Portrait of Founder Karsten Bruun Andersen

IDEAS and PORTMAN: Created based on customer needs

IDEAS was born in 1987, first as a position management system that allowed brokers to track their trades, and later with a connection to the Stock Exchange, enabling trades to be executed directly and automatically. It was a technological breakthrough that marked the shift from standing on the exchange floor shouting in true Wall Street style to handling trades from the office.

In 1988, PORTMAN followed, originally in collaboration with the brokerage firm Brødrene Trier, which at the time was one of the market leaders. They needed a portfolio management system, and Karsten said that Aloc could develop it. In that way, IDEAS and PORTMAN were created in close cooperation with the market. The two systems still form the technical backbone of Vitec Aloc today.

”We were close to the customers from the beginning. They knew what they needed, and we built it with them.”

Ownership shifts over time

Over the years, ownership changed. First to the Swedish company Bonnier in 1996, which invested heavily in further developing the systems. Ambitions were high, and with Bonnier’s financial backing, Aloc acquired both a Norwegian company and the Danish data provider Datasats. Until then, Aloc had supplied one half of Danish stock market data, while Datasats provided the other. With the acquisition, Aloc now consolidated the entire market for handling Danish stock exchange information.

In 2005, Aloc was sold to BEC. This marked the beginning of a new growth journey. The company was integrated into BEC’s infrastructure and gained access to a large customer base, which truly accelerated Aloc’s development and led to significant expansion in the development teams.

A workplace with a common passion

With limited resources and great dedication, Aloc grew quickly. Karsten hired his fellow students, and the culture was characterized by passion, responsibility, and long workdays. At that time, everyone at the company was a developer who also handled support.

Alongside the growth, Karsten also shaped a clear idea of the kind of workplace he wanted to create: a place where people enjoyed being. Health, community, and well-being were prioritized. This led to company sports activities and physiotherapy, but what made people stay for decades was above all the strong sense of community around the software.

“I've never asked anyone to work overtime, but people stayed until it worked.”

Karsten's exit in 2009

In 2009, Karsten decided to leave the company he had built from scratch.

"I had never imagined it would become my livelihood, but it did. And it has been a privilege.”

Today, Karsten follows Vitec Aloc from a distance with a sense of calm and pride. Not only because the company is still standing, but because of how far it has come. What he sees now is an organization that works far more structured and professionally than when he was at the helm.

"It is much more professional today. The development, the support, and the entire way software is managed are in a completely different league. And it’s a dream to see that what we started back then continues to matter.”