Our Team

 

Tom Bean

I was born and raised in rural Iowa which inspired a love for our beautiful state: its bountiful land, wonderful people, and understated reputation. I grew up with a connection to local food and farming whether it be through shopping at local farmer's markets, volunteering at The Iowa Food Cooperative, or simply enjoying the pleasure of eating a fresh salad from the garden.

I moved to Vermont for college, and from there I moved to Budapest, Hungary where I have lived for the last 5 years working as a Software Developer. My upbringing planted a passion for food production and local economies. I am endlessly fascinated to observe how different communities and cultures approach these topics. Learning about and participating in these fields has become a big part of what brings satisfaction to my days.

I spent the last 5 years in the software industry with Prezi where we build software to help people be more effective communicators and compelling storytellers. Outside of work I enjoy building and sharing projects to explore my various passions.

Recently I worked with the Iowa Food Coop to better understand their business and how software can enhance the local food ecosystem in Iowa. One of my favorite things about software is the wide-ranging impact it can make on almost any community or industry.

I consider it a responsibility in the modern era to closely examine and endlessly improve the impact technology can have on our small, localized economies; particularly when it comes to food consumption and production. I look forward to working with CULTIVATE to explore these improvements and spread them to other parts of my state, our country, and the entire world.