Scandit

What began as a futuristic concept in the minds of three researchers at ETH Zurich in 2009 has blossomed into a global leader in smart data capture. The journey of Scandit is a compelling tale of academic curiosity evolving into a billion-dollar enterprise. Founded by Samuel Mueller, Christian Floerkemeier, and Christof Roduner, the initial vision was to bridge the physical and digital worlds, extending the Internet of Things to everyday objects. While their first explorations centered on RFID technology, they soon pivoted, recognizing the immense potential lying within the increasingly sophisticated cameras of everyday smartphones. This realization marked the true genesis of Scandit's mission: to give superpowers to workers, customers, and businesses through unparalleled data capture technology.

The company's early years were a testament to perseverance and strategic adaptation. Initially, the founders developed their own barcode scanning software and launched a consumer-facing price comparison app. However, a small footnote on their promotional material, indicating that the underlying Software Development Kit (SDK) was available for third-party licensing, proved to be the pivotal moment. As their app gained traction, so did the inquiries from developers eager to integrate Scandit's powerful scanning capabilities into their own applications. This organic demand steered the company away from a direct-to-consumer model and towards a B2B licensing platform, a move that would define its trajectory. By 2012, they had secured major clients like Ahold Delhaize and Coop, validating their new direction and laying the groundwork for future expansion. This success fueled the growth of their team and the evolution of their offerings, tailoring solutions for diverse industries such as retail, logistics, healthcare, and manufacturing. Today, Scandit stands as a testament to innovation, having secured significant funding rounds, including a $150 million Series D that propelled it to unicorn status, and empowering thousands of businesses worldwide to transform their operations by turning smart devices into enterprise-grade data capture tools.