As part of their ongoing technology expansion efforts, Munich-based cloud PBX provider NFON AG announced this week their plans to open their newest R&D offices in Portugal’s Área Metropolitana de Lisboa.
With plans to open the new facility slated for September, the company has set its sights on beginning operations there within the year. According to a statement from the company, they hope to bring on their first cadre of developers for the site this year, eventually bringing the team up to a total of 30 members during 2021.
The move to open the new site comes as NFON AG is increasing their R&D initiatives in hopes of gaining an edge in the market. In his statement, NFON AG’s Chief Technology Officer, Jan-Peter Koopmann explains that, “With our nearshore location in Portugal, we will expand and secure our competitiveness in the European market.”
Why NFON AG Chose Portugal
NFON AG’s decision to make the move to Lisbon is far from surprising. In recent years, Portugal, with an emphasis on the scene in Lisbon, has been a growing tech hub for the Continent.
Local universities have invested heavily in preparing the next generation of students with the STEM field tools that are in demand for the tech sector. Schools like Técnico Lisboa and Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa are helping to churn out top quality engineering graduates, helping to provide talent not only for local startups but also for international companies seeking to outsource their operations.
The fact that costs are still lower in Portugal when compared to hubs like London or Dublin — the previous home of Web Summit before it moved to Lisbon — probably plays a factor in its growing popularity for new investment. However the cost differential is still a win-win, as it allows workers to stay in their home country and earn higher salaries without needing to relocate elsewhere in search of opportunities.
The widespread availability of talent for not only frontend but backend and full stack coding capabilities played a significant role in NFON AG’s choice for their newest location. Additionally, the increasingly international feel to the city had a hand in persuading the company that they could make a long term investment in the city.
Markus Krammer, NFON AG’s Vice President of Products and New Business notes that their sense that, “Portugal, and especially Lisbon, as a tech-hub helped to fully convince us in our search for a new R&D location.”
Building a Stronger European Technology Sector
NFON AG, like many other companies, has taken lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic about the necessity of creating a more resilient and agile framework for carrying on operations, even during a crisis.
As a leading provider of communications technology, NFON AG’s Chief Executive Officer & Chief Financial Officer
believes that his company needs to be a part of the effort to produce technologies for keeping businesses running and the lines open.
“Europe needs strong and future-proof companies,” he says, explaining that, “Europe needs a vision whose elementary component must be a fast and reliable transformation of new technologies. NFON AG is at the forefront of digitalisation in Europe and ensures, for example in times like these, that many employees have easy and quick access to necessary home office tools and can experience mobile working at the highest level.”
In order to meet the needs for smoother remote work, Szymanski says that much more needs to be done to double down on R&D efforts, concluding that,
“Europe’s success also depends on the innovative ability of technology companies, and our contribution is a new nearshore centre.”
