Johannesburg, 03 Sep 2012
Software and Internet companies dominated the global Deloitte Fast 50 competition in 2011, with companies in this sector experiencing promising growth.
Among last year's winners of the international Deloitte Fast 50, 62% were software and Internet businesses. In Central Europe, 45% of the index comprised software companies. The 2011 Central Europe competition saw significant growth among Internet companies, making up 43% of the index, a year-on-year increase of 10%. The trend was similar in China - three of the top five were e-commerce companies driven by the popularity of online shopping.
The Chinese leg of the competition was won by an online supermarket, The Store Corporation (www.yihaodian.com); the fourth spot was taken by China's largest classified information portal, www.ganji.com; and a top children's clothing brand and online shopping platform, Shanghai Greenbox Internet Technology, was ranked fifth.
The Northern American competition was won by MAKO Surgical Corporation, a producer of highly advanced robotic arm technology that assists orthopaedic surgeons when performing knee and hip joint replacements.
Globally, telecommunications businesses represented a further 18%, while the mobile technology sector accounted for some of the fastest-growing companies in last year's index.
In the international competition, private companies performed well, particularly in China, where 44 of the 50 companies were privately owned. In Northern America, six of the companies that made up the top 10 were private companies, an indication of the continued rapid growth of private enterprises.
In terms of this growth, winners of international competitions experienced exponential success. In Northern America, five-year percentage growth ranged from 134% to 70 211%, and in Central Europe, companies on the index experienced growth of between 282% and 6 219%. In China, growth varied from 178% to 19 218%. Of the companies that featured in the 2011 Chinese list, most of the winners were not selected in previous years, an indication of the nature of the competition between tech start-ups in the country.
Entries for the South African Deloitte Fast 50 programme close on 14 September. To enter, click here.
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