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Power Law company profile

Scytl

Security · Barcelona, Spain · Founded 2001

Scytl, originating from a cryptography research project at the Autonomous University of Barcelona in 2001, has established itself as a key player in the electronic voting and election technology market. Founded by the late Andreu Riera, who envisioned the business potential of modernizing voting systems, the company commercialized advanced cryptographic protocols to secure electoral processes. Following Riera's passing, Pere Valles took over as CEO in 2004, leading the company through a significant growth phase. The company provides a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to digitize and secure every stage of an election. Its main offerings cover pre-election activities like staff training; Election Day solutions such as online voting, electronic poll books, and eBallot delivery for remote voters; and post-election services including results consolidation and publication. Scytl serves a global market, with clients that are typically national, state, or local governments, which use the technology for public elections and referendums. Revenue is generated by providing these governments with its software and hardware solutions, often through partnerships with local technology and service companies. For instance, the company has provided technology for elections in the United States, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and for the Electoral Council of the Netherlands. A significant milestone in the company's history was its expansion into the U.S. market through the acquisition of SOE Software in 2012. Despite facing financial difficulties that led to bankruptcy proceedings in May 2020, Scytl was acquired by Service Point Solutions, a subsidiary of the Paragon Group, in October of the same year. This acquisition included its U.S. subsidiary and its citizen participation platform, Civiciti, ensuring the continuation of its operations and renaming the entity Scytl Election Technologies. The company's products, such as the Invote Gov platform, allow clients to conduct secure online elections, while its participation platform facilitates citizen engagement and consultation. Keywords: election technology, online voting, electoral modernization, digital voting, citizen engagement, election management, secure voting, cryptographic security, e-government, civic tech