An ambitious growth strategy
Founded in 1997 by Eric Greenberg, San Francisco-based Scient Corp. is poised to become a major force in the high-tech consulting industry. Scient - which means "knowledge" in Latin - bills itself as "The eBusiness Systems Innovator," meaning that it provides its clients with a full range of innovative information technology and Internet consulting services, from web site design to e-commerce strategy. Under the guidance of celebrated CEO Robert Howe, Scient posted its first profit in early 2000, with quarterly revenue topping $65 million. Thanks to several successful rounds of venture funding, the company increased its staff from 260 in 1999 to 1,180 in early 2000. The ambitious Howe expects to double sales every year, becoming a $500 million company within the next five years.
Move over, Big Five
Thanks to what industry observers have dubbed a "dream team" of high-tech executives, Scient has been able to attract a host of big-name clients, including AIG, Chase Manhattan Bank, Bank of Montreal, eBay, First Union, PlanetRx, homebid.com, and the Museum of Modern Art. The company provided about 85 clients with consulting services in 1999, while staying with its strategy of not letting any single client constitue more than 10 percent of revenues.
Going international
As part of his company's aggressive growth plan, Howe is launching a worldwide expansion effort. Scient has already opened a Singapore office, and it hopes to expand the staff of its recently-opened London office fivefold in 2000. In April 2000, Scient opened its Munich office and announced an alliance with e-millennium 1 fund, a German eBusiness private equity fund initiated by Deutsche Bank. The company is looking to further strengthen its position in Europe by opening offices in France, Italy, and the Netherlands. Accordingly, Howe expects revenues from North America to fall to less than half of the company's total.
