Your Tech Story

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

krafton

Krafton Inc, The Company Behind The Famous PUBG Game.

Founded in 2007 as Bluehole, Krafton Inc. creates, produces, and markets home video games domestically and abroad. It provides games for consoles, smartphones, and PCs. It’s one of the most popular games is PUBG. Other popular games developed and published by Krafton are Mistover, Thunder Tier One, The Callisto Protocol, and New State Mobile.

About The Company

Krafton Inc. is a South Korean company that is in the business of developing and distributing video games. The company is renowned for creating TERA, PUBG: Battlegrounds, and NEW STATE Mobile, the latter two under its subsidiary PUBG Studios. The company was formerly known as Bluehole. In 2018, Bluehole underwent a reorganization to become a Krafton subsidiary. It is headquartered in Seongnam, South Korea.

History

Following PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’ popularity, which resulted in funding from Tencent Holdings as well as studio expansion and acquisition, Bluehole decided to create Krafton in 2018 as a holding company for its video games operations. In April 2021, Krafton decided to launch its IPO. The company intended to raise US$5 billion at a valuation of US$27.2billion.The IPO launch took place on August 10, 2021, and although Krafton’s valuation declined from the initial list price at the end of a trade by 8.8%, it was still valued at US$19.32 billion.

Due to new limitations put in place by the Chinese government, shares of various Chinese and foreign videogame firms, including Tencent, the leading video game developer in China and a facilitator for foreign firms to release games in their country, decreased. Video games, mainly shooting video games, are perceived as “electronic drug” and a “spiritual opium” by the Chinese government because they are believed to encourage violence. Due to its high population density, China is a critically valuable market for video games, so video game firms like Krafton suffered greatly.

krafton
Image source: futurecdn.net

Subsidiaries

Since its inception, Bluehole has bought a number of development studios. On November 5, 2018, Krafton Game Union became the new parent company for all its subsidiaries. The popular subsidiaries of Krafton are Bluehole Studio, Striking Distance Studios, Dreamotion Inc, RisingWings, PUBG Studios, Thingsflow, 5minlab Corporation, and Unknown Worlds Entertainment. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), one of the first battle royale games, was created by PUBG Studios (formerly PUBG Corporation), an internal studio of Bluehole. PUBG game set a new record in 2017 by selling $100 million before release copies in just 79 days. Due to concerns about data privacy, the Indian government banned PUBG Mobile in September 2020, along with several other apps made by Chinese companies, including Tencent Games. In order to relaunch the game in India, Krafton regained ownership of the game’s Intellectual Property (IP) from Tencent. In 2021, Battlegrounds Mobile India, a visually upgraded version of PUBG Mobile, was released for both Android and iOS. This time, Krafton, Inc. published the game.

Founder – Chang Byung-gyu

In 2007, Chang Byung-Gyu founded Krafton, initially known as Bluehole. Chang Byung-gyu started Bluehole Studio in Seoul in 2007. Along with seven other co-founders, Chang founded Neowiz in 1997. He later founded the search engine company, First Snow, in 2005 and sold that business in 2006. Tencent made a $500 million investment in Bluehole in 2018 for a 10% ownership, elevating the company to unicorn status. As per Forbes, Chang is one of South Korea’s seven gaming billionaires, with a net worth of over $2.9 billion.

CEO – Kim Chang-han

In 2020, Kim Chang-han was named the CEO of Krafton. Before that, he was the CEO of PUBG Corporation( now PUBG Studios). He started his career in the gaming industry in 2000, engaging in production, development, and engineering for a couple of studios before joining PUBG Corporation. He has attended the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, where he received a Ph.D. in computer science.

Larsen & Toubro

Larsen & Toubro, Started With Dairy Equipment To Leading Indian Multinational Corporation.

Founded in 1946, Larsen & Toubro is a market leader in almost every industry. The conglomerate has achieved and maintained leadership in its primary business sectors for more than eight decades due to a robust, customer-focused strategy and a never-ending pursuit of world-class quality.

