What Bloco does

Bloco is a small, independent Android product development studio headquartered in Coimbra, Portugal, founded in 2015 by Cláudia and Sérgio Santos and formally incorporated in 2016. The firm operates a dual business model: a professional services arm that builds, trains, and augments Android teams for external clients, and an independent product arm that ships and maintains its own consumer-facing Android applications and open-source libraries.

The services offering spans three engagement modes — building products from scratch, training client teams, and embedding into client teams to improve processes — with a client roster that includes Dr. Bill (Canada), Stationhead (USA), Awala, Switch Payments/SaltPay, Culture Biosciences, Honor Education, 7Mind (Germany), PNGME, and OONI. Work is acquired primarily through the founders' professional network. The product portfolio consists of eight Android apps (Caderno, Large Text, QR Friend, Cabinet, Card Case, Envelop, Snowflake Volunteer, Circles) plus open-source libraries (Faker, Insetter contributions, Android Template). Technology stack centers on modern native Android — Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Room, Paging 3, Data Store, Ktor, Coil — with distribution through Google Play and F-Droid.

The firm is bootstrapped (no institutional equity), funded primarily by client services revenue (~€183K in FY ending March 2023, up from ~€96K the prior year) supplemented by trivial internal-product revenue (e.g., Large Text theme packs at ~€45/month) and a single Stacks Grant for the Circles app. The team has five core members, follows a 4-day workweek and transparent compensation model, and publishes annual transparency reports. Strategic positioning emphasizes Android craftsmanship, open-source contribution, and human-rights / open-internet projects (Tor/Snowflake, Blockstack/Stacks, OONI).

Name

Bloco

Legal name

Bloco

Website

https://bloco.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bloco is a small, bootstrapped Android product development studio in Coimbra, Portugal that builds, trains, and augments client engineering teams while shipping its own consumer Android apps and open-source libraries, serving startups and mission-driven organizations across Europe and North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Coimbra

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Client Services: Building Android applications for external clients. Services include building products from scratch, training client teams, and joining client teams to improve development processes. Revenue grew from ~€96K to ~€180K over the years with clients including Dr. Bill, Stationhead, Awala, Switch Payments, PNGME, Culture Biosciences, Honor Education, and 7Mind.
2. Internal Product Revenue: Revenue from internally developed apps through in-app purchases. Large Text generates ~€45/month (€540/year) from theme packs. Cabinet is a paid app. QR Friend has premium subscription for extra features.
3. Grants: Received Stacks Grant from Stacks Open Internet Foundation to build native Blockstack Auth Android application. This contributed to revenue growth in year 6.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bloco is an Android-focused product development studio that offers three service models: building Android products from scratch for clients, training client development teams, and joining client teams to improve their processes. In parallel, Bloco designs, develops and publishes its own portfolio of consumer Android applications (such as Caderno, QR Friend, Snowflake Volunteer, Cabinet, Large Text, Card Case, and Envelop) and maintains open-source Android libraries.

Product overview

Bloco is a Product Development Studio specialized in Android apps, operating both as a service provider building Android apps for clients and as an independent app developer with its own product portfolio. The company offers a diverse suite of consumer-facing Android applications including QR Friend (QR code scanner with link safety checking), Snowflake Volunteer (open-source Tor proxy app), Large Text (fullscreen text display), Card Case (business card sharing via Nearby), Envelop (decentralized file sharing on Blockstack/Stacks), Cabinet (curated app directory), Caderno (minimal notepad), and Circles (Stacks authentication app). Bloco also maintains open-source libraries including Faker (fake data generation) and contributions to Insetter. Their own development work utilizes modern Android technologies including Jetpack Compose, Room, Paging 3, Data Store, Ktor, and Coil. The company also provides Android development services to external clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• QR Friend: A QR code scanning app with no ads, accounts, or data collection. Supports WiFi, contact information, GPS location, barcodes and more. Offers premium subscription with dark mode, dynamic theming, and link safety checking.
• Snowflake Volunteer
• Large Text
• Caderno
• Card Case
• Cabinet
• Envelop

