18 Software Development Agency Success Stories [2024]
Starting a software development agency is a great way to build a profitable business. Businesses are always on the lookout for ways to save time and money, so it's no surprise that they're increasingly turning to software developers as a way of streamlining their operations.
Software developers are in high demand, and people who can develop custom-built solutions for businesses are able to charge top dollar for their services.
If you want to know how to build your own software development agency (SDA), these successful case studies and examples will act as a great starting point.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a software development agency:
1. Krit ($1.09M/year)
Andrew, the founder of Krit, initially had no intention of starting a software agency. However, after taking an intro to Computer Science class in college, he became hooked on programming and the startup world. Through various pivots and a failed product launch, Andrew and his team eventually made the tough decision to shut down their product and transition into a full-time agency.
How much they make: $1.09M/year
Current team size: 7
A software agency started by a non-technical founder helps diverse clients with their minimum lovable product, boasting a revenue of over $700,000 this year with a 20% profit margin and a team of 8.
2. Pioneer Mobile Applications ($360K/year)
Phil Scarfi, founder of Pioneer Mobile Applications, came up with the idea for his business while in college. He noticed the inefficiency in accessing dining hall menus online and developed an app that consolidated all the menus in one place. Word quickly spread about his app, leading to opportunities to develop apps for others and ultimately forming Pioneer Mobile Applications.
How much they make: $360K/year
Current team size: 3
Phil Scarfi, Founder of Pioneer Mobile Applications, shares how he tripled his client base and nearly doubled his website's monthly visitors through SEO, social media marketing and standardization of the development process.
Learn more about starting a software development agency:
Where to start?
-> How much does it cost to start a software development agency?
-> Pros and cons of a software development agency
Need inspiration?
-> Examples of established software development agency
-> Marketing ideas for a software development agency
Other resources
3. The Jed Mahonis Group ($960K/year)
Tim Bornholdt, co-founder of The Jed Mahonis Group, came up with the idea to start a custom iOS and Android app development consultancy after realizing the potential of the App Store. With a passion for technology and a friend who believed in the business, they started the company with just $250 each and have since grown it into a nearly seven-figure a year agency working with clients such as Great Clips and Profile by Sanford Health.
How much they make: $960K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 8
"We started a custom iOS and Android app development consultancy that now makes nearly seven-figures a year by landing clients like Great Clips and the USA CUP after building successful concept apps."
4. Weblium ($444K/year)
David Braun, co-founder and CEO of Weblium.com, came up with the idea for the company after running Templatemonster.com and realizing the drawbacks of using various website platforms. He wanted to create a website builder that took care of all the issues "under the hood" without bothering customers. With a team of 24 people, Weblium is now creating 20-30 websites every day and growing 200% month over month, on track to reach the milestone of 100 custom websites a day.
How much they make: $444K/year
Current team size: 51
Weblium, a hybrid website builder that allows customers to switch between doing it themselves or having it done for them, has grown 200% month over month and is making 20-30 websites daily, with plans to reach 100 custom websites a day while partnering with banks and company registrars to offer website creation as part of their packages.
5. Brainverse Technologies Ltd ($72K/year)
Brian Nyagol, the founder and CEO of Brainverse Technologies, started the business as a way to finance himself in college. After experimenting with various projects and learning from his mistakes, he revived Brainverse in 2018, building a team and focusing on helping small and medium-sized enterprises digitize their business. Their success is evident in their monthly revenue of $4,500, with 80% of their projects coming from referrals and 20% from direct marketing efforts.
How much they make: $72K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 15
Founder Brian Nyagol started Brainverse Technologies in Kenya, Africa, focusing on helping small and medium-sized enterprises digitize their business, digitalize their processes and build effective digital footprints, with an average monthly revenue of $4,500, serving a total of 113 clients in the past 2 years through referrals and online advertising.
6. Apps:Lab ($72K/year)
a team member as a dedicated product manager to handle their project and ensure successful delivery. Our current revenue stands at $3,500 per month, with 85% generated from software development services and the remaining 15% from our flagship on-demand food delivery app, LetaFood. Despite the challenges in the current market, we are focused on expanding our in-house projects and product development to drive future growth and change the narrative of technology adoption in Kenya and Africa.
How much they make: $72K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1.2M
Current team size: 5
Apps: Lab KE is a software development company generating $3,500 per month, specializing in problem-solving using technology and data for businesses and communities.
7. SteelKiwi ($1.8M/year)
Steelkiwi, a Ukrainian outsourcing company for web and mobile app development, was founded by Anton Baterikov and another individual in 2011. They noticed a gap in the market for offering businesses an alternative to PHP development and decided to provide high-quality products using Python. Today, Steelkiwi has expanded its expertise and works with businesses in various industries, with over 80 employees helping clients grow digitally.
How much they make: $1.8M/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 80
How we started a 150k/month website and mobile development outsourcing company that has grown to 80+ employees and offers services in graphic design, QA, business analysis, project management, and marketing in addition to web and mobile app development.
8. Infinite MLM Software ($780K/year)
Abdul Majeed, one of the directors of Infinite Open Source Solutions, came up with the idea for their flagship product, Infinite MLM Software, when they realized the need for MLM companies to have a software solution to manage their operations efficiently. After launching the software, they focused on digital marketing and content marketing strategies to attract and retain customers worldwide, achieving a monthly income of around $60,000 and a monthly revenue of around $1,00,000.
