2022, what a year! As it comes to an end, we can’t help but reflect on the challenges and triumphs we've experienced over the past 12 months. It's been a year like no other - a year post-pandemic with lots of changes, challenges, learnings, and milestones. From growing our team, expanding our offices and projects, to establishing a stronger brand presence, we've accomplished so much in this wild ride of a year. In this blog post, we'll be sharing some of our top highlights and achievements from the past 12 months. So join us as we reflect on 2022, a year that was like no other.

New Target Customer

In 2021, we discovered an industry that still had a lot of space for innovation and tech advances: healthcare. The pandemic shed light on this; there were so many improvements to do that would help physicians and patients optimize processes and get better results.

We started working on healthcare last year, and by the end of it, we knew that specializing there was a strategic decision that we wouldn’t regret. It wasn’t just a good business opportunity; it was also really motivating to play our part in society and help improve the quality of life through our services and innovation. Thus, we've decided to focus 100% on healthcare. We highly trained all our collaborators, and lean our knowledge of the US and Canadian healthcare market. Now, at the end of 2022, we are proud to say we've been recognized as the Best Healthcare Software Development Companies list at DesignRush, we're #2 LatAm's Fastest growing company, we have a 5-star rating in this field in Clutch, among others. It's exciting to be growing as a company while improving the health of many, so really looking forward to continuing such growth in the upcoming year.

Our whole team traveled to Bariloche

In recognition of all of the growth and milestones achieved by our team, we decided to treat them to an adventure that would be truly unforgettable. In March, we took the entire company on a company getaway to Bariloche, a beautiful and unique destination in Argentina's Patagonia region.

During this trip, we spent our days working together while enjoying the breathtaking mountain views and participating in memorable team-building activities that helped to strengthen our company culture. Highlights of the week included trekking, boat trips, happy hours, game nights, and of course, plenty of laughter and chocolate.

This incredible experience helped us to grow as a team, get to know one another better, and celebrate our company's achievements in a truly special way. We are grateful to have such a fantastic team and are re-energized and ready to take on whatever challenges come our way.

Light-it as Great Place To Work & Great Place To Work Millennials

Another huge milestone for Light-it in 2022, and one of the most significant, was achieving international certification as a Great Place to Work, with a score of 100%! And if that wasn't enough, we were also excited to receive the news that we were in 4th place in the ranking of the Best Workplaces for Millennials in Uruguay for 2022.

For us, everything starts and ends with people, so the well-being of our employees and clients is of the utmost importance. Our main pillars of causing an impact, innovation, ownership, adaptability, and continuous improvement guide our efforts to create a positive, motivated, and happy work environment.  

We are extremely proud of our team, grateful to have received these recognitions, and committed to improving and evolving as a company in the upcoming years. Thank you to our team for their hard work and dedication in making Light-it such a special workplace.

Light-it’s 3-Year Anniversary

In June, Light-it turned 3️ years old! It’s crazy to think about everything we’ve been through in these past years, all the adventures we endeavored, and how much we’ve grown. From sponsoring events, working on incredible projects with our partners, expanding our offices and team, receiving different international awards and honors in the process, and much more! We’re so grateful to everyone who helped and supported us to reach such an achievement! We couldn’t be happier and looking forward to everything to come! So, thanks to everyone, and happy birthday to us!

Expanded Our Office with +75 teammates

We are thrilled to announce the expansion of our office in Uruguay, a reflection of our consistent growth and development over the past year. We went from 29 collaborators to +75 in just one year (and counting…).

Also, this year, we made a huge effort to empower our presence in Argentina. We started different initiatives, such as new coworkers and meeting points each week. We invited all new teammates from Argentina for a whole week of onboarding in Uruguay to meet the rest of the team and immerse themselves in the company's culture.

We are grateful to all those who contributed to the success of this project and are excited to have a larger, more functional space to continue growing and thriving as a company. We believe this expansion will benefit our team and clients, and we look forward to making the most of it.

Conferences

This year was also busy in terms of conferences, and one of the highlights was our attendance at the HLTH Conference in Las Vegas in November. This conference is widely regarded as the premier event in the digital health industry, and we were thrilled to be a part of it.

We sponsored the HLTH Conference and prepared our booth at the event, where we presented our company and connected with others in the industry. During the conference, we had the opportunity to participate in exciting discussions on a range of niche topics and listen to top industry leaders share their insights. It was a valuable learning experience and an opportunity to connect with both old and new friends in the industry.

As a company committed to making a positive impact in the challenging healthcare field, it was exciting to be a part of this conference and contribute to the ongoing efforts to create a better tomorrow for everyone.

Also, we had the pleasure of assisting at the Collision Conference in Toronto, one of the world’s biggest tech conferences, where brilliant minds collide to transform the industry’s future. Our CEO Alan Brande, CTO Javier Lempert, and Head of Growth Josefina Ruiz were able to share insights, discuss ideas, and connect with such talented people!

Another notable conference we were fortunate to attend this year was ViVE 2022 in Miami. This event brought together exceptional minds from across the healthcare industry to explore innovative ideas and engage in meaningful conversations about the future of healthcare.

We were so inspired by all the ideas shared and grateful for the opportunity to learn from and connect with such exceptional minds. At Light-it, we are always excited to be a part of events that challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of what is possible in the healthcare industry.

Also, for Light-it, July was an exciting and eventful month. We had the opportunity to attend FIME in Miami, the largest global medical device and equipment market. As one of the technology companies there, we were able to connect with industry leaders and stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the field. This event allowed us to learn from the experts and explore new possibilities for collaboration and innovation. We were thrilled to be part of such a prestigious event and grateful for the opportunity to further our knowledge and connections within the medical industry.

