About us
Everybody on board
We are currently facing major societal challenges. This means however, that there have never been so many opportunities to reach solutions together. We want to use digital solutions to support organisations, governments and companies to tackle those challenges together with their citizens, informed and engaged. Because that is one of the great advantages of our time: we can involve that citizen with their opinion and their energy, all those different individuals, via their computer in the living room, or via their smartphone.
That’s where we work. We are digital experts with a focus on online information and participation.
Politics and digital technology: a unique combination
At Tree company, we combine knowledge of politics and participation with know-how and expertise in technology, software and digital evolutions. A unique combination, because there are many people who build web applications, and at any university you will find multiple political scientists, but these two worlds rarely meet.
We believe that digital technology allows us to optimise democracy. That is why we call Tree company an innovation agency for online democracy.
How it started: "What are they actually doing in Brussels?"
It is an often heard question, or a reproach phrased as a question. It is exactly that question that formed the germ of Tree company, during a typical conversation at a café. Among the barflies: Erwin, software developer, and Michiel, political science assistant.
But where that question is usually answered with a nod of assent, we decided to look for the real answer. Because surely there had to be information about what happens in parliament? Who is present when? Who asked which written or oral question? Where do our taxes go?
The speaker of parliament once told a newspaper that al report are public, and can be found on the parliament’s website. A quick search revealed that no citizen would ever be able to get a clear view of that information: only someone with (too) much time and enthusiasm would open all those reports to start looking for the right information within, and then map it out.
Coincidentally, software developer Erwin had just taken a career break at the time…
In other words, the required skills were right there at the bar: a couple of political scientists with insight into the inner workings of parliament, and Erwin to process all the reports automatically and present everything clearly structured on a website.
One thing led to another and before he knew it, Michiel was in political talkshow ‘De Zevende Dag’ explaining to politicians that zewerkenvoorjou.be was not a site against them. On the contrary, only when information is transparent and really accessible, can prejudices be removed, can the bridge between politics and citizens be restored, can voters really judge politicians, and can politicians take decisions that are truly supported by the population.
One thing became clear: we struck a nerve, set something in motion, shaken the tree. Almost a decade later, local and other governments make up about 80% of our clientele. We construct online participation processes together with them, building the bridge between citizens and policy.