Chairman of the Board of Directors Martin Vlčko, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors Radovan Bálent and a member of the board of directors Ján Schwarz They discuss key moments, current changes, and the company's future direction.
The history of the Banská Bystrica-based company dates back to the early 1990s. Significant growth occurred mainly in 1995 and 1996 during the introduction of cash registers. „SOFTIP had grown to 500 employees by then. Every company was buying point-of-sale systems—it was a crazy pace.,“ says Radovan Bálent, head of the SME division.
Rapid Growth, Bakeries, and the Crisis
A few years later came another milestone—the Prometeus/W ERP system, the predecessor to today’s SOFTIP PROFIT solution. SOFTIP made the transition from the MS-DOS environment to the Windows world and laid the foundation for a solution that remains a cornerstone of its product portfolio to this day.
The company's history has also included some less traditional episodes. „We even had our own bakeries. And there were times when warm rolls brought in more money than software.,“ laughs Ján Schwarz.
However, after a period of extremely rapid growth, reality set in. And the viability of this still relatively young company was put to the test at the start of the millennium. In 2002, a new shareholder invested in the company, and crisis management followed. Finally, in 2006–2007, Czech investors joined SOFTIP. Their goal was to get the company back on its feet and then sell it. They introduced modern methodologies, centralization, and project management—which significantly advanced the entire organization.
However, true stability did not come until 2012 and the arrival of the current owners. „They have a personal connection to the entire company and a long-term vision,“ says Bálent. „And the courage to invest—in people, in innovation, and even in things that don't yield an immediate return,“ adds Schwarz.
SOFTIP Today It employs more than 200 people at nine locations throughout Slovakia. In 2025, it generated revenue of 23.6 million euros and pre-tax profit of 4.3 million euros, the best results in the company’s history. The company is part of the group SYNTECA.
The cloud is the standard; AI is the future
Although SOFTIP does a wide range of things today, PROFIT remains the core of the company’s product portfolio. Many customers don’t even realize that they are using comprehensive information systems built specifically on it. In fact, dozens of solutions have gradually emerged around PROFIT. These range from custom modules to standalone products such as SOFTIP HAPPY HR and SOFTIP GARANT for pension funds, which holds a strong position in the Czech Republic.
The way companies use these solutions is gradually changing. That said, many Slovak customers still prefer the on-premises model and are cautious about the cloud.
„It's a matter of natural caution,“ says the company's CEO, Martin Vlčko. „The fear that someone might see my invoices, my pay stubs… It’s similar to when, twenty years ago, we were convincing companies to move their email to the cloud.“
That is one reason why they strive to continuously educate their customers. A good example is the return to standards—a topic that is currently making waves in the ERP world. Less customization, more consistency. „In the cloud, it's a necessity,“ says Ján Schwarz. „Customizations lead to vendor lock-in and problems with updates. Microsoft makes a change, and your customizations stop working.“
In the case of ERP, however, it's more difficult: „Customers want customizations. However, we guide them to start by using the standard functionality first. In other words, standard features first, then customization. And suddenly they realize that they don't actually need eighty percent of the customizations.,“ notes Martin Vlčko.
When it comes to artificial intelligence, all three agree: this is the biggest technological breakthrough since the advent of cloud computing. The impact of AI will be profound—not only in products, but also within the company. „Everyone at SOFTIP must know how to work with AI. Not in a year, but right now.,“ emphasizes Martin Vlčko.
AI is already in use today, for example, in the SOFTIP MONACO production management system for predictions, searching drawings, and communication. The company is also testing a chatbot for its help desk, which is designed to reduce the workload on call center operators and speed up response times.
„The developer of the future will not be a narrow specialist. He or she will be a Renaissance person who knows how to prompt AI, review results, and bridge the gap between technology and business.,“ adds Radovan Bálent.
New Energy, Faster Innovation
When the conversation turns to the future, Martin Vlčko emphasizes speed. And SOFTIP must adapt to that as well. „We want to reduce response times and deliver new features more frequently, in smaller increments.“Greater use of self-service tools, chatbots, and AI assistants should help by reducing wait times and providing more immediate responses.”.
However, the future of this technology company isn't just about accelerating development or adopting AI. It's about a deeper change in how it operates—a shift toward agility, clear product ownership, and defined roadmaps.
„SOFTIP will be a modern product company. We have the software, the customers, and the experience. Now we’re infusing it with new energy—agility, ownership, speed, and AI. We want our products to be smarter, so they can anticipate, recommend, and assist,“The company’s CEO states.”.
„Customers need assurance that their systems will still be working ten years from now. And at the same time, they want innovation. We can give them both,“ adds Radovan Bálent.
The Launch of the New Cloud Company Elyvyn
One of the most significant changes is the planned transformation of the CES division. Starting in 2027, it will operate as an independent company Elyvyn within the SYNTECA Group.
„We started out as five systems engineers who installed servers for SOFTIP PROFIT,“ recalls Ján Schwarz. „Today, there are forty people working in the areas of cloud computing, security, and digital transformation, operating in twenty countries around the world.“
The creation of Elyvyn is a natural outcome of SOFTIP’s long-term efforts to build cloud expertise. A product company and a cloud service provider operate at different paces, follow different processes, and have different priorities. Separating them is therefore a logical step. At the same time, it creates room for further development across the entire group.
The new company remains closely linked to SOFTIP. The specialized teams and all existing projects will continue without interruption, and customers can continue to count on the continuity of the services provided.
„Know-how stays at home, and collaboration continues. It’s just that each world gets its own space to grow.,“ adds Martin Vlčko.
SOFTIP is thus entering the next phase of its existence. Not as a company living off its past, but as a company that uses its past as a solid foundation and its future as its main driving force. And although each of the three leaders represents a different world, they agree on one thing: SOFTIP’s most exciting years are still ahead.