Sci/Tech

Anboto, a Basque Web Customer Service and eCommerce firm based in the Basque Country, has come a long way since its opening less than three years ago and is now on the point of opening a new office in the US city of Boise, Idaho.

The Boise office will be Anboto's second office in the United States as they opened an office in California's famous Silicon Valley a year ago.

Sources from the firm mentioned they chose this new location for two different reasons. On the one hand, Boise, in the Western United States, is home to a large Basque-American population. There are more than 15,000 people in Boise's Basque community, making it the largest of its kind in the US after Bakersfield, California.

On the other hand, Boise is one of America’s most livable and likable cities. With a population of 211,000, Boise offers the culture and entertainment of a large urban area in a place that feels a little like everyone’s hometown. In fact, several Fortune 500 companies call Boise home. Micron, Boise Cascade, The Washington Group, and Hewlett-Packard are some of the big names housed in Boise.

Boise mayor David Bieter, of Basque heritage and the only major in the United States that speaks Basque, announced on Tuesday a major development involving the Greenhouse, the City’s business incubator. The opening of this facility will allow Anboto Group to move into the Greenhouse to give it the support it needs as it expands into the American market.

Startup company of the year

In 2010, the Basque company was announced Number One Startup company of the year in the Guidewire Group's Innovate! 100 List. It also was named by technology business magazine Red Herring in its ranking of the Top 100 Private Companies in Europe.

Technology business magazine Red Herring's Top 100 companies are selected from among hundreds of Europe's most innovative companies. They evaluate the firms on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their respective industries.

The list honours private companies which the magazine believes show the greatest potential in Europe. The magazine publishes separate lists for Asia and North America - as well as a global list - and has become a reference point in identifying the most promising startups.