About
Small on purpose.
Plathena is a software company in Amsterdam, founded by Norwin Dijkman. A few senior people, a handful of projects a year, and no account manager between you and the work.
The first systems we built were for businesses we knew from the inside: operations that ran on a booking tool, a spreadsheet and one person who knew how it all fit together. We built the one system that replaced the three, and then we built the next one, and the company is still shaped by that. Every decision in how we work comes from having been on the other side of a project that went badly.
So there is a fixed number before anything starts, because a budget that moves is a project that has stopped being yours. There is a demo every week, because the thing that is wrong in week three should be found in week three. And the code is in your GitHub from the first commit, because the day you want to leave should be boring.
We stay small because it is the only way the person you talk to can also be the person doing the work. That limits how many projects we take on in a year, and we would rather say we are full and give you a date than put someone junior on your system.
What we believe about software
Fewer moving parts beats more features
Anything that has to be kept in step by a background job will eventually be out of step. So we derive rather than sync, we choose boring infrastructure, and we say no to the feature that needs a second system to stay correct.
The person you talk to writes the code
There is no account manager translating between you and the work. That is slower to scale and faster at everything else, and it is why we take on a handful of projects a year rather than as many as we can.
You own everything, from the first commit
Code in your GitHub organisation, infrastructure in your cloud account, documentation written for whoever comes next. If the day comes that you want to leave, the exit should be boring.
Say what it does not do
There is a section on the services page listing what we do not build, and the first call ends with a straight answer on whether custom software is the right move. Finding that out in month three is worse for everyone.
How we work with each other
Four words we keep coming back to
Autonomy
We trust each other to get the job done, knowing that we are all working towards the same goal.
Stewardship
We are dedicated to making software that leaves a satisfying experience. We take it personally.
Growth
We are not afraid to get our hands dirty and learn new skills in order to rise to the task at hand.
Harmony
We give people the consideration and space to voice their needs, and listen eagerly when hearing them.
Where we are
Amsterdam, and reachable.
Plathena is a Dutch company. The work is in English and Dutch, the systems we build run in an EU region, and the person who answers your email can usually change the thing you are asking about. That is an advantage right now and we intend to keep it for as long as it is true.
Office
James Cookstraat 16-I1056 RZ Amsterdam
the Netherlands
Tell us what you are running today
Forty-five minutes, your process, your spreadsheet. If custom software is not the answer we will say so, and tell you what to buy instead.
One working day to a reply · fixed quotes · you own the code