Lubo Smid and David Semerad
Over the last few years, we have managed to build a very successful design and development shop, valued by clients for the quality of our work.
SAN FRANCISCO (PRWEB) February 21, 2018
STRV, a leading Silicon Valley app and web development studio, is creating a new STRV Labs division to bring to market more innovative, customized apps as well as potentially an incubator, in conjunction with a reality TV show, that would champion female founders and entrepreneurs.
The tech company’s in-house projects, four of which were released to much acclaim in 2017, generated a $1.4 million turnover and 5.75 million downloads last year.
The new STRV Labs division will be helmed by David Semerad, the co-founder and former CEO of STRV. Semerad will be handing over his CEO duties to fellow co-founder Lubo Smid, who has served as the company’s COO for the last six years.
“Over the last few years, we have managed to build a very successful design and development shop, valued by clients for the quality of our work. I feel it is time to use what we have learned to create our own portfolio of successful apps,” Semerad said. “The change in leadership has been a long-planned step. My priorities are to invent and establish a new vision as well as to help Lubo take STRV to the next exciting level. We both believe that this move will help the company grow further.”
Added Smid: “We managed to move from a small punk development studio to one of the leading technology companies on the market. We have big plans for the US market in 2018. We plan to focus on three distinct client segments, including innovative projects for technology giants like Microsoft, fast-growing companies like Tinder, ClassDojo and LegalZoom and promising startup projects like Boosted Boards, Awayco and Pura Scents.”
While STRV’s client roster increased by 25 percent in 2017, the big surprise was the company’s portfolio of in-house projects, which preformed much better than expected. STRV is hoping to seize this momentum and scale its STRV Labs division into a multi-million-dollar subsidiary over the next couple of years.
Semerad is looking to beat growth expectations for 2018 with the launch of two new STRV Labs projects. He and his team want to take advantage of the red-hot blockchain technology craze, while another potential project is an incubator designed to encourage more women to enter the tech field. The efforts of those participating in the incubator, with the goal of landing VC funding for their startup, would be chronicled through a reality TV show called “The Female Founder.”
Episodes would follow five participants through the project pitch and development processes, with an opportunity to win VC funding. Semerad is currently looking for a production partner. He is in talks with a number of Hollywood producers.
STRV’s in-house project portfolio includes a trio of dating apps geared toward the LGBT community, Surge, Grizzly and Zoe, as well as two games, ColorMe and Dot 2 Dot.
About STRV Group
STRV Group is a Google-certified Agency and a leading Silicon Valley technology company dedicated to the design and development of mobile and web applications for Fortune 500 companies, established brands and promising startups. The company was launched in 2004 in the Czech Republic, and since 2012 has been focusing mainly on the US market, with sales reps in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City. STRV Group is divided into two separate divisions: STRV focuses on customer development and includes clients like Microsoft, Tinder, Class Dojo, Hallmark and LegalZoom, while STRV Labs was created to bring more innovative, customized apps to market. Its portfolio includes a trio of dating apps geared toward the LGBT community, Surge, Grizzly and Zoe, as well as two games, ColorMe and Dot 2 Dot. Lubo Smid was named CEO of STRV in January 2018, while David Semerad runs STRV Labs. STRV Group is a bootstrap company owned by four co-founders – David Semerad, Lubo Smid, Martin Stava and Pavel Zeifart – and has no external investors.
