Licensware is one of the ambitious startups from the Rubik Scale – Western Markets edition, 2025.
Give us a brief introduction of your team. What’s your founding story? How did your team come together, and what makes your team unique?
We started Licenseware back in 2020 as three tech nerds with shared frustrations about how rigid and expensive Software Asset Management (SAM) tools were. After over a decade of consulting hundreds of SMEs and enterprises, we observed an underserved market, dominated by a few major players offering “one-stop” monolithic solutions sold at a premium. These solutions were typically accessible only to large organisations that were more mature in terms of SAM. We believed there had to be a better way, one that gave users control, flexibility, and fair pricing. So, we started building the tool we had always wanted to use when consulting, with the mission to commoditize SAM tooling and make it available to any company, regardless of its scale.
Tell us about your business: what market problem have you identified and how are you solving it, why is that problem important now, who is your audience/customer, and what motivated you to start this business?
The problem is clear: software licensing is complex, high-value, and high-risk, and is typically handled by expensive consultants using rigid, complex tools. We’re fixing that by offering modular, easy-to-use apps that can work individually or together in different combinations depending on actual needs. Our platform transforms raw licensing data into actionable insights, enabling companies to cut costs, mitigate audit risks, and maintain compliance.
This matters now more than ever as companies are increasingly growing their software inventories and facing costly vendor audits. Our audience includes IT consulting firms, SMEs with significant software spend, and large enterprises trying to manage software risk at scale. We started Licenseware because we believe software licensing shouldn’t be a black box. Everyone should be able to understand and manage their licensing footprint, without hiring an army of experts, in a way that aligns with their IT needs and business goals, fostering growth rather than reactive defensive action.
How has your business evolved in 2025? Where are you now in terms of revenue, customers, and funding received?
2025 has been a pivotal year. We’ve doubled our customer base, expanded into multiple new geographies, now serving clients in 17 countries (and counting), and launched major platform capabilities, including integration of AI capabilities, smart contract management, and software recognition. We’ve seen more than double YoY revenue growth since we started the company back in 2020. We expect to maintain this trend in 2025 as well, with revenue reaching $850,000 to $1 million.
Since our inception, we’ve raised $2.2 M in three seed rounds. Since our last round was closed in December 2022, we’ll soon start a new fundraising campaign in Q4, aiming to raise $2 M – $2.5 M.
What has been the biggest challenge in developing your business so far?
The SAM space is still somewhat of a niche and misunderstood by many. Convincing companies to try a new way of working, especially when they’re used to legacy tools or expensive services, takes persistence. We’ve also had to balance being a product-first company with the sales reality of enterprise cycles.
What made you apply for a scaling program like this one? What business needs were you trying to address?
We joined Rubik Scale to refine our go-to-market strategy and gain an external perspective on our scaling roadmap. We had the tech, the market, and early traction, but we needed a better growth engine and more structure in sales and marketing. Additionally, the program offers a valuable networking opportunity, allowing us to meet with mentors, founders, investors, and potential clients.
What was the most important milestone you achieved during the acceleration program?
We met some great people from whom we’re still learning and who are helping us with various areas of our business. And, we’ve improved our pitch in preparation for our next fundraising campaign.
What was the impact of the mentorship sessions?
Having access to experienced professionals helped us challenge assumptions, refine positioning, and rethink how we present value to different customer segments. The mentors didn’t just talk theory; we were often put on the spot and challenged with new perspectives.
How has the program changed your growth vision, and what’s next for your startup?
We’re now more confident in our UK (and international) expansion strategy and building stronger GTM foundations. What’s next: expansion into more regulated industries, more automation in the platform, and most likely a strategic funding round to accelerate global scale.
Would you recommend a program like Rubik Scale to other founders? What was the most valuable thing it brought to your growth for the coming year?
Absolutely. It’s not just about funding, it’s about clarity, momentum, and community. For us, it brought focus, stronger storytelling, and better execution rhythm.
What advice would you give to a future Romanian entrepreneur based on your experience building a startup so far?
Start fast, stay curious, and don’t wait for “perfect.” Just start. So many get stuck there. Romanian founders have huge technical talent, but we need to bet more on ourselves and tell our stories louder. Be bold, build globally from day one.
We encourage you to support Licensware and follow its journey on Linkedin.
