Growth and getting independent again

In the years after joining SSI (described in the previous post), all focus was on growing Dub Knowledge. As mentioned, the development team had grown exponentially and the cooperation with SSI was intense and fruitful. In 2012 it was time to make some choices, which led to the sale of Dub Knowledge to SSI, who have been further developing it for their own worldwide expansion. We are extremely proud to have developed the system that the largest panel provider of the world is using day in day out for their operations.

The growth of online surveys

Online surveys were growing rapidly, and as we developed both call-center surveys also web-based, we had a huge advantage on our single basis for both. Multi-/mixed mode surveys were implemented right from the start. In the early days, we even did all advanced behavior using Javascript, which, unfortunately, was later replaced by Flash. How weird and unexpected was it, that later on Flash was killed by Apple and JavaScript-based plugins became the de facto solution again?

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Last week you were able to read how Fred and I met and how we started with the idea to develop on the Apple Newton. This week I would like to continue our journey and tell you how we started and changed our path into Market Research.

The start

As I was still in the military service, we quickly got our cooperation going: I started developing in my ample free time. In the spring/summer of 1993, Nebu was born!

The business for the sales applications was pretty successful, having clients like a Dutch lingerie sales organization, Massey Ferguson and Range Rover as clients. We soon needed more capacity for software development and were extremely lucky to run into a 400 and 800-meter sprinter, a tall skinny guy. In December 1994 Jan Raaphorst joined Nebu. And guess what? Next year we celebrate Jan being with us for 25 years!

2018 is an important year for all of us here at Nebu. The company turns 25! On Thursday, June 14 we are organizing a party to celebrate this great event! Everyone who is or has been part of the Nebu journey will be invited, so please keep an eye on your post box! 

Nebu's anniversary gave me an opportunity to reminisce about the events of a quarter of a century. In a series of blog posts, I’d like to take you on a trip down memory lane and tell a little bit more about how we started, how we came into Market Research and about some of our highs and lows.

The first Nebu office, located in Fred's house in Uitgeest

It was in 1993 that Fred and I started working together. A long time ago, but I still remember this as if it were yesterday. Just in case 1993 doesn't mean as much to you as it does to me, I'd like to bring up a few iconic events that happened that year. In 1993: