The technology sector was initially founded on marvellous ideas such as semiconductors, computing hardware, and communication devices. The advent of software businesses broadened the definition of technology to encompass everything that involves coding. Soon, more space was required to accommodate the influx of Internet companies that occurred during the Internet boom.
Some of these Internet firms were simply media and content enterprises that utilised code as their medium, while others were pioneering rich features like e-commerce, social networking, the sharing economy, and even cloud computing. Thanks to the ease of the internet, business is booming more than ever.
But what about the companies and businesses that are struggling to adjust to this new market reality? With the old brick-and-mortar fashion of businesses finally showing its limitations, businesses need to adapt in order to flourish in the digital era. Fortunately, firms like 7L International are championing the cause of digital transformation, consultation and digital adaptation to help businesses and organisations find their teeth in the future.
Currently led by its dynamic President and CEO – Vasileios M. Stoidis, 7L International is a digital transformation consulting and custom software development firm that has been enabling renowned companies and reputable organizations to evolve and adapt to the new market reality. 7L International provides fully integrated, end-to-end business solutions that are specifically tailored to each customer.
We are honoured to bring to you an exclusive interview we conducted with Mr Stoidis where we gathered deep insights and inspiration about the growth of 7L International in the ever-evolving tech sphere.
So, without further ado, let us dive right into the interview and relish the knowledge we are about to receive.
Kindly describe us about 7L International in detail.
7L International was founded in 2007. With offices in New York, London, and Athens, 7L International leverages deep technology knowledge and unparalleled software engineering expertise to ensure digital transformation maturity across countless industries, globally. Our company provides tailor-made technology solutions to enable businesses to reach untapped areas of growth. We help organizations face challenges in the areas of growth, performance improvement and cost-cutting by utilizing the right technology.
The approach of 7L International is unique in the market. Instead of having specific products to try to persuade the clients to use, we operate based on a methodology similar to the Socratic – maieutic – method. According to this methodology, we deploy a phased approach where we initially assess the technology readiness level of a company and the needs and challenges this company faces. As a second step, we match the most suitable technologies that will work best for the company. Finally, we implement these technologies by integrating what is readily available and building what’s not available in the market.
Thanks to our client-centric methodology, we make sure to provide solutions that adapt and work based on the clients’ current and future needs. This is the success 7L International provides to its business clients.
What made you venture into the industry you are catering to?
In my opinion, Technology is not an industry. Technology is the tool, the catalyst for all the other industries. The fact, that technology enhances our abilities and enables people, groups, companies, and societies to overcome limitations, obstacles, face challenges and expand their capabilities, their competence, and intelligence is what makes me passionate about the Technology “industry”.
What kind of offerings do you provide to your clients?
Web Applications and Mobile Applications development, eCommerce development, Software Modernization, Software Defined Mainframes, IoT development and integrations, Secure Communications and Secure Storage Systems, Quality Assurance Services, and Specification Design.
What kind of challenges have you faced while entering into the industry you are catering to?
I can’t say that I have faced challenges in the Technology industry. I could say that the challenges I have faced have to do with corporate growth.
Companies as they grow, need to change and adapt to new challenges. Change management, corporate changes and culture changes are the biggest challenges.
A C.E.O. needs to have many talents and understand all the aspects of the business. As the business grows, you need to re-learn all the aspects of the business in a way that it’s suitable for the stage the business is and for the stage, the business is heading to. This is challenging.
How was your firm/business affected in these pandemic times and what were the steps taken by you to curb the damages all the while helping your clients and maintaining the safety of your employees?
Many business areas were affected by lockdowns and many investments were blocked. However, being a remote-work-friendly employer made us adapt to this unprecedented situation very fast without any interruptions in our operations and projects.
Throughout this time, we continued to provide our high level of services, seamlessly and at the same time, we enabled our clients to expedite their business transformation utilizing technology.
The positive angle is that many businesses have realized the importance of digital transformation which paved the way for new projects for technology companies.
We took advantage of this opportunity and plan to expand even more in the future as we march towards normality.
What would you like to advise the young generation of entrepreneurs?
It’s important to be able to understand the fundamentals in our business and also in society. It’s also crucial to understand the dynamics of the same sectors. Educating ourselves in these two directions gives us the right perspective on challenges we face and the right direction we need to navigate in the future.
We mustn’t forget to evaluate risks and proceed reluctantly at first but to stay focused on our vision. An entrepreneur should be passionate and try to differentiate amongst others. Gain expertise in their domain and keep improving. Seek guidance from individuals who are considered successful in their area of expertise.
Where do you envision your firm/business to be in the long run and what are your future goals? How do you plan to embrace the changes happening in your respective industry?
I envision 7L International to be able to produce open standards, models, and frameworks to help accelerate the development of reliable, secure, and adaptable software similar to the way the Internet is built on open protocols (OSI model).
We plan to grow by constantly improving our operations and assisting in the digital transformation of many industries.
We try to add increasing value to our services and deliver an advantageous experience to our clients by constantly enhancing our products. This gives us a competitive advantage.
What is the current industrial scenario of the industry you are catering to?
Now more than ever, technologies spread widely in most industries, as the need for innovation and automation is compelling for the businesses that wish to remain competitive.
The U.S. is amongst the leaders of the innovation world. Only countries which are aligned with digital transformation can lead the global market capitalization. This trend emerges many opportunities for technological companies.
Digital technologies determine the economic performance in a rapidly changing business environment which provides room for investments and financial growth.
Exemplary Leadership
Vasileios Stoidis was born in a small seaside town in North Greece. Since elementary school, he was drawn by technology and mechanisms trying to understand “how things work”. He worked at the local electronics-repair shop expanding his knowledge hands-on on electronics, telecommunications, and computers.
Studied Electronics and Computer Engineering at the Technical University of Crete in Greece, while setting up his first start-ups in the areas of Wi-Fi installation and management for hotels and e-mail and web hosting services.
In 2008, he started doing business in the United States and later he moved to New York. Today, he is the President and C.E.O. of 7L International Inc and MassiveGRID Inc.
Vasileios Stoidis is drawn from the abilities that technology offers to the people and how the proper use of them increases and enhances people’s abilities.
