

Turning the interview into words, let’s read the entire story behind the company’s 10 years of success in the words of Jeremy Raes and Guido van Beek. Let’s start!

Throwback: Lizard Global circa 2012, the Netherlands

Lizard Global (back then Lizard Apps), was incorporated in 2013. The venture kicked off merely a year after they oversaw the idea of building their own app development company in 2012. The goal was to make it one of the most sought-after app development companies by businesses all over the world, providing innovative digital experiences for forward-thinking brands.

"Yes, and at that time, I worked primarily for creative ad agencies out of a team of 6 development business in Amsterdam. We had a difficult time hiring developers in the Netherlands, and I was aware that talent was not restricted to our country's boundaries. That is how Jeremy and I naturally suggested moving the development to a nation where it was simpler to find and hire international expertise in 2012. I liked the concept, so I went to Kuala Lumpur, ready for a change.” — Guido.

In line with their expectations, the originally two-person business has grown to include 55+ goal-oriented team members from a variety of industries, including web and mobile apps, UX/UI design, and more — known as Lizard Global.

Lizard Global now: #1 Best App Developer in the world

“Imagine. Design. Create. Grow”

As a full-stack digital organization, Lizard Global offers a lot more services than just software development. When picked their brains on what made Lizard Global distinctive, the co-founders shared the same thought that Lizard Global’s biggest, and most unique strength, even from a global standpoint, is focusing on achieving customers' ultimate business goals in the direction of developing a new profit line. To acquire such goals, Lizard Global becomes a digital partner that actively assists clients from the ideation stage all the way through design, programming, maintenance, and expansion.

In the interview, one particular quote that stood out the most was Jeremy marking Lizard Global as having a specific DNA, “crafters of arts.”

“We are artisans who create art; we don't produce code; we have a unique DNA. At Lizard Global, establishing ourselves as the #1 Web and Mobile App Development Company across Asia, Europe, North America, Australia, and more, we develop products with business owners in mind.”

They are aware that achieving success entails more than just having things delivered. It involves winning over the target audience's hearts and achieving the company's objectives in order to generate revenues. He further added, “Like the business owners we associate with, we aspire to be the greatest in our field. We understand one another's passion for our respective professions, and they share it. We always stay one step ahead of the competition with the help of our partners, and vice versa”.

Why Lizard Global?

It was also interesting to learn the history of Lizard Global. When questioned about the origins of the term Lizard Global or Lizard Apps, Jeremy & Guido gave two explanations for their choices. First of all, the lizard's capacity to adapt its behavior and look to fit its surroundings served as an inspiration for them. "This is something we try to do as a company: to constantly adapt to the latest changes in technology and user behavior."

The notion, according to Guido, was inspired by the fact that there are a lot of lizards in Malaysia but hardly any in the Netherlands.

“One of the first things I noticed about lizards was how easily they could move around, walk almost any place, and even grow their tails back. In retrospect, we should have chosen one of the most, if not the most, agile species on the planet because agility is one of our most significant attributes. However, we never really gave the name much thought because we thought the brand we wanted to develop would become the name, as happened with Apple.” — Guido

The big shift: from a team of 10 to now, 55 (and counting!)

With more than 13 different nationalities working in our offices in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Lizard Global takes pride in being a melting pot of cultures, backgrounds, and religions. They are united by their passion for technology, gratifying our clients, and building a successful business, making Lizard Global an unquestionably super global team.

“As time passes, more clients with various needs from other industries come to build partnerships, naturally motivating us to expand the company from its initial focus on merely software development.” — Guido

The co-founders synonymously agree that the global Lizard Family is expanding with fresh creative minds who have a passion for all things technological every year. More UI/UX designers, software engineers, product owners, scrum masters, and data analysts continued to join as the company grew following the onboarding of a CEO Asia and Commercial Director Global who took the initiative in further enforcing their sales and marketing. Additionally, the then team of 10 persons is now growing to 55 and more.

“Demands met with opportunity, that’s how we grow”

“We are only successful when our clients are successful,” is one quote that stood out the most.

Jeremy mentioned in the interview that they, collectively as a company, position themselves as digital partners for clients in more than 25 different industries on a global level. “With almost ten years of expertise as a top online and mobile app development business across several nations, we and our clients have won numerous honors for projects in The Netherlands, Malaysia, Australia, Belgium, and Singapore. Not to mention the plethora of recognitions from many third-party review platforms across the globe,” Jeremy further added.

Guido illuminated the interview with some of his raw honesty when asked if they ever expected to get this far. "To be really honest, it was not intended to place a headquarters in Malaysia. In fact, the original intention was to visit and see how things went. Despite the fact that I spent a lot of time traveling across Southeast Asia, I discovered that KL has a few significant advantages.”

From their insights, it was found that language was indeed the most important aspect among the many benefits cited. "Everyone in Malaysia speaks English, and every document is written in English, so that worked in our favor" he continued. “The MDeC was the second reason”.

Guido touched on how MDec helps startups in the Malaysian IT industry by establishing doors for collaboration in new markets. “They took extensive initiatives to ensure a high-quality IT infrastructure, assist tech companies in connecting with new entrepreneurial networks of potential partners, investors, and clients around the world, and aid businesses like Lizard Global in gaining traction in the market, thereby boosting our visibility and credibility,” Guido highlighted.

“Along with that, MDeC also allows us to gain access to expertise and resources across borders which worked in our favor to recruit talent from around the world with a work visa in Malaysia!”

Lizard Global, the Next Global Brand

"Our vision board's next goal was to become the next major worldwide brand. We were able to establish ourselves as a key player in the global bespoke software development industry in just ten years, and we are now, it is safe to say, preparing to compete with the rest of the globe." — Jeremy

From the interview, it is clear that the dynamic duo views globalization from a similar but distinct perspective. Lizard Global's technical leader, Guido, stated that in the following ten years, the company does not just aim to evaluate success by doubling sales, but also by using their brand equity to grow globally.

“We have already accomplished so much in such a short period, and we know that we are capable of even more,” says Jeremy Raes in the wonderful interview. “I am confident that we can continue to inspire our clients. support them in achieving their objectives, and at the same time leveraging our own business and a brand.”

10 Years of Lizard Global

Want to know more about Lizard Globa’s journey to becoming the next global leader in the Custom Software Development market? Head to our 10 Years Of Lizard Global tag to dive deeper into the company’s behind-the-scenes.