We are a community of software professionals based in Eu­ro­pe (Am­ster­dam, Ut­recht and Bonn) driven by a set of shared values, principles and concerns. Our members offer consulting, coaching and similar services. We pride ourselves for reducing risk in software development and bringing a high rate-of-return to our clients.

Meet the Team

Tad Lispy

I used to work as a lawyer (consumer protection), real estate agent and for the past 8 years a software developer. I successfully built software for a big public institution (the District Court of Law in Warsaw), startups and businesses in Poland and the Ne­ther­lands. I care about happiness and efficiency in work.

Sam Phillips

I am a software developer with 6 years experience building useful software for companies of various sizes. I’ve also worked in community development, where I learned about cultivating healthy relationships with people of different backgrounds and interests. Studying philosophy taught me to always ask ‘why?’

Fana Mehari

By education I am a Marine Spatial Planner but since moving to the Netherlands I transitioned to an IT career. I like working with both people and data. At Software Garden I am a community manager. Previously I've been living, studying and working in Eritrea, Sudan, China and 5 European countries.

Our Values

We value human dignity, social security and the environment. That's why we build quality products that respect the users, give them joy and are built to last. We believe that work should bring fulfillment and that workers should participate in fruits of their labor.

What concerns us is extreme and growing inequality, destruction of the environment, polarization of opinions and erosion of political dialog.

Technology should enable access to information, facilitate meaningful dialog, help people make responsible choices for their health, communities and the environment, and reduce waste in terms of energy, human effort and materials.

Learn more about digital ethics and join our discussions at Ethical Software Garden.

What's the plan

We want to create a European cooperative of like-minded IT professionals, including software developers, designers, mechanical and electrical engineers, writers and artists and develop high quality products that reflect our values and respect the rights of their users.

We are for profit and intend to distribute profit among the members of the coop. We intend to create a business framework that allows us to work in the spirit of the free software movement.

We want this cooperative to be big, to enable as many people as possible to work in a happy and frustration-free environment. However, we understand that we need to grow it intentionally to nurture the values and culture outlined above.

These are not easy constraints to solve and we don't have all the answer yet. We are and will always remain engaged in dialog both within the coop and with partners to find the right solutions.