An Interview With Mikita Kot, CEO Cogniteq

1: Hi Mikita, how are you and your family doing these COVID-19 times?

Everything is going pretty well, thank you.

2: Please introduce your company and give a brief about your role within Cogniteq?

Cogniteq is a custom software development company with headquarters in Lithuania and offices in Eastern Europe. It was founded and launched in 2005 and has grown steadily and successfully ever since. Now we have a team of over 100 developers, delivering work for clients around the world. Company provides a wide range of mobile and web app development services, with a focus on IoT and Healthcare. And I’m immensely proud to be Managing Director of Cogniteq, and excited and confident for the future.

3: How did you define the vision of Cogniteq? How did you approach your first 100 days as the Managing Director at Cogniteq? Can you tell us more about your journey?

I came to Cogniteq as the Head of the Sales department, after building up a strong and positive track record in IT software development sales. During my time as Head of Sales, I proactively grew the market for our services, increasing the client base year on year. I also helped to diversify the company's service portfolio, transforming us from a niche development company (only doing mobile development projects) into a company that provides full-fledged solutions and consulting.

From day one, when I was appointed Managing Director, it was crucial that I defined and formed the company's vision and strategy. I was determined to make Cogniteq stronger in a rather competitive market. Also for me, it was extremely important to form a strong HR brand of Cogniteq and make sure that the best talents in our region strive to get into our company. And it's giving us a competitive edge on the international market.

4: Having more than 10+ years of experience in the IT industry - Cogniteq has 100+ happy clients and worked on 300+ successful projects with more than 100+ skilled workforce. What do you think about the numbers in the future?

We plan on continuing to grow, but at a steady and reasonable pace, not turning into a giant that’s onboarding 100 new staff a month. We don't want to risk the quality of our services, which is inevitable when the organizational transformation is not keeping pace with the growing number of developers. Company is aiming for a smooth and steady growth process, one whereby headcount and client numbers are increasing, and business processes are aligning around new staff members and expertise.

5: As an agency specialized in web and app development, what tips would you offer to your clients looking to get a better return on investment?

In my experience, there are two things clients would benefit from:

When seeking to work with a development partner agency, don’t aim to chase the price you can afford to the bottom. You risk getting a poorer quality product. Take time and do a thorough screening, check the reviews, talk to the company's customers, and talk to the developers. Also, don’t forget to discuss how the supplier will approach the quality control. Do everything you can to ensure you've made the right choice. It will make a huge difference when it comes to achieving the results you want.

If you are a startup needing an MVP and therefore have a limited budget, don’t aim for an app with loads of features. Instead, aim to build the best quality MVP possible, and use this to attract investors (alongside beta users, of course).

6: What specific tools, software, and management skills are you using to navigate the COVID crisis?

We use a lot of software, which equipped us perfectly to cope with remote working. I don't think there is a need to list them, because tools such as Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, Slack, etc. are used almost everywhere right now. Also long before Covid, we were already set up for developers to work remotely with clients around the world. So for us, it wasn't a big leap when it wasn't possible for teams to be in the office, and these changes didn't disrupt either our inner work or the work with our clients.

7: Android or iOS, Native or Cross Platform— which platform is best to use to build your app? What are your recommendations?

Our mobile development department can work natively with either iOS, Android, and other platforms, or cross-platform too. It really depends on the project, client specifications, budget, and other factors. The best advice, for those who want to create a high-quality app, is not to chase trends. Instead, listen to the recommendations of the development team you trust.

8: After you receive a client brief, how do you come up with new ideas, insights, and strategies for a new project, and what is your approach behind them?

This also depends on the project and what the clients need. But we stick to established business practices and approaches that work. We believe it’s highly important to involve a tech specialist (Solution Architect, Developer, or Business Domain Expert) at the initial stages, to minimize the risks of under-/overbudgeting, misinterpretation of requirements, and expectations of the client, etc.

9: Where do you see things headed for you in the next 5 years? What can we hope to see from Cogniteq in the future?

We aim to become a regional leader in the development of IoT solutions. We are also aiming to open offices in the UK and US, where we already have long-term established partnerships with SMB and enterprises.

10: What are the top-three books or movies (TV series) that changed your life and why?

Let's talk about books today:

Book 1: The Culture Map by Erin Meyer - “An excellent way to understand the thought processes of people outside our own culture. It really helps when you work with clients all over the globe.”

Book 2: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand  - “I read it in my youth, and at that moment it changed my view of the world.”

Book 3: Good to Great by  Jim Collins - “This helped me to understand why some companies make the leap and others don’t”

11: How do you keep yourself motivated every day?

Every day, I feel a great responsibility to lead, and keep driving forward the growth of the company, for the sake of the team. It is important for me that every team member can fulfill their potential. To feel like not just a developer who is working on behalf of a client, but to feel the contribution that they make to the development of the company, and beyond that, the industry as a whole.

12: What is your favorite entrepreneurship quote?

“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.”

— Henry Ford, founder of Ford, and a truly inspiring entrepreneur and industrial magnate and philanthropist.

Our mature processes and skilled developers always ensure we stick to this rule, which is how and why clients are always so confident they’ll get the results they want.

13: Cogniteq has been honored as the best mobile app development company in MAD Report 2021. How do you assess the role of research agencies like MobileAppDaily in bridging the gap between clients and service providers?

As we all know, competition is pretty tough in this market. So, we believe that the more opportunities you use to tell your potential customers about yourself, the better. MobileAppDaily  is a reliable source for clients to get information about service providers that they can rely on.

Takeaways!

• Mikita says “when seeking to work with a development partner agency, don’t aim to chase the price you can afford to the bottom.”
• “If you are a startup needing an MVP and therefore have a limited budget, don’t aim for an app with loads of features. Instead, aim to build the best quality MVP possible, and use this to attract investors (alongside beta users, of course).”, as quoted by Mikita.
• Mikita explained, “For those who want to create a high-quality app, the best advice is not to chase trends. Instead, listen to the recommendations of the development team you trust.”
• “We plan on continuing to grow, but at a steady and reasonable pace, not turning into a giant that’s onboarding 100 new staff a month.” as stated by Mikita Kot.