Overview
Competa IT started in 1997 as a spin-off from Shell Research, building IT infrastructure for Dutch and international organisations based in the Netherlands
From our headquarters in The Hague, we’ve been part of the Dutch tech landscape for more than 25 years. From the start, we’ve combined deep technical expertise with a practical understanding of local business culture — working closely with clients across multiple sectors. We understand not just the technology, but also the pace, expectations, and real-world needs of the businesses we work with.
Since 2015, we’ve been pioneers in cross-border software development, building long-term collaborations with trusted partner teams in emerging markets. This model gives our clients access to scarce technical talent while stretching their budgets further.
We help you innovate with confidence, reduce delivery risks, and make your development budget go further
Our values
What drives us — the mindset we bring to your project
Learn
Our teams stay sharp and ahead of the curve because we’re driven by a deep passion for technology and a strong focus on our customers. With ongoing training and career support, we cultivate future tech leaders who work with care, strive for excellence, and are always learning.
Share
New ideas flow into your projects because we champion teamwork and knowledge sharing — with clients, colleagues, and the wider tech community. We believe great software comes from collaboration, and that drives our active participation in hackathons, meetups, and open-source.
Innovate
We began with innovation at our core — and that hasn’t changed. We stay curious and open to new tools, methods, and ideas, from agentic AI to cloud-native architectures and DevOps. This mindset helps us bring smarter solutions and fresh thinking to your project — building tomorrow’s software today.
Founded
1997
Clients
100+
Team
200+
Projects
1000+
Our Journey
From local roots to global impact: the Competa IT journey
1997: Spin-off and scale
- Founded as a spin-off from Shell Research
- Designed and built server and storage infrastructure for large Dutch and international corporates
- Pioneered commercial Linux support in critical environments
- Service contracts shifted to interim staffing in response to client demand
2005: Infra to front-end
- Pivoted to software development as infrastructure became commoditised
- One of the first Dutch firms to specialise in front-end engineering
- Expanded into new sectors including media, healthcare, retail, and logistics
- Evolved toward full-stack and Agile delivery models
2012: Global impact
- Pioneered distributed Agile — founded Fair Trade Software Foundation
- Formed long-term partnerships with teams in emerging markets
- Proved ethical offshoring can meet real delivery goals
- Introduced training services for Dutch and international clients
2021: Local - global
- Post-Covid, clients embrace remote work and nearshore delivery
- Our proven cross-border model helps clients scale fast with trusted remote capacity
- We combine local on-site presence and communication with international reach and flexibility
- We continue to invest in agentic AI and other transformative technologies
Join us!
We need more local talent to support our Dutch clients
Design
Development
DevOps
Our Team