About the Company

Larsen & Toubro, also known as L&T, is a leading Indian multinational corporation with business operations in various industries like construction, engineering, technology, manufacturing, financial services, and information technology. L&T is ranked among the top five construction firms worldwide. The company is headquartered in Mumbai, India. L&T Group consists of 118 subsidiaries, 25 joint ventures, six associates, and 35 joint operations corporations. The company is listed on the NSE and BSE. In 2022, it had a revenue of over $20 billion. It serves clients from various industries in more than 50 countries.

History

In 1938, Henning Larsen and Soren Toubro, two Danish engineers, formed a company in Bombay. The company started as a business that imported and sold Danish dairy equipment. Unfortunately, import limitations that came into effect after Germany invaded Denmark in 1940 severely hurt the company’s business. Despite their difficulties, the pair decided to stay in India and establish a local workshop to provide services and technical work. During World War II, they discovered a profitable commercial opportunity to construct and repair ships. As a result, Larsen & Toubro was founded. In 1940, the company received its first significant order to build a soda ash facility/plant for the Tata Group. The calibre of service and prompt service of L&T delighted numerous national and international businesses. They started working with lots of foreign players. Gradually, L&T also became a representative of various British equipment manufacturers for producing soaps, glass, hydrogenated oils, etc. In 1945, the company made a deal with the US-based Caterpillar Tractor to market earth-moving machinery.

In 1946, L&T was incorporated, and it established offices in Madras, Calcutta, and New Delhi. In 1950, it went public and became a listed company. The company was selected as a contractor for constructing nuclear reactors in 1965. L&T was invited by Dr. Homi Bhabha, the Atomic Energy Commission’s (AEC) chairman at the time, to provide vital parts for atomic reactors in the 1950s. L&T began to obtain major projects from the ISRO in the 1970s and 1980s. In order to design weapon and missile systems, it also collaborated with DRDO.

Larsen & Toubro
Image source: moneycontrol.com

Operations

L&T is also a top supplier of design-to-delivery services for India’s defence industry. It builds underground facilities, military installations, and storage facilities. Additionally, L&T provides a selection of defence-related vessels, such as warships, submarines, support vessels, and unique naval platforms. An important participant in India’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives is L&T Infrastructure Development Projects Ltd. It has finished significant projects in several important industries, including renewable energy, transmission and distribution lines, ports, water supply, etc. The world’s largest metro project under PPP form is the L&T Metro Rail in Hyderabad. It extends over three corridors for 69.2 kilometers.

Founders – Henning Holck-Larsen, Søren Kristian Toubro

Henning Holck-Larsen and Soren Kristian Toubro, two Danish engineers, established L&T in Bombay in 1938. They were equally dedicated to enhancing India’s engineering capacity to fulfill market demands. Danish classmates Henning Larsen and Soren Toubro, who were studying India in history classes, perhaps never imagined that they would one day write the history of that auspicious country. The two companions made the decision to leave the conveniences of living in Europe in 1938 and launch their own business in India instead.

CEO – S N Subrahmanyan

S N Subrahmanyan is the CEO and Managing Director of Larsen & Toubro. He has been serving as the company’s CEO since 2017. In 1984, he started working with Larsen & Toubro’s ECC Division. He has an MBA from Symbiosis, Pune and also attended London Business School.

Blue Prism

Blue Prism, The Founder Of Robotic Process Automation.

Blue Prism is a company that developed and produces workplace robotic process automation (RPA) software, which offers a virtual workforce for automating complex, end-to-end operational tasks. This RPA tool has the ability to create a software-powered virtual workforce. The company enables businesses to automate business processes flexibly and economically.

About The Company

Founded in 2001, Blue Prism is headquartered in Warrington, UK. It also has regional offices in Australia and USA. The company is famous for developing the robotic process automation market. It is a listed company on the London Stock Exchange.

Blue Prism operates on the technology of Microsoft .NET Framework. It supports all platforms like Windows, WPF, mainframe, web, Java, etc., and automates any application when presented in several ways.

Blue Prism
Image source: venturebeat.com

History

A team of process automation specialists established Blue Prism in 2001 with the goal of creating technology that would increase organisations’ productivity and effectiveness. At first, they concentrated on the back office, where they discovered a huge unmet need for automation. Alastair Bathgate and David Moss co-founded the business to offer a novel strategy now referred to as RPA. Robotic process automation (RPA) is the use of technology to give businesses a digital workforce that adheres to rule-based business processes and communicates with their systems in a manner similar to that of their current users. Blue Prism coined the expression “Robotic Process Automation”. Automate, the company’s first commercially available product was introduced in 2003. The second iteration of Automate, which included functionality for massive processing, was launched in 2005. Blue Prism software was first used by Co-operative Financial Services in 2005 to automate manual customer care operations.

