A TRANSFORMATION STORY
New capabilities.New value in the market.
How we helped XEEL LAB evolve its model: strengthen its time-and-materials business, build a new AI project offering and develop the skills that support both.
- COMPANY
- XEEL LAB
- SECTOR
- Software development
- INTERVENTION
- Restructuring
- FOCUS
- People, offering and business development
THE CHANGE AT A GLANCE
Time & materials
The established business, strengthened by new capabilities.
AI projects
A new revenue stream and an opportunity to learn through delivery.
Two activities that reinforce each other.
THE STARTING POINT
A foundation in software.
A model ready to evolve.
XEEL LAB began as a software development company. Its model centres on time-and-materials services: professionals working alongside teams at large companies, with fees based on the time dedicated to projects.
When we started working together, the business was navigating a challenging period. Its established model needed to evolve on several fronts: financial sustainability, people development, its value proposition and new client acquisition.
The priorities we identified
Make margins visible
Costs needed a more structured review, so rates could reflect the value of the work and the financial sustainability of projects.
Develop new capabilities
Agentic AI and AI coding tools were not yet part of a systematic programme of learning and everyday use.
Differentiate the offering
An offering centred on assigning professionals left limited room for distinctive projects and higher-value work.
Build commercial continuity
The company needed a structured system to generate opportunities, nurture them and turn them into concrete proposals.
OUR INTERVENTION
Four areas of work.
One coordinated change.
We worked with XEEL LAB to connect what the business could do, what the market needed and the economic value to build.
Give the value of people
a sound financial foundation.
THE PRIORITY
Existing rates left limited room to reflect the value of the work and invest in skills development.
WHAT WE DID
We introduced more structured cost control and reviewed pricing in light of financial sustainability and the capabilities on offer. We connected the work on the numbers to people development, building a stronger value proposition.
- Greater visibility into resource costs and margins.
- Pricing criteria connected to costs, capabilities and positioning.
- Training and offering development considered as investments.
WHAT CHANGED
A stronger basis for deciding which activities to support and how to price their value.
Bring AI into
developers’ daily work.
THE PRIORITY
The team needed to understand the available tools and translate emerging trends into practical capabilities.
WHAT WE DID
We guided people in discovering and using AI tools, with a particular focus on coding and agentic AI. We paired training with project work, turning familiarity with tools into practical experience.
- Training on new AI tools and their applications.
- Introducing AI assistants into software development.
- Building skills through real AI projects.
WHAT CHANGED
A better-equipped team, able to tackle new projects and apply what it had learned to established activities.
From available resources
to problems worth solving.
THE PRIORITY
Reaching new opportunities required a recognisable offering beyond the traditional model of assigning professionals.
WHAT WE DID
We worked on a value proposition built around AI and business needs. Alongside time-and-materials services, XEEL LAB developed a new stream of AI projects: a way to open new commercial conversations and build more distinctive skills.
- Repositioning the offering around new market needs.
- AI projects as a new area of business development.
- Continuity of time-and-materials work, supported by new capabilities.
WHAT CHANGED
A new revenue stream complements the established business, giving clients more reasons to choose XEEL LAB.
Show the expertise.
Open new conversations.
THE PRIORITY
The new offering needed a system to make it visible and turn interest into opportunities.
WHAT WE DID
We brought our expertise-led marketing approach to XEEL LAB. Workshops, brochures and content on AI trends made the new proposition tangible: first help businesses understand what to do and why, then work with them on a valuable project.
- Selecting trends and topics relevant to prospective clients.
- Workshops and educational content to generate interest and contacts.
- A commercial journey connecting content, conversation and proposal.
WHAT CHANGED
A more structured way to build visibility, generate leads and bring the new offering to market.
WHAT CONNECTS IT ALL
Projects develop people.
People develop the business.
AI projects serve two purposes: they open a new revenue stream and help the team build skills it can also apply to time-and-materials projects.
- →
AI projects
The team tackles new problems using more advanced tools and approaches.
- →
Hands-on experience
People consolidate technical capabilities through practical project work.
More value in T&M
New capabilities strengthen the contribution to client projects and the commercial proposition.
The value of people becomes a basis for supporting more appropriate rates, alongside cost control and the positioning of the offering.
THE OUTCOME
A new presence in the market.
A stronger foundation for growth.
The transformation changed how the team works, what the company offers and how it engages with the market.
An AI-empowered team
New tools and capabilities applied to software development and AI projects.
Two business streams
Time-and-materials work continues, complemented by new revenue from AI projects.
A more distinctive proposition
Expertise made visible through content and workshops, opening new commercial conversations.
Greater financial clarity
Costs, margins and the value of capabilities become reference points for pricing decisions.
DO THESE CHALLENGES SOUND FAMILIAR?
Your team has potential.
Does the market recognise it?
If price matters more than expertise, people struggle to keep their skills current or new clients arrive inconsistently, we can work out where to start together.
FROM XEEL LAB’S STORY TO YOURS
Let’s build your
next chapter.
Tell us about your business model and what you want to change.
Together, we’ll identify where to take action.
A conversation with ICAREX to explore how a similar approach could work for your business.