Specializing in building digital businesses, Viant Corp. was founded in April 1996 as Silicon Valley Internet Partners. Since then, it has grown to include over 400 employees in ten offices in the U.S., England, and now Germany. Viant's clients - which include Kinko's, General Motors, and Hewlett-Packard - benefit from its e-business strategic consulting, creative design, and technology services. The company first grabbed attention in the crowded Internet consulting marketplace by offering what seemed nearly impossible: fixed-rate pricing and 90-day Web development, with no hidden or extra costs. It has continued to succeed by steadily winning new clients while maintaining relationships with existing ones.

Viant's strength also lies in what CEO Bob Gett calls the company's "holistic" model. Instead of starting out as a creative-driven shop that added tech elements (or the other way around), Viant's strategy from the beginning has been to develop its three main skill sets - strategy, creative, and technology - at an equal pace. So far, the formula seems to be working. Viant only recently became a profitable organization. In April 2000, Forbes ASAP conducted its first annual "Ramps Champs" survey, which honors the world's 20 leading technology companies, and named Viant as one of the 20 best-managed, fastest-growing tech companies in the world.

the BFG

Viant is known for keeping its employees interested in and excited about their work. Along these lines, Viant announced a new program set to begin in mid-2000. Viant Ventures is an internal program aimed at cultivating, building, and launching digital businesses thought up by Viant employees. The program provides further career opportunities for the company's own employees, as well as cultivates their entrepreneurial spirit and gives them management experience at an emerging growth company.