Abysalto Expects €30 Million in Revenue This Year

“Considering that we were only founded in the middle of this year, we can say that Abysalto achieved strong initial momentum in 2025 – both through organizational progress and market impact,” emphasized Željko Tandarić, CEO of Abysalto, in an interview for ICT Business. “An agile and highly specialized software company has been created, as we have so far achieved the planned growth dynamics, and the targeted revenue of €30 million by the end of the year remains firmly in focus.”

According to him, immediately after the establishment of Abysalto, they have formed a separate AI department in which part of the employees are already working, and also have an open call for all who want to engage in AI development, but also to learn. He added that this department is planned to expand and offer the market AI-based solutions that complement already proven systems in practice.

As Tandarić points out, the current focus is on organic growth and internal talent development, but they are monitoring the market and are open to partnerships and possible acquisitions, especially in areas such as AI, but also in market segments where they have been present for many years – solutions for public administration, office business management and public service processes, energy, transport, and human resource management.

What are the key business results and indicators of your company’s operations in the year so far, and how do they relate to the strategic goals you have set?

Considering that we were only founded in the middle of this year, we can say that Abysalto achieved strong initial momentum in 2025 – both through organizational progress and market impact. An agile and highly specialized software company has been created. So far, we have achieved the planned growth dynamics, and the targeted revenue of €30 million by the end of the year remains firmly in focus. Key indicators include portfolio growth, as well as team building and the unification of software design and development processes, but also the formation of new teams, such as the AI department, through which we would further achieve increased efficiency and delivery of solutions.

What key lessons have you learned from business operations in the previous year, and how have they shaped your strategy for 2025?

One of the most important lessons was the need for faster and more efficient adaptation to market changes. We realized that specialization brings advantage – both for clients and employees. That is why we combined knowledge, experience, and expertise with optimized processes to deliver even faster, higher-quality, and more precise services. To clients, we bring agility, and to employees, clear directions of development in an environment that rewards excellence and innovation. This is the foundation on which Abysalto was created. The new structure allows for better focus, less operational “ballast”, and greater freedom in developing technologically demanding solutions.

In what way do current economic trends, both globally and locally, affect your business and plans?

Global uncertainty and local inflation represent challenges, especially in the context of costs and competition for skilled personnel. At the same time, such an environment encourages digitalization and automation, which directly increases demand for our solutions. We believe that strategic investment in new technologies, such as AI, today is not a cost but the foundation of future competitive advantage. Such an approach enables us to respond to market needs in a timely manner, exceed client expectations, and maintain the position of a leader in digital transformation. Considering the support of the ownership group, we can adapt quickly and use the advantages of such changes.

What are the biggest challenges you are currently facing in delivering services and solutions to clients?

The biggest challenges are the speed of hiring and onboarding new experts. Skilled professionals who can quickly, independently, and precisely respond to tasks are always lacking — that is why we remain open to cooperation with talents who share our passion for technology and excellence. At the same time, we are building a culture that encourages curiosity, responsibility, and collaboration – which is not always easy under conditions of growth and transformation.

What were the fundamental motives for launching this process at this very moment, and what does it specifically bring to your company, employees, and clients?

The motivation for forming an independent software company was clear: increasing focus and quality, and gaining the necessary energy for expansion into foreign markets. The timing was ideal – the market demands specialization, and we had the team, experience, and know-how. For employees, this means more space for professional development, and for clients, clearer positioning and more efficient delivery of software solutions.

How did the integration process go at the operational and cultural level? What were the biggest challenges, and what do you consider the greatest success?

At the operational level, the challenge was to maintain quality continuity of projects, which we succeeded in. At the cultural level, we created a new organizational culture that combines expertise and a startup mentality. Through our Employer Branding strategy, Abysalto confirms its status as a place that brings together passionate innovators and changemakers. Our employees are the true strength shaping the company’s future. The greatest success is that people very quickly recognized and embraced the new vision and identity. The project of founding Abysalto is complete, but the real work for our team is just beginning.

In what way does consolidation change your position in relation to key competitors on the market?

With this, we positioned ourselves as a specialized “pure play” software partner, which differentiates us from classic system integrators. This opens opportunities for internationalization and entry into competitive tenders at the European level, where software expertise is a key advantage. We have broad experience in developing highly complex solutions that form the backbone of the “IT backbone” in Croatia, and we believe that we can offer this experience to new clients both in Croatia and abroad.

What is the long-term plan? Will the trend of consolidation continue, and do you see further opportunities for acquisitions?

