Iglu turned 10 years old in September 2020 and we are very excited to celebrate our tenth anniversary.
The past decade has been an incredible journey from a one-man software consulting agency in Northern Thailand to a multinational organisation with over 200 employees.
We would like to thank all our employees, clients and partners for helping us get to where we are today!
“When I founded iglu I wasn't sure where will we end up or how long it will take to get there - but I will know once we are there. Until that let's keep it cool, move forward, improve and innovate.”
How did we get all the way here? Read our story to learn how it all began.
Since its 2010 founding in Thailand, Iglu has grown into a global community of over 200 digital professionals and a network of companies with clients all around the globe.
Our humble beginnings can be traced back to Finland’s city of Tampere.
After living most of his life in Tampere, Ozzi Jarvinen, Iglu’s Founder, wanted to experience different cultures outside of Europe.
In 2000, he took the leap and got his first taste of Thailand. He studied International Business at Bangkok University.
After completing his courses there, Ozzi returned to Finland where Ozzi co-founded a company focused on graphic design, 3D-modelling and web design.
While his business grew between 2002 and 2006, Ozzi organised electronic music parties on the side, in which the name Iglu was born.
As the Finnish winter approached in late 2006, Ozzi decided to move back to Bangkok and establish something more permanent.
Starting as a freelancer working for his existing customer base in Europe, Ozzi quickly became one of the world’s original “digital nomads”.
Of course, digital nomadism was different then, with virtually no online resources or networks. Ozzi had to write the instruction manual on his own.
A year later, Ozzi moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand’s cultural capital. He swapped the skyscrapers and traffic for rice fields and mountain views.
There, he gradually built Iglu’s client base and established a team of four Thai designers and developers.
In 2010, Ozzi successfully incorporated Iglu as a limited company in Thailand.
Iglu has since grown while wrestling a new set of challenges.
Needing more European design and software development expertise, Iglu began to employ IT professionals in Thailand.
Upon registering Iglu with the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) in 2012, Iglu finally got the opportunity to employ increasing numbers of foreign workers, further accelerating Iglu’s growth.
Iglu Headquarter at Maehia, Chiang Mai in 2013. Having grown to 8 employees, Iglu took over Ozzi’s house and turned it into an office.
In 2014 Iglu expanded into Hong Kong and HubASEAN Ltd was incorporated. For a couple of years, HubASEAN Ltd was the largest sales channel serving international clients with our services.
Iglu also opened its first office in Bangkok and celebrated its 4th Birthday in Doi Inthanon, Thailand.
Finally, in November 2019, Iglu HQ was moved to London as a foundation for further growth and expansion into new locations.
In nine years, Iglu had grown from a one-man shop to a network of companies with over 200 employees servicing international clients on a diverse range of digital projects.
So what is Iglu’s future game plan?
Going forward, Iglu will follow its vision of redefining how and where the world’s best talent works.
Our promise to you whether an employee, client or partner, is with Iglu you can succeed no matter your location.
Having 10 years of experience working with distributed talent, we master remote work and with us, you can stay productive wherever you are located.
During the end of 2020 and next year, we will be focusing our efforts on increasing the number of our talents, growing our cloud consulting business as well as planning our next locations. Stay tuned for updates from Iglu!