In 2016, the company launched its initial public offering (IPO) when it debuted on the London Stock Exchange with a market valuation of £48.5 million. Under CEO Alastair Bathgate, the company’s shares increased 44% on the initial day of the listing. The company’s clients include Fidelity Investment Management, O2, and Co-operative Bank. By 2016, it also established offices in Miami and Chicago in addition to the UK.

Acquisition

In 2021, the purchase of Blue Prism by Vista Equity Partners for $1.5 billion was announced. Vista wanted to combine TIBCO Software and Blue Prism. According to reports, Vista was thinking of cutting 8 to 10% of the combined companies’ around 4,750 employees from their payroll. The initial acquisition agreement was initially disclosed in December 2021, when SS&C and Vista engaged in a bidding war that increased the price. Shareholders of Blue Prism finally chose to support SS&C. In 2022, SS&C Technologies stated that it had successfully acquired Blue Prism for about $1.6 billion.

Founders – David Moss, Alastair Bathgate

Alastair Bathgate and David Moss co-founded the Blue Prism Group in 2001. Alastair served as the company’s CEO from that time until 2020. The then-unmet requirement for organisational process automation led to the creation of Blue Prism. The company expanded from serving a single client, the UK bank Barclays, to becoming a global powerhouse with 2,000 clients spread over 120 countries and 70 different industrial sectors, including healthcare, financial services, and the public sector.

CEO – Jason Kingdon

Jason Kingdon is the CEO and Chairman of Blue Prism. He joined the company in 2008 as the Executive Chairman. He has co-founded numerous AI startups. He was a co-founder of the Intelligent Systems Lab at UCL, where he pioneered the usage of a neural network in real-time financial forecasting. He has also served as CEO and co-founder of Searchspace, a business that used artificial intelligence to detect insider trading at banking institutions and stock exchanges and money laundering. Kingdon earned a pure mathematics undergraduate degree from the Queen Mary University of London and a master’s degree from the University of Bristol.

Fisker Inc.

Fisker Inc. – Develops And Sells Electrification Technology.

Fisker Inc. is a company that produces automobiles. The business develops and sells electrification technology, zero-emission automobiles, and electric vehicles. This automaker was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in California, USA.

About The Company

Fisker Inc is an American company that manufactures electric vehicles (EV). The Fisker Karma was manufactured by Fisker Automotive, which was replaced by Fisker Inc. The Fisker Ocean, an electrical sport utility vehicle (SUV) being developed by Fisker Inc., is anticipated to go into production in late 2022. It has an estimated range of 300-350 miles (480-560 km). Fisker was also developing solid-state battery technology that could provide up to 500 miles of range with a one-minute charge until 2021. In July 2020, Fisker Inc. announced a merger with Spartan Energy Acquisition, a SPAC supported by private equity company Apollo Global Management, and an IPO on the NY Stock Exchange. The company concluded the reversed merger on October 30, 2020.

History

Henrik Fisker and Bernhard in 2007 established Fisker Automotive. One of the first premium plug-in EVs in production, the Fisker Karma, was created by the business and debuted in 2008 before the first deliveries were made in 2011. After about 2,000 of the cars had been sold globally, production was halted in 2012 as a result of the insolvency of its battery provider, A123 Systems. Wanxiang Group acquired the assets of Fisker Automotive in 2014, and the new business was given the name Karma Automotive. The Fisker brand and trademarks were kept by Henrik Fisker.

