Perth Microsoft partner Illuminance Solutions has expanded its business to private sector customers after fully focusing on the not-for-profit sector since its inception in 2014.
Speaking to CRN, chief executive Nilesh Makwana said the expansion would help bring in the revenue necessary to scale the company and retain its skilled talent.
Makwana did not provide specifics, but said some new Illuminance clients include a major Western Australian gold mining company, a wealth management company and a multinational construction equipment supplier.
“As we continue to grow, our business capability has gone national so we’ve employed more talented people with between 10 to 20 years of experience,” Makwana told CRN.
“When you want to have such great talent on board, you’ll need to have a client that would give us that revenue to help us scale. Which is why we’ve diversified into the private sector.”
Illuminance was originally founded as a “tech for social impact” Microsoft partner, specialising in the not-for-profit sectors with customers like NDIS service providers, aged care providers, indigenous affairs organisations and more. The company also counts Wiise and Terranova Security as its other vendor partners
While its new customer base will bring in more revenue, Makwana said Illuminance will still have not-for-profit clients front and centre and won’t lose its core purpose. He said the company would ensure to have NFPs forming at least 60 percent of its business.
“While we continue to do the right thing and contribute to society through our not-for-profit customers, we still need to grow and scale so we can employ more people with greater talent, as well as provide more meaningful employment to the migrant community,” Makwana said.
“We also realised that as a business that you can’t rely on just one sector, and so we decided in 2021 that we should start diversifying to help bring in larger clients to keep us busy for the next year or two.”
Makwana added that Illuminance’s background in the not-for-profit sector has also helped win private sector clients.
“The not-for-profit sector is a harder sector to operate in, with the sales process taking up to three to four years at times as they have limited budgets and resources,” he said.
“But if you can be successful in the area, then it would translate into the private sector, where they would be looking for providers that deliver on time and on budget, as well as a personalised approach.”
Last year, Illuminance secured a contract to deploy its Microsoft-based AvantCare platform to the Royal Society for the Blind, a South Australia-based support services provider for the blind and vision-impaired.
The company also secured the 2021 WA Multicultural Business Award in recognition of its work in advancing multiculturalism.Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.