“The Main Software 50 looks at a set of balanced KPIs which gives a much better picture of how companies are really doing”

''The Main Software 50 Award we won in 2013 felt like a recognition for all the hard work of the previous years. It was tremendously important! Also for other reasons. For our investors it reconfirmed the correctness of their decision. It helped us in recruiting new people. And it helped us find the courage to keep going. A wonderful gift.''

''I think it's cool that the Main Software 50 is there. It gives publicity to the Dutch software industry. People often look at the United States and India. But there are many successful and fast-growing companies in the Netherlands too. For OBI4wan specifically, the list meant a great deal for our visibility and branding.''

''I am holding the physical award in my hands. It took me six seconds to find it, even though I've moved to the United States and my house here is being renovated as we speak. This goes to show that the award has meant a great deal to us. Software is not an easy business when it comes to PR. If you call a journalist and tell them there is a new version of your software that also supports MySQL, they will say, ‘So what?’ So this was an incredibly important recognition.''

''We participated to enhance external visibility and also because we wanted to measure ourselves against others. Are we really doing it right, that question. It's not easy to get this insight from the company’s own accounts, certainly not in the early years. We also chose to participate in the Main Software 50 after the initial growth slowed down, because it looks at more than just percentage sales growth, which means that participation remains interesting.''

''Before we were acquired by the Norwegian company Visma, we participated in the Main Software 50 every year. We did that for the purposes of traction and marketing. For customers, a nomination is a confirmation that you are an established party. It also helps with respect to prospects. The award radiates authority.''

''The Dutch software sector could use some more attention. The sector is very dynamic: a lot is happening and there are big successes to celebrate. And not all of this is seen by the media and society. The more the successes become visible, the more this commotion will attract people. That is why the Main Software 50 is a good initiative.''