Fisker Inc.
Image source: pxcrush.net

The creation of Fisker Inc., an American manufacturer designing and manufacturing cutting-edge electric vehicles with a more extended range, autonomous driving capability, and superior battery tech, with Geeta Fisker as president and CFO, was announced by chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker on October 3, 2016. Fisker first announced in July 2016 that he intended to create an entirely connected electric vehicle with autonomous driving capabilities and a beautiful exterior. Fisker Inc. unveiled the design and technical details of the upcoming electric car, the Fisker EMotion, on October 31, 2016. The Orbit, a truly automated, connected, electric shuttle destined for smart cities, public airports, and campuses, was introduced by the corporation in November 2017. In that same month, Fisker Inc. declared that it had submitted patent applications for designs of flexible solid-state batteries, with mass production of the batteries beginning in 2020. The business revealed its plans to create a bulk market for all-electric luxury SUVs in September 2018.

In 2019, the company released the official Fisker Flexee mobile application for iOS and Android. Customers can plan test drives for the Fisker Ocean e-SUV and make reservations through the application.

Vehicles

Fisker Inc has launched various electronic vehicles in the automotive industry. The Fisker Orbit, an autonomous electric shuttle connected, and intended for smart cities, was unveiled in 2017. For this product, Fisker Inc. collaborated with Protean Electric, a manufacturer of motor technology, as well as Jack Wong of the Chinese business Hakim Unique Group. A few of its popular products include Fisker Alaska, Fisker EMotion, Fisker PEAR, and Fisker Ocean.

Founder – Henrik Fisker

Henrik Fisker founded Fisker Inc in 2007. Henrik Fisker is a renowned designer and entrepreneur. Henrik is known for taking risks, embracing innovation, and defying conventional wisdom. He is a top automobile designer, entrepreneur, inventor, innovator, mentor, and brand ambassador. The BMW Z8, Rocket, Destino V8, and Force 1 are among his most famous works. He has previously served on the boards of Aston Martin, BMW Designworks USA, Fisker Automotive, and Fisker Coachbuild. He has served in a number of honorary capacities, including as a judge at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and as an advisor and judges for automotive design at the Royal College of Art, UK, in 2010.

Elron Electronic

Elron Electronic, A Well-Known Name In The Israeli Venture Capital Industry.

Since 1962, Elron Electronic has been a well-known name in the Israeli venture capital industry. The company’s primary focus is initial investing, using knowledge across numerous sectors and significant strategic alliances to provide funding and support to potential Israeli digital startups, assisting them in realising their ambition to become great global leaders.

About The Company

Elron Electronic is a Tel Aviv-based Israeli technology holding firm that has been engaged in creating, financing, and developing more than 30 companies since its founding in 1962. It is regarded as one of the cornerstones of Israel’s high-tech sector. The company is active in various industries like medical technology, clean technology, information technology, semiconductors, and telecommunications. The businesses under Elron now have annual revenue of almost $5 billion. The company is headquartered in Haifa, Israel.

History

With the assistance of Dan Tolkowsky of the Discount Investment Corporation, Uzia Galil launched Elron in 1962. Shimon Peres, a defense minister at the time, visited Elron in 1966, and Uzia persuaded him to find a new business that would create minicomputers for defense uses. Initially known as Elbit Computers, the new business was a partnership between Elron Electronic and the Israeli Ministry of Defense (each holding 50 percent of the company). In 1967, the business unveiled the Elbit-100 minicomputer as its first product. Over the years, the business has evolved to become Elbit Systems, a global defense electronics company. Avraham Suhami, a brilliant engineer who had just received his Ph.D. from the Technion, was persuaded by Uzia to work with him in 1969 to launch a new business called Elscint that would concentrate on the innovation of scientific and medical solutions. The company produced MRI and CT scanners, among other pieces of medical imaging technology. Elscint was the first Israeli business to launch an IPO on NASDAQ in 1972. Elscint’s earnings increased to $311 million by 1996.

Current Holdings

Elron commemorated its 50th anniversary in 2012 and made the announcement that the company would only be investing in medical devices going forward. As of 2013, it held stakes in seven businesses operating in this sector, including Brainsgate, Given Imaging, and Pocared.

Elron Electronic
Image source: www.technion.ac.il

Founder – Uzia Galil

After a brief stint of working with Motorola in the US, Uzia Galil was introduced to the technology sector and decided to launch Israel’s debut high-tech startup firm. He founded the business in a buddy’s (Benjamin Sandller’s) apartment in Haifa while he was still in the Navy. The company’s initial offerings were measurement devices for use in electrical and medical applications. Uzia left the Navy in 1958, but the business failed to make enough money, so he took a job at the Technion’s physics lab. It was then that Dan Tolkowsky was introduced to Uzia. Dan, who found Uzia’s theories fascinating, persuaded the management of Discount Investment Corporation to provide funding for the business. Elron officially began operations in 1962 with a valuation of $160,000 and achieved $1 million in annual revenue within three years.

