Starting Schuberg Philis was an act of resistance. It was bravely waving goodbye to traditional IT companies. Many are so large that they feel anonymous, hierarchical, and cost-centered rather than simply committed to achieving 100% impact. This way of working didn’t make our founders nor their customers happy.

So they asked themselves: how would it be to start doing work the way we actually want to do it? To enable talented professionals to flourish and eliminate anything else that could get in the way of performing at their best? To this day, Schuberg Philis is a continuously unfolding answer to that question.

In hindsight, this may seem like an interesting business idea. In reality, it’s the recognition of a human need ignored all too often: to master your own destiny.

Unlocking that need was something we envisioned could lead to job satisfaction and professional fulfillment. This proved true. Schuberg Philis was built the way we actually wanted to work. Along the way, we actually also made ourselves and our customers a whole lot happier.

Actually

This is a word we keep an ear out for. “Actually” often signals that something could be better or truer. For example: “Well, actually, when you look at it from that angle…” So when we hear the word, we let it be a reminder to work the way we want to on projects that make us proud and happy. After all, our company started with its founders asking themselves: “What if we started doing things how we actually want to?”

Become who you are

We urge our colleagues to become who they truly are. We encourage each other to discover where our true strengths lie, what we still want to learn, and which activities do or don’t suit us. In this process, some of us end up going in a radically different direction than expected. Still, we often become happier people along the way.

Meaningful contributions to society

Our work closely connects us to mission-critical processes in organizations that have high and wide impact on society. This means that, directly or indirectly, we also have some influence on society and developments in the world. We realize we have choices about how we use our skills and talent, for whom, and towards which causes. And we always try to make the right choice.

The day we struck out on our own

October 17, 2000. At ’t Jagershuis café in the small town of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, Philip, Gerwin, and Pim looked each other in the eye. Were they really going to do this? Yes, they were really going to do it. The three friends held good positions at leading IT companies, but before yearend, they had all handed in resignations.

This wasn’t a clever entrepreneurial move. This wasn’t some breakaway team beginning its own company by adopting some of their old employers’ customers. It was an act of resistance that led to a turning point. Our founders wanted to make a clean break with the culture they were leaving behind.

On that decision-making day, they had no clear idea yet of where their adventure would take them. But they understood all the things they no longer wanted. At the very least, they promised each other, they would never again settle an agreement with a customer knowing full well they couldn’t deliver on it. They decided that the entire service-level mode of thinking had to go. As did feeling distant from their customer during daily work. As did a whole series of other work processes that had, up till then, seemed baked into the IT industry.

Our founders’ thinking went one step further. For starters, they wanted to focus their energy on IT processes that were mission-critical for large customers that really matter. They also had another significant realization: We want to do this with an organization that is built around people – one where we ourselves would also like to work.”

A journey of trust, growth and what’s next

From the day we started in 2003, Schuberg Philis has grown through trust, craftsmanship, and a relentless focus on 100% customer satisfaction. Along the way, we built a business that runs mission-critical IT for some of the most vital sectors in society. With no outside investors for two decades, we’ve taken pride in growing at our own pace—guided by values, not hype—and in building lasting relationships with our customers and each other.

Now, with Bridgepoint as the new majority investor—with deep tech expertise and a pan-European network—we’re taking a major leap forward. Together, we’re entering a new chapter: one that allows us to scale with intent, strengthen our position in the Netherlands, and expand internationally into markets like the DACH, and Nordics. We are reinforcing our commitment to innovation and remaining steadfast in the principles that have built our strength: delivering on our promises, without exception

We’re proud of the journey so far—and even more excited for what’s ahead.