The current focus is on organic growth and internal talent development, but we are monitoring the market and are open to partnerships and possible acquisitions, especially in areas such as AI, but also in market segments where we have been present for many years – solutions for public administration, office business management and public service processes, energy, transport, and human resource management. Consolidation is a trend that will not stop, and we want to be proactive in this process.

What are your key expectations for the rest of 2025 and the coming period? Where do you see the greatest opportunities for growth and business development?

We expect stable revenue growth, expansion of the client base, and entry into new markets. The greatest opportunities we see are in the digitalization of public administration and finance, transport, and energy consumption management, as well as in projects that include AI, predictive analytics, and highly available systems.

What are the specific financial and operational goals you want to achieve by the end of the year?

Our main goal is to achieve the planned revenue of €30 million in 2025. We also want to increase the share of international projects in total revenue, expand our client portfolio, and further invest in our own products.

Do you plan to enter new geographical markets or expand existing ones?

Yes. We are focused on the markets of the European Union, especially Central and Southeastern Europe. We have the capacity and experience to implement complex projects in these markets, with the potential of partnerships with local companies.

How do you plan to secure and retain top talent in the conditions of increased competition in the labor market?

In addition to competitive conditions, we offer current and future employees challenging projects, work with advanced technologies, participation in product development, and work in a culture that encourages assertiveness and new ideas and values contribution. We believe in freedom with responsibility, which our teams recognize and appreciate. Working at Abysalto is very interesting and challenging, and working in a top environment, which brings out the maximum and the best in us, is exactly what we all love and promote.

What are the key business niches in which you see the greatest strength and potential of your company, and how do your solutions and services in these areas differ from the competition?

Our strength is in the development of complex software systems – especially in public administration, public services for citizens, public finances, transport, and management and control of energy consumption. We stand out through a combination of business knowledge, precision, and understanding of our users’ processes. Our teams not only program, but cooperate with clients, constantly seeking improvements and, we can say, jointly shaping their services.

Are there certain industries or sectors on which you are particularly focused? Why those specifically?

We are open to developing solutions in all sectors, but we must emphasize the public sector, public finances, transport, and the energy sector. These are sectors with a large number of users and the need for high reliability and system security, where our expertise comes to the fore.

How do you balance developing your own software products and providing customized services for clients?

We do both. Our own products allow for long-term development and differentiation, while customized solutions are our response to the specific needs of the market. These two branches of system development are very different and should be kept sufficiently separate – the development of proprietary software products requires a long-term focus, while the development of customized services requires very heterogeneous knowledge and quick adaptation to new domains we enter (e.g. Tourism, EU funding, specific employment management processes, various public services at the state and local level and many others). On the other hand, the exchange of knowledge between these activities can be of great benefit, which we continuously work on.

How do you ensure that your technological solutions remain relevant and innovative in fast-growing niches?

We continuously monitor trends, invest in education, and our development teams are constantly involved in research initiatives. Innovation is not a project but our way of working. Companies like ours could not survive if we did not adapt to the market. Within the company, we have an Engineering department that deals with technological “steering,” changing and improving the tools we use and the way we develop software and think.

How does your company see the role of AI in its own development, but also in the solutions you offer clients?

AI has a key role in the development of Abysalto’s services. This includes both internal development and operations, as well as solutions we provide to clients. We believe that AI should be a tool that increases efficiency, reduces costs, and opens new services, and not a replacement for people. Immediately after the establishment of Abysalto, we formed a separate AI department in which the employees are already working, and we also have an open call for all who want to engage in AI development, but also to learn. We plan to expand this department and offer the market AI-based solutions that complement already proven systems in practice.

In what ways do you already use AI tools to improve your own business processes, from software development to marketing and sales?

We use AI in software testing, in content generation, in market data analysis, and in project planning. It helps us be faster, more precise, and more efficient, of course, with constant human control.

What are concrete examples of AI solutions or components that you integrate into your products and services for clients? What value does that bring them?

Examples include predictive analysis systems, pattern recognition, and process automation. Such solutions help our clients better understand user behavior, optimize resources, and make informed decisions. For example, systems for automatic processing of documentation that propose decisions and next steps to the user based on the content being processed and past decisions made, or systems for formal control of documentation and anomaly detection in processes where such documentation is extensive. We believe that such automation will drastically increase the efficiency of work in our systems.

What is your long-term vision for the development and application of artificial intelligence, and how are you preparing for the ethical and business challenges it brings?

Our vision is the responsible and sustainable application of AI. We are ready to implement EU legal frameworks (AI Act), and we are building internal ethical principles and transparent models. AI is not a “bogeyman” but a tool that must work in the service of humans.