It’s not every day that a business turns 20, even 20+. In fact, in the tech world, surviving two decades is almost like being a dinosaur but a dinosaur that knows how to configure servers, fix printers, and explain the cloud without making people’s eyes glaze over. Lucidica has been around long enough to remember when mobile phones were actually just phones and when having 1GB of storage felt endless.
Over the years, Lucidica has grown from one man with a mobile phone into a thriving IT company that supports hundreds of businesses. But beyond the tech, milestones, and server racks, this story is about people: the clients we’ve supported, the team that has shaped who we are, and the vision that keeps us moving forward.
To capture that story, we sat down with Lucidica’s founder, Thomas Jeffs, for a conversation about where it all began, the proudest moments along the way, and what’s next.
The Early Days
What was Lucidica like in the very beginning (first office, first client, first big break)?
“When I started, there wasn’t really an office. It was just me and a mobile phone. Our first ‘office’ was the Accelerator building, where I supported the building itself and a few early clients. One of our very first clients was Campbell Irvine, one of London’s top insurance brokers, they came on board in 1999 when they had on Prem servers and data backup on dedicated 256Kb lines between offices, though their IT has changed beyond recognition came on board in 1999 and we’re still supporting them to this day, 26 years later.”
Those beginnings were small and scrappy. No big break, no glossy startup story just persistence, a willingness to help, and a lot of problem-solving. And maybe the occasional moment of pretending to know more about printers than anyone actually does.
Milestones that Matter
When asked which milestones stand out the most, Tom doesn’t jump to revenue figures or flashy projects. Instead, he talks about people.
“What I’m proudest of is always the team we’ve built and the clients we’ve helped. Seeing clients grow and watching team members develop gives me the most satisfaction. Technology is in our blood, but business must drive the tech. For us, it has never been about using technology for its own sake, but about solving real business problems with it.”
Along the way, Lucidica has also given back to the wider business community, from LondonMet Accelerator to StartupBootCamp. Supporting startups and mentoring entrepreneurs has always been a part of the journey using tech not just to fix problems, but to help new ideas take off.
A Bold Step: Expanding to Ukraine
”More than 10 years ago, during one of our Strategy Away Days (proof that good things come from throwing wild ideas on the table), an engineer named Nikita suggested looking for talent in Ukraine. At the time, Lucidica was still just one office in London.”
“Why Ukraine?” was the obvious question. The answer had a love story behind it. 🙂
”Nikita had fallen in love with a Ukrainian girl, visited Kyiv to meet her family, and quickly fell in love with the country itself. He invited me out there to see it with my own eyes and I was impressed. Behind the scenes, we began researching Ukraine’s IT cluster, the depth of technical education, and the strong level of English.”
”After a whirlwind trip to Kyiv, Nikita his wife and myself left with hangovers, but having found an office, 2 engineers, and an office manager. The results spoke for themselves. Before long, clients were asking if we could help them find specialists too.”
This was no longer just Lucidica’s secret. That’s how our sister company Meeko was born.
Fast forward to today, and what started with one remote hire has grown into a thriving Ukrainian team with a permanent office in Kyiv, dozens of individual contractors, and an outstanding retention rate. Together, Lucidica and Meeko continue to support UK businesses, proving that bold ideas and a bit of serendipity can shape the future in unexpected ways.
Growing Together
The team has changed dramatically since the days of “just Thomas and a mobile phone.”
“One of the things Lucidica excels at is finding and nurturing the best in the team. We’ve had people start as engineers and grow into management. Lucidica has shaped the team, but the team has also shaped Lucidica.”
That growth has come not just in numbers, but in spirit. Opportunities, trust, and development have become core to the Lucidica DNA and that’s something you don’t find everywhere.
A Unique Culture
Culture is a word many companies throw around, but for Lucidica it really means something.
”One of our ex-team members once said life at Lucidica is like a large family meal; it is challenging, but also great fun. That sums it up perfectly. We love small business, but we also love each other. Past team members come back for events, we stay close, we bond a lot. We never stand still. We want to be better and different tomorrow than we are today. A lot of competitors prefer a standard client, but we like diversity, both in clients and in team members. Even one of our partners, the PCA, told us the other day, ‘we don’t have any other partner like you’ and that’s exactly who we are.”
If you’ve ever been part of a Lucidica event, you know that description of a “family meal” is spot on. There may not always be enough chairs at the table, conversations overlap, and sometimes someone spills something but that’s what makes it memorable.
Looking Ahead
The next chapter of Lucidica is about building on what has worked for 20 years: people and purpose.
”The vision is more of the same, but better. Making tech work for business, finding decent solutions that solve real problems, and continuing to grow the Lucidica family. It’s about welcoming new team members, helping existing ones develop, and making sure we’re always pushing forward.”
20 Years and Counting
From one man and a mobile phone to a team that feels like a family, Lucidica’s journey has been about more than technology. It has been about trust, relationships, and helping businesses succeed in ways that matter. And while the tools have changed (goodbye floppy disks, hello cloud), the mission hasn’t: to make technology useful, approachable, and genuinely valuable.
Here’s to the last 20 years and to the next 20, which we can only assume will involve even more tech, a few more inside jokes, and plenty of family-style meals along the way.
