Team

I am Lukas, the core developer and maintainer of Reunicorn. My idea to help folks stay in touch in a privacy friendly way is already some years old. Having lived abroad and traveling frequently across Europe for dancing as well as to meet up with folks, I very much also wanted to build the app for myself. Helping me and others answer questions like who do I know in Berlin, or who is traveling close to where I live this summer, so we can meet up? When the development of the Veilid framework was announced at DefCon in 2023, a crucial building block for privacy friendly distributed mobile app development was finally at the horizon. Starting the development of Reunicorn in early 2024, I switched to work part-time at my paid job and since then bring my vision to life.

Bringing a smartphone app into the popular app stores, being legally accountable, and managing funds requires a legal entity. While Lukas had founded companies before, a much lovelier approach to offer Reunicorn is via the WTF Kooperative eG (German: Werkkooperative der Technikfreund*innen). A company that belongs to all of its members, in which each of them has a say. They see themselves as a platform for hackers, where with like-minded people economic projects become possible that would not otherwise exist. They promote and manage the services of their members collectively as a cooperative. The WTF Kooperative eG acts as the umbrella organization taking care of the funds, book keeping, and taxes so that Lukas and others can focus on bringing the best app experience to you. Also, in case Lukas would stop driving Reunicorn, backed by a cooperative, there is a much higher chance for the app to survive for many years to come.