CEO – Ari Bronshtein

After acting as co-CEO of Elron from May 2009, Mr. Bronshtein has been the company’s CEO since June 2010. In the past, he was also the director of Elron. He provides a wealth of experience in company growth, financial management, and managing technological enterprises. He has held a number of executive positions at Bezeq, Comverse, and Tadiran. He currently holds directorships in Cellcom Israel, as well as other businesses belonging to the Elron and IDB groups. Mr. Bronshtein graduated from Tel Aviv University with a BA in Finance and Management and a Master in Finance & Accounting.

Version 1

Version 1, Assisting Customers In Navigating The Digital-First Environment We Live In.

Version 1 is an Irish company that specializes in providing various kinds of professional and technological services. The company demonstrates how IT can improve customers’ businesses. Global brands rely on this organization to provide IT services and services that enable customers to succeed. 

About The Company

Founded in 1996, Version 1 is an Irish business specializing in cloud computing, software development, an international management consulting, and software asset management. The company’s staff of over 2000 committed change-makers works relentlessly to create meaningful changes and impartial advice to assist customers in navigating the fast-evolving Digital-First environment we live in. In 2021, the company had a revenue of over €195 million. 

Version 1
Image source: www.version1.com

History Of The Company

Version 1 was founded by Justin Keatinge and John Mullen. It was initially headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Until 2011 the company had more than 150 consultants working for it and had yearly revenues of over €17.5 million. It was also included on the Deloitte Fast 50 list. The company expanded its Northern Ireland branch in 2014 and opened an office in London, United Kingdom. Version 1 was named as one of the best 50 workplaces in Europe after acquiring the UK-based Tieto Corporation. They later acquired UK companies named Patech Solutions and Roccella Group. By the end of the year, they had eight worldwide offices, over 500 consultants, and yearly revenues of €60 million. In 2017, Volpi Capital LLP acquired the majority of shares in Version 1 in a €100 million buyout of the company. With the money from the buyout, Version 1 was able to increase its activities in UK and Europe. After Justin Keatinge, the previous CEO, resigned in 2017, Tom O’Connor was chosen to lead Version 1. Keatinge stayed on the board of Version 1 and is still a significant stakeholder.

In 2018 the company declared an investment of €1 million in its Innovation Labs, whose core focus areas are: IoT, ChatBots, Virtual Reality, Machine Learning, and Augmented Reality. In 2018 the company acquired Cedar Consulting Ltd., an expert in HR Transformation. 

OneZeroOne, Version 1’s own podcast, debuted in April 2019. The podcast is a collection of interviews with UK and Irish technology and innovation specialists who share their thoughts, insights, and lessons with listeners. Its six podcast episodes are accessible on Spotify, AudioBoom, Deezer, and other streaming platforms.

Partners

Currently, the company works with Oracle Corporation, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services as its three primary technological partners. Version 1 has the biggest Oracle competence in the UK and Ireland and has been an Oracle Platinum Partner for Cloud Managed Services. Since 2006, It has been a Gold Microsoft Partner and has collaborated with the software giant. Version 1 is a Premier Consulting Partner in industries like migration, the public sector, and managed services providers. It was amongst the first Amazon Web Services members in Europe.

Founder – Justin Keatinge, John Mullen

Together with John Mullen, Justin Keatinge launched Version 1 in 1996. Through both strategic acquisitions and organic growth, both have guided Version 1 to become one of Western Europe’s fastest-growing providers of IT services.

CEO – Tom O’Connor

Tom O’Connor assumed the position of CEO at Version 1 in 2017 after serving as the company’s Chief Operating Officer for three years. Tom worked as a management consultant for the first several years of his career before holding executive positions with companies like Andersen Consulting. He joined the company in 2001 and quickly assumed a leadership position in several customer engagements. As a result, he helped to ensure the effective completion of numerous high-profile technical and consultancy services projects.