# About us

*About us*

# We build software that simplifies retail

In 2015, a group of engineers and retail veterans were tired of watching the same thing happen to every global retailer they worked with. So we set out to build the opposite. We called the platform EVA. We called ourselves New Black, because retail was overdue for a new default.

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*Our mission*

## Making brands and retailers thrive in a constantly changing retail landscape

Retail without the friction. Most global retailers are held back by a Frankenstack, disconnected systems that silo teams and fragment the customer experience. New Black replaces that complexity with a single, unified foundation.

![Tap to Pay on iPhone](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/zr9y60d3/production/f3c3555efe97a60d3dce3ae77d244fda8d11d8c7-3840x2160.png)

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*Our story*

## Where it started

In 2015, a group of **engineers and retail veterans** were tired of watching the same thing happen to every global retailer they worked with.  
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A new POS here. A separate e-commerce platform there. A bolt-on order management tool. A standalone loyalty app. Each system worked. None of them talked to each other. We called it the Frankenstack, and it was strangling the very brands it was supposed to serve.  
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So we set out to build the opposite.  
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**One platform**. One data model. Built cloud-native, API-first, and technology-agnostic from day one. International compliance baked into the foundation, not bolted on later. Designed so retailers could shape the software around their customers, instead of the other way around.  
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We called the platform EVA. We called ourselves New Black, because retail was overdue for a new default.  
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The first customers were brave. They believed unified commerce could actually work. Today EVA powers retail in over 45 countries, with deployments of 1,200+ stores going live in under 12 months, and in 2025 it was named **Best Seamless Unified Retail solution** at the NRF Big Show Europe awards.

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*How we work*

## There are no bosses, 
but there are leaders

Building software this ambitious takes more than great engineers. It takes a structure that gets out of their way.  
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That is why **New Black operates as a holacracy**. Instead of a traditional top-down hierarchy, we organize around autonomous, self-managing teams. Authority is distributed, decisions are made close to the work, and roles are defined by purpose rather than position. No titles to climb, no permission to ask for, no bottlenecks waiting for a manager's sign-off.  
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Inside the company, we still call ourselves **NERDS**. Nerd is the New Black, and we mean it. Flat structure, self-managed teams, creative friction welcomed. We are not here to sell another module into someone else's mess. We are here to replace the mess.

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## The people setting direction

- ![Steven Bakker](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/zr9y60d3/production/6305cd08a9c0a36c93546a5f699ce25a97c37431-1440x2048.jpg) — *CEO* — **Steven Bakker**
- ![Lub ten Napel](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/zr9y60d3/production/dc700317a1c5fdef4c578cdfb9d78acd981ec06f-1440x2048.jpg) — *CIO* — **Lub ten Napel**
- ![Mark Gerrits](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/zr9y60d3/production/d9f7712fae269c4fdc406e6d021c452bc6a943b6-1440x2048.jpg) — *CTO* — **Mark Gerrits**
- ![Leni Hakvoort](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/zr9y60d3/production/928c2d9db8e7c8aa745aa6ff3871dcee35eb0c20-1440x2048.jpg) — *CPO* — **Leni Hakvoort**
- ![Pim Vijftigschild](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/zr9y60d3/production/a689cb51a0482308788ceedcf695d7ac1fd52bde-1440x2048.jpg) — *CCO* — **Pim Vijftigschild**
- ![Stuart Frelick​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‍​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‍‌​​​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍​​​​‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‍​‍​‍‌​‌​​‍​​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‌‍​‌​‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‍​​‍‌‌‍​‍​​‌​​​‍​‌‍‌​​‍‌​​‌​​‍​‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍​‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‌‍​‌​​‌​‌‍​​‌​‍‌​‌​‌‌‌‍‌‍​‌​‌​‌‍​‌​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍​‌‌​‍‌‍‌​‌​​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​​​​‌​‍​​​​‌‍​‍​​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍​​​‍​‌‌​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍​‌‌‍​‌‍‍​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‍‌​​​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍​​​​‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‍​‍​‍‌​‌​​‍​​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‌‍​‌​‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‍​​‍‌‌‍​‍​​‌​​​‍​‌‍‌​​‍‌​​‌​​‍​‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​​​‍​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍​‌‌‍‌‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍​‌‍‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‌‍​‌​​‌​‌‍​​‌​‍‌​‌​‌‌‌‍‌‍​‌​‌​‌‍​‌​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍​‌‌​‍‌‍‌​‌​​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​​​​‌​‍​​​​‌‍​‍​​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍​​​‍​‌‌​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍​‍‌‌](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/zr9y60d3/production/f7c1e9611e636a7477e59fa0d17be88aea994441-1440x2048.jpg) — *Head of Customer Success* — **Stuart Frelick**
- ![Jaap Bakker](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/zr9y60d3/production/7067d8a0a4e5fe71703cfa22e9de310a2676a100-1440x2048.jpg) — *Head of Support* — **Jaap Bakker**
- ![Albert Visser](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/zr9y60d3/production/88269346964aba1cae7864a3f7466c798d3d57ac-1080x1536.jpg) — *Head of Knowledge* — **Albert Visser**
- ![Sharon Tan](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/zr9y60d3/production/08f9b74249d0d3c4c3ab48d509888c649e41b553-1440x2048.jpg) — *Head of Legal* — **Sharon Tan**

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## Our advisory board

### Keith Mercier

Vice President Microsoft

### Greg Merrill

CEO Advisor, ex-Nike