It's no secret. The digital economy is broken. The market has become focused on short-term, predatory practices. These practices, including excessive data collection, the reselling of customer data, algorithms designed to distract rather than inform, and so many others, are what happens when software companies become advertising companies.
We had the crazy idea that software companies should focus on making good software. Tools and innovations that add value to people’s lives, rather than trying to be the best vehicle for delivering ads and promotions.
The current landscape of apps and platforms for exploring and engaging with the businesses and freelancers in your neighborhood all operate on the premise of forcing merchants to pay more every year to run ads that are less and less effective, while the user’s experience becomes more and more diluted with irrelevant content, paid posts, and inauthentic results.
There’s a new wave of change however, fueled by the desires of regular people who are tired of the tech industry’s hollow promises and feel less and less in control of their financial lives and neighborhoods.
People are waking up, and we're here for it.
About Hive
Our Mission
We’re putting decision-making back into the hands of the people who make our cities work and evening the odds for small business owners. We provide a collaborative space for researchers, engineers, and technologists to develop and deploy software solutions focused on ethical practices, privacy, and equitable access. The tools we develop fund our operations, allow us to fairly compensate our employees, and create the resources from which we reinvest back into the neighborhoods we serve.
Making cities more affordable and reducing friction for small merchants starts with understanding the root of the problem. In the digital economy, that means data. Huge companies and wealthy investors have turned it into a literal science, exploiting every statistical and predictive advantage to gain an unfair edge over local merchants still relying on spreadsheets and their gut instincts.
By successively and gradually displacing local merchants and small businesses, big business causes wealth to leave the area, creating the imbalance and incentives for gentrification and further displacement of residents. Less wealth in turn leads to fewer educational opportunities, less ability to organize, and a variety of other negative social and economic outcomes.
We're taking back control by creating a self-reinforcing local economy that helps residents keep their money local, helps merchants grow and expand their businesses, and reinvests the proceeds where the neighborhood needs them most.
The world is changing, but together, we can make sure we have a say in where our communities are headed. It's time to fight back. Join the Hive.
Our Values
01
Technology with Ethics
Technology exists to serve people, not replace them. New technologies and developments can and should be deployed in ways that create equal opportunity for all who participate in the market.
02
The data that powers the digital economy belongs to the users who generate it. Privacy and Security can and must be central to software design. We do not engage in excessive tracking, algorithmic manipulation, confusing terms and conditions, or reselling our user’s data or identities.
03
Corporate Responsibility
Stakeholders are just as vital and important as shareholders. We believe that corporate citizens have a civic duty to give back to the workers, customers, and neighborhoods they serve. After covering our costs, fairly compensating our workers, and ensuring the financial stability of the company, we believe in giving back every additional dollar towards making the lives of the people we serve better.
Honest and Transparent
We are always looking for people who feel as passionately as we do about making the world a better place.
If you are an engineer or technology researcher with a great idea but nowhere to call home, we provide resources, support, and go-to market assistance under a collaborative umbrella where innovation and purpose are valued.
If you’d like to show your support for our mission and are able, please consider making a donation. Every dollar we raise from regular people is another dollar we don’t need from institutional investors, and financial independence is how we maintain our focus on the mission.
It’s time for neighborhoods, and the people who live there, to take a stand. Let’s support one another as we work together to make our cities stronger, healthier, and more resilient. Get started today and help make a difference. Join The Hive.