How much they make: $780K/year
Current team size: 100
Software development company IOSS achieved a monthly income of around $60,000 and monthly revenue of $100,000 by offering their flagship product, Infinite MLM Software, which successfully manages the huge product sale with all types of commissions, MLM plans, and MLM business reports.
9. Wolfpack Digital ($3.6M/year)
Gina, the founder of Wolfpack Digital, came up with the idea for her app development agency after realizing the lack of soft skills and business strategy in the tech ecosystem in Romania. With a diverse background in engineering, psychology, and business, Gina was able to bring together her interests and tap into the impressive tech talent pool in her hometown of Cluj. Since launching in 2015, Wolfpack Digital has experienced impressive growth, reaching a yearly revenue of over $1.5 million.
How much they make: $3.6M/year
Current team size: 88
Wolfpack Digital, an award-winning app development agency from Romania, founded by Gina Lupu, with a team of 50 in-house employees, has exceeded the $1.5M yearly revenue threshold, with an impressive 15-20% profit margin, focusing on fintech, health tech, IoT, social, and transportation industries.
10. BairesDev ($524M/year)
How much they make: $524M/year
Current team size: 5000
BairesDev, a California-based nearshore technology solutions provider, saw impressive 50% growth in the last 5 years, thanks to founders Pablo Azorin and Nacho De Marco's ability to tap into untapped tech talent in Latin America.
12. Moralis ($22.2M/year)
- Hi I am Filip Martinsson a co-founder of Moralis.
- Moralis provides a complete end-to-end blockchain application development platform powering decentralized apps (dApps), uniquely allowing developers and companies to focus on the front-end while handling the entire back-end of development.
- The result is a product that saves time and money for projects and teams that otherwise wouldn’t have the resources to build, manage, and maintain complex blockchain infrastructure.
- Moralis was founded by Filip Martinsson and Ivan Liljeqvist in 2020. It is a blockchain coding academy.
- In their computer science class that they attended together in 2010, the duo came up with the concept for Moralis. Both of them have been developers since they were kids and also have dealt in crypto for quite some time.
- Moralis offers a unified workflow for creating high-performance apps that are compatible with your preferred web3 tools and services.
- They currently operate the largest blockchain coding academy, which is utilized by 38,000 people.
Read the full story on medium.com ➜
13. Upvoty ($48K/year)
- Hi I am Mike Slaats founder of Upvoty. I built my SaaS startup Upvoty (upvoty.com) into a $10,000 MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) business.
- If you want to start tracking customer feedback the most efficient way with Upvoty.
- Upvoty helps centralize all customer feedback. It's amazing how it connects with other software.
- Upvoty, a comprehensive user feedback tool, was founded by Mike Slaats in 2018. With this platform, users have a single location for all of their customer feedback.
- The Upvoty team developed this platform because they are aware of the challenges associated with gathering and managing customer feedback from a variety of channels, including chats, emails, and phone calls.
- This company is focusing on SaaS companies though it introduced its product as a general feedback tool for essentially everyone.
Read the full story on ideamensch.com ➜
13. Common Sense Holdings ($120K/year)
Maanda Mulaudzi, founder of Common Sense Holdings, came up with the idea for his technology solutions startup during a bus trip in South America. After realizing he wanted to leave his corporate job behind, he started the company upon returning to South Africa and now focuses on rapid prototyping to meet client needs. With a turnover of $5,000 a month, Mulaudzi aims to increase monthly revenue by 100% in the coming year.
How much they make: $120K/year
Current team size: 2
South African startup Common Sense Holdings, founded by Maanda Mulaudzi, specializes in mobile apps, web-based applications, and IT consulting in the education and business sectors and is on track to double its $5,000 monthly revenue with new clients.
14. theta. ($864K/year)
Emmanuel Iroanya, the founder of theta, had a unique journey that led him to start his civic and government-focused digital firm. Inspired by his father's entrepreneurial efforts in working with the City of Baltimore to provide mental health and family preservation services, Emmanuel realized he could make a difference by working with federal agencies. His time at a large federal systems integrator solidified his idea to create a company that existed at the intersection of technology and government, with the goal of addressing the limitations and implications of technology in the public sector.
How much they make: $864K/year
Current team size: 0
Digital and management firm theta. has served over six government agencies since its inception, providing innovative solutions to unique computing problems that meet client needs so effectively, it has doubled its employee number and is aiming for a 50/50 prime-subcontractor revenue split.
15. Modern Launch ($600K/year)
Cody Benedetto and Ryan Serkes, founders of Modern Launch, started their custom software development company after experiencing success with their own business ventures. Within just three months of launching, they generated over $100k in revenue and have been profitable since their third week in business. Their services include mobile application development, website development, and custom software development.
How much they make: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 2
Modern Launch, a custom software development company, generated over $100k in revenue and achieved profitability within its first 3 weeks of bootstrapping, offering services including mobile application development, website development and design, and custom software development.
16. Ziflow ($8M/year)
How much they make: $8M/year
Current team size: 99
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
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- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