Products and services

• Android Development Services Professional services offering for external clients that takes three forms: (1) building Android products from scratch, (2) training client development teams, and (3) embedding Bloco engineers into client teams to improve processes and modernize code. Sold to startups, growth-stage companies, and non-profits across fintech, healthtech, biotech, music streaming, education, mindfulness, and internet freedom.
• Caderno Minimal notepad Android app aimed at consumers who want a lightweight, distraction-free writing tool. Reaches ~87.3K active devices across 134 countries with a 4.49 average rating.
• Large Text Android app that displays text and emojis fullscreen at the largest possible size. Freemium with paid theme packs; supports app shortcuts on Android 7.1+. Aimed at users needing maximum readability and accessibility.
• QR Friend Android QR code scanner that supports WiFi, contact, GPS location, and barcode codes. Free version has no ads, accounts, or data collection; a premium subscription adds dark mode, dynamic theming on Android 12+, and link safety checking via Google's Web Risk service.
• Cabinet Directory of hand-picked Android apps organized into categories (Utility, Better Self, Design, Open Source, Better World, Games) with descriptions explaining why each app is recommended. Cabinet is Bloco's first paid app and is built with Jetpack Compose, Paging 3, Data Store, Ktor, and Coil.
• Snowflake Volunteer Open-source Android app that turns a volunteer's phone into an anonymous Tor network proxy, helping users in censored regions reach the Tor network. Uses the Snowflake protocol to disguise traffic as audio/video calls. Available on Google Play and F-Droid with source code on GitHub.
• Card Case Digital business card sharing app for Android that uses Google's Nearby technology so users can exchange contact details instantly without accounts or emails.
• Envelop Web and Android application for easily sharing private files, built on the Blockstack/Stacks decentralized platform so users retain ownership of their data.
• Circles Official native Stacks Auth Android app that lets users authenticate across apps and control their own identity and data when interacting with the Stacks ecosystem.
• Faker Kotlin Library Open-source Kotlin (and Java) library for generating fake data for testing or populating development databases. Port of the Ruby Faker gem, translated into 30+ languages and distributed via JitPack.

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue grew from ~€96K to ~€180K (nearly doubling) in fiscal year 2022-2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Nest CollectiveminorOthersShared office space with RedLight (health market web apps) and Deemaze at Nest Collective in Coimbra's city center. Provided community and networking opportunities for the small studio.
• Awala (formerly Relaynet)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership maintaining open-source apps and libraries for Awala, a project to restore connectivity when internet is cut off. Won first place at Mozilla Builders Open Lab. Longest-running client relationship.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Touchlab: Small, Kotlin/Android-only product studio also focused on native Android consulting and open-source contributions (e.g., KMP/Native libraries). Closely comparable in size, stack specialization, and developer-led GTM to Bloco.
• Droids on Roids: Mobile development agency historically rooted in native Android (and iOS) development with a similar services-plus-own-products posture. Comparable business model: client app development alongside internal products and open-source contributions.
• Infinum: Design-and-engineering agency with deep Android practice, multiple offices across Europe, and a portfolio of internal apps and open-source work. Comparable in combining services with strong Android craft and a thought-leadership content engine.
• Miquido: Mobile and AI software studio that ships end-to-end Android apps for startups and enterprises. Overlaps with Bloco on Android-centric delivery, multi-industry client mix, and emphasis on emerging tech (AI, mobile).
• Cheesecake Labs: Product studio that designs, develops, and launches mobile apps (Android + iOS) for startups and enterprises, with a comparable model of small senior teams delivering full-cycle builds.
• Appetizer (formerly Puzalab): Norwegian app studio specialized in mobile development with strong Android expertise, working with US/Nordic startups on full product builds. Comparable size and stage profile to Bloco.
• Nomtek: Mobile-focused product development agency building Android and iOS apps for global brands and startups. Similar engagement models (build from scratch, augment teams) and similar reliance on developer-led word-of-mouth GTM.
• UPTech: Design and development agency that builds Android and iOS apps primarily for US/EU startups and scale-ups. Comparable in combining product design with native Android engineering and similar target client profile.
• Yalantis: Software development company delivering native and cross-platform mobile apps for startups and mid-market clients. Comparable in mobile-centric delivery model and multi-industry client mix.

Broad incumbents

• Netguru: Larger full-service software consultancy with strong Android capabilities and a global delivery footprint. Competes for the same Android build-from-scratch engagements but at materially greater scale and brand recognition than Bloco.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/blocoio
• GitHubgithub.com/blocoio
• Facebookfacebook.com/bloco.io
• Instagraminstagram.com/bloco.io

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bloco