One of Ukraine’s earliest IT companies
From the AI department at KPI and the Glushkov Institute of Cybernetics to a developer of national-scale government information systems
Anton Marrero
Founder of Softline and Intecracy Group
I was fascinated by technology from an early age. Trained as a systems engineer, I was already teaching Artificial Intelligence at KPI in 1991. But those were difficult times, and I had to leave the department. Only one out of ten people from my class was able to work in the profession. To stay in IT, Alisher Ramazanov and I founded Softline in 1995. Yuriy Syvytsky joined a little later.
Our first contract was the automation of an agricultural commodities exchange. We literally lived in a small room behind the trading floor. It was a risky project, and very few wanted to take it on. We did — and it worked. Even then, while working with Ukrposhta, we realized something essential: code is not the main thing. The real key is understanding how an organization operates.
In 2009, the R&D institute Ecotech joined us. It had been founded by specialists from the V.M. Glushkov Institute of Cybernetics. Since the 1990s, the institute had worked exclusively on military projects, and those capabilities are what enable us today to deliver projects in the security and defense sector. Softline’s history is part of the broader history of Ukrainian IT.
The company’s journey
Softline started in a small room behind the trading floor of an agricultural commodities exchange. The first contract was a complex automated system that very few were willing to take on.
A second client emerged from among the exchange participants — Khlib Ukrainy. Then came Ukrposhta, where we learned a lasting lesson: code is not the main thing. The real task is designing a workable model of how an organization functions.
In 2000, the company attracted international investment and expanded beyond Ukraine. In 2002, it delivered its first national-scale systems. In 2009, restructuring and joining Intecracy Group gave Softline access to a shared technology platform and a broader pool of engineering expertise.
2013 brought cooperation with NATO. In 2014, the company contributed volunteer UAV solutions for the ATO and took part in building state registries. This was followed by UnityBase Defense, the secure Personnel information system for the Armed Forces, and continuous operations throughout the full-scale war.
Softline founded
Anton Marrero, Alisher Ramazanov, Yuriy Syvytsky. Kyiv
First tender
Automation of an agricultural commodities exchange
Khlib Ukrainy, Ukrposhta
Early large-scale integrated IT solutions in Ukraine
Megapolis platform
Proprietary business platform for software development
International projects
SigmaBleyzer investment. Expansion into the U.S. and EU markets
First national-scale systems
Information systems for government institutions
Growth to 1,000 employees
Training center and expanded capabilities
Intecracy Group
Formation of the group. Ecotech R&D Institute (Glushkov Institute of Cybernetics)
Cooperation with NATO
Implementation of Alliance standards
State registries. UAVs for the ATO
Participation in registry development. Volunteer project for the front lines
UnityBase Defense
Secure platform for the security sector. SSSCIP conclusion, assurance level G3
Personnel information system for the Armed Forces
Secure personnel management system for the Armed Forces
Systems serving millions of users
National-scale registries and information systems
UnityBase development
500K concurrent users. 130+ TB of data
Operations during wartime
Continuity of critical government and defense systems
18 years — and we never gave up our brand
Softline has operated under this name since 1995 and owns the registered trademark. In 2002, a Moscow-based company seized the softline.ua domain through cybersquatting. Instead of changing our name or backing down, we defended the brand all the way through.
Using an already established name, the Russian entity sold computer hardware and Russian software, undercut the market, pushed out Ukrainian developers, and made government institutions dependent on Russian software.
We launched legal action immediately. However, because intellectual property law was still underdeveloped, the proceedings dragged on for years. The clone repeatedly changed legal entities to complicate the process.
Projects supporting national defense
R&D for the Ministry of Defense
A series of R&D projects commissioned by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and carried out by specialists who are now part of Softline
Cooperation with NATO
Implementation of Alliance standards. U.S. Army experience was incorporated into platform development
UAVs for reconnaissance
Volunteer project — software for unmanned aerial vehicles operating in the ATO zone
UnityBase Defense
Secure version of the UnityBase platform for the security and defense sector. SSSCIP conclusion, assurance level G3
Personnel information system for the Armed Forces
Secure personnel management information system for the Armed Forces: personnel records, staffing records, orders, and reporting
Operations during wartime
Continuity of critical government information systems. Projects supporting Ukraine’s Defense Forces during the full-scale invasion
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