This year, Forte Group celebrates its 25th anniversary. For me, this milestone is both humbling and energizing. It’s a moment to reflect on where we’ve come from, the values that have carried us forward, and the opportunities ahead.
When I joined Forte Group three years ago, I inherited a remarkable legacy from our founder, Slava Kreynin. What he and the early team built over the past quarter century is extraordinary: a culture rooted in curiosity, collaboration, and resilience. That foundation remains our bedrock today. My role has been to honor that legacy while guiding us into the next chapter.
What has always set Forte apart isn’t just technical excellence, though our engineers’ skills are world-class. Increasingly, our clients tell us the real differentiator is our people’s soft skills: the ability to listen, collaborate, empathize, and communicate honestly, even when it means delivering hard truths. We don’t just say what’s easy; we say what’s real, and we do it with empathy. That’s how lasting partnerships are built.
Some of my proudest moments come from seeing those partnerships in action. Clients often say that working with Forte feels like being “one team”, pursuing the same goals together. I’ve also witnessed how our people—especially in Ukraine, but equally across Colombia, Argentina, Poland, and the U.S.—have shown incredible resilience, delivering with optimism even under the hardest circumstances. That spirit inspires me every day.
Another point of pride is that we’ve done this journey entirely on our own terms. Forte has been fully bootstrapped since day one. While others grew through M&A or outside capital, we grew by investing in people, listening to clients, and staying true to who we are. That independence has shaped our culture and sharpened our focus.
Looking ahead, I see three powerful waves defining Forte Group’s future:
- Custom software development, accelerated by AI: making innovation more affordable and accessible to industries and use cases that once seemed out of reach for custom software solutions.
- Artificial intelligence itself: transforming how clients—and we—grow revenue, increase efficiency, and unlock new opportunities. We are still at the beginning of this journey, but the start has been nothing short of remarkable, with many client assignments already under our belt.
- Data as the foundation: because without structured, reliable data, there is no AI. Helping clients capture and activate value from their data will be central to the years ahead.
At the same time, the future of global delivery is evolving. It’s no longer about chasing the lowest hourly cost. It’s about building smart, distributed teams across regions and augmenting them with AI to deliver faster, better, and more cost-effectively. For years, Forte has mastered outcome-based partnerships. In this new era, outcome-based collaborations are not just a differentiator—they are the entry ticket. And we’ve got this. It’s part of our DNA.
The results are already visible: solid, steady, and accelerated growth fueled by our expanding portfolio of services and deeper client partnerships. But more than numbers, it’s the foundation we’ve built—our culture, our independence, and our partnerships—that makes me confident about the road ahead.
So, what do the next 25 years hold? If history has taught us anything, it’s that the only certainty is change. My advice to everyone on this journey—our team, our clients, and our partners—is simple: stay ambitious, remain curious, and have fun along the way. The rest will follow.
To our people: thank you for your resilience, creativity, and passion.
To our clients: thank you for your trust, your challenges, and the chance to grow alongside you.
And to everyone who has been part of Forte’s story—past, present, and future—I am deeply grateful.
Here’s to the next chapter.
— Mikael Carlsson, CEO, Forte Group
