KDAB is one of the few service providers out there focusing only on Qt. This gives the company an edge - being leading experts and one of the natural places for KDE and Qt developers to go to when looking for work. As one of the sponsors of the Qt Centre annual programming contest this year, they continue contributing to the community surrounding Qt.
Back 1999, the company started as a one man operation. Growing steadily until 2006, then expanding even quicker, the company now consists of 30 people. The employees often come from a background within open source, and the KDE project is one of the growing grounds. The employment process is based around a test problem that must be solved. The results are interpreted in a strict manner. The goal is to bring out the best of the best. KDAB developers must belong to the elite.
Another measure taken to build an elite team is the decision to employ the right people, even if there is no clear position in a project. This means that KDAB aims at recruting the best, and trusts that they can find the right spot for the best.
Being a service provider, the company has gathered experience over the years. This experience has been channeled into products. These products are both tools and collections of useful classes. When a problem is solved and the solution looks useful for a broader market, a product is always an option that is evaluated.
Being a company employing the best Qt developers out there, the goal is to find the most interesting Qt projects to match their skills. The market is broad, with the biggest markets being the U.S., Germany and France. The biggest industry is oil and gas, but entertainment, medical and telecommunications are also common.
If you're interested in a company 100% devoted to Qt, visit KDAB at http://www.kdab.net/.