Why We Gather
For those of you who don’t know CoTech is a UK network of technology cooperatives started in 2016. In 2024 it became the first sector specific wing of workers.coop, a membership organisation for worker-led cooperatives in the UK.
Two months into joining Outlandish in 2022 my colleague Polly Robbins took me to my first CoTech gathering in Glasgow, organised by Media Coop. I immediately felt the strength and warmth of this network and the power of the worker cooperation. About fifteen of us stayed in a big Airbnb, sharing dorm-like rooms and staying up late into the night. I developed relationships quickly and easily and started to understand the feeling of being part of a cooperative, a worker cooperative in particular. Alongside two days of presentations, discussions, and even a public event to promote the democratic business movement to local government (and whoever else was curious!), I knew I was part of much more than a small business and I absolutely loved it.
Two years on I still feel that same beautiful cooperative feeling when I think of CoTech. There’s something really special about being in a room full of people who are running small businesses in an ethical, cooperative, and transparent way. Not only that but it’s inspiring that most of us are also trying to change the world through these practices! When CoTech comes together it feels like magic, like utopia in practice. I really believe that if all businesses and industries were this cooperative, the world would be a better place – there’s no doubt in my mind.
Anyway, Outlandish started SPACE4, our workspace in North London, precisely to be a home for CoTech but for various reasons we hadn’t hosted a CoTech gathering in in almost three years. I thought it was about time we renergised the movement and took it upon myself to organise this gathering, and hopefully reinstate it as a yearly SPACE4 event. I think it’s so important that we meet regularly and in person. I wanted to remind everyone, particularly in this economic and political climate, that none of us are alone and we have a wider set of colleagues to lean on emotionally and practically.
The Plan for the Day
We hosted the gathering accross three lovely rooms in SPACE4: one big enough for 40 people, another more intimate one that seats about 15, and a large lobby/kitchen area for the best chats that always end up where the food and drink is.
We themed the day around two big areas that felt especially relevant across the network right now: Business Development and Big Tech & Alternative Platforms. I’d suggested some topics for all the sessions and delegated different coops to facilitate them as workshops. At the beginning of the day people were encourage to sign up for the session they intended to attend.
Business Development: Refreshingly Real
The focus on the business side of things was much needed and it was refreshingly real. The session on “how we’re really doing” set the tone for a day of honesty. People shared candidly about financial challenges, burnout, changing client expectations, the difficuties of winning work in such a competitive environment, and the constant juggle of delivering great work while living our values.
The facilitators were brilliant, but even better was just being in a room full of people who really know how to collaborate and share power in group settings. There was conversation, discussion, and no pretence – just a lot of nodding, laughter, and a few sighs of relief. We also got into the real nuts-and-bolts stuff of our businesses: how we price work, how we estimate time, and how we handle post-project client support and relationships. It was practical and full of helpful tips to follow-up on. I, for example, had a really fruitful follow-up conversation on “pre-mortems” with Doug Belshaw from We Are Open Coop a couple weeks later.
Big Tech & Alternative Platforms: A Fine Balance
In the smaller room conversation turned to the ethics of our tech tools. James Muldoon opened up a fascinating discussion about using big tech platforms. Later, Chris Croome gave a walkthrough of the open-source tools available through CoTech and workers.coop. There was some technical rabbit holes but still lots of curiosity. As always, it’s a fine balance between using ethical tech and running our businesses conveniently and efficiently. Finally Szczepan from Animorph shared a brilliant talk on shifting from services to products, and the tensions that arise when capital, control, and co-operative values intersect. It was an interesting look at a tech cooperative innovating how they develop their products.
Show & Tell Sessions