Also, in the same week, we could participate in two major conferences of the industry: The MedTech Conference and Virtual-First Care Summit 2022 in Boston. It was so exciting to keep meeting more people from the industry and keep learning about the future of healthcare!

Sponsoring Newsletter (Digital Health Insider)

Also, we made a huge company announcement! Light-it is now the main sponsor of Digital Health Insider, a leading health tech newsletter that delivers weekly insights on the industry. Partnering with Digital Health Insider allows us to stay informed about the latest trends, technologies, and discoveries in digital health. With it, we add value by staying on top of the game in health tech. Let’s continue to grow and learn together!

Social Media & New Web

This year, we also experienced significant growth in our social media communities, particularly on LinkedIn and Instagram. This has allowed us to better understand the needs and interests of our followers and to connect with them through shared knowledge, open discussions, and updates on the industry.

As the world continues to change rapidly, with social media and other digital solutions playing an increasingly important role, we saw the need to update and refresh our online presence, including our website. We worked to empower our brand identity and create a valuable resource for our users with new corporate videos, content, and more.

Open Office Day

In March, we hosted our first open office event in Uruguay, welcoming advanced engineering and technology students to visit our offices and learn more about the tech industry and career opportunities within our company. Our CTO and other team leaders were on hand to provide insights into the various software development niches and offer tips on how to enter the tech job market. The event was designed to give young students a glimpse into the daily activities and different roles within a tech company and to provide guidance and answers to any questions they might have about their professional path. The open office was a huge success, with a large turnout and engaging conversations with the students. The youth are our future, and we are proud and grateful for the opportunity to contribute to their professional growth and success.

Light-it Meetups

At Light-it, we are committed to sharing knowledge and fostering a culture of learning and collaboration. With that in mind, we recently hosted several online and in-person meetups (in the office) on various subjects.

Firstly, we did an online meetup featuring two of our team members, Sergio Ojeda and Juan Pablo Rodríguez Sotto, who presented on the topic of "How to implement a multitenancy client frontend using React + TypeScript and Laravel 9". The meetup was an open forum where attendees could share their insights and engage in meaningful discussions with others, both within and outside of the company. During the meetup, Sergio, our back-end developer, shared his expertise in building a continuous integration flow for Laravel 9 with GitHub Actions. Juanpa, our full-stack developer, then discussed his work on a project using TypeScript to consume configurations from a back-end in React JS. These presentations provided valuable insights and sparked interesting conversations among attendees.

Secondly, we had the pleasure to host the meetup of “How to start and grow in testing” with 4 leaders of our team in the office. Several topics were covered, but the main three were how to grow from trainee to senior tester, the secret no one tells you, followed by The world of testing: first steps and its endless dimensions and lastly, testing strategies spiced up with automation. If you are interested in learning more, you can read this blog post.

Texto Previo Breaking down barriers for women in Tech, with Caro Bañales and Carolyn Symonds. They shared their experiences and gave them the visibility they deserved to encourage other women to take a step into this amazing world! A little but incredible takeaway from her: “Time is finite. There is no need to be afraid. The glass ceiling is imposed only by us. Let’s do something that gives us a good vibe”.

Hosting events like these is one way we like to promote knowledge sharing and encourage open dialogue among our team and the wider tech community. We believe that we can all grow and thrive in the industry by coming together and learning from one another.

Internal learning programs

This year, we also made a significant effort to improve our internal learning programs in order to leverage the skills and knowledge of our team and add value to our daily activities. Our team now has access to top-quality English classes, specialization courses, and online professional development opportunities. We also have internal workshops where leaders from various departments share their expertise on specific topics, helping to ensure that everyone has a holistic and comprehensive understanding of what is happening within the company.

One example of this is our "Devs for No Devs" initiative, a series of talks where our development team provides non-development teams (such as marketing and HR) with insights into the tech world. This helps to foster greater collaboration and synergy across the organization, ultimately resulting in better outcomes in the long term. We believe that investing in our team's learning and development is essential for the success and growth of Light-it.

In addition to our team-building activities, we have prioritized our employees' professional development by offering a series of workshops led by department leaders. These workshops cover various topics that we believe will be valuable for our team's personal and professional growth, including negotiation skills, UX writing, people analytics, product psychology, testing in an agile context, and technical debt, to name just a few.

Our team received these workshops very well, with many employees showing enthusiasm and participation. We are motivated to continue offering these opportunities for learning and development and are already planning to host another round of workshops in the coming year. We believe that investing in our team's growth and advancement is essential for Light-it's success and prosperity.

People Care initiatives

At Light-it, we understand that our team is the foundation of our success and strive to prioritize team-building activities that foster a positive and supportive work culture. Throughout the year, we have participated in various fun activities outside the office, such as climbing a hill, playing paintball, and even skydiving for the more adventurous members of our team. We also encourage all of our employees to propose and participate in fun activities and recently held a successful and exciting League of Legends tournament at the office.

In addition, we have also implemented initiatives to promote healthy habits and a sustainable work environment. For example, we launched a recycling program to educate our team on smart resource management and encourage waste reduction. We offer our employees the "Pase Libre" benefit, which allows them to access a variety of gyms, exercise classes, and other activities to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. We are pleased to be able to support our team in these ways and look forward to continuing to find ways to enhance the well-being and enjoyment of our employees.

Hello, 2023!

2022 has been a year of growth and learning for Light-it. We are grateful for all of the experiences and opportunities that 2022 has brought, and we are excited to carry this momentum into the new year. Here's to a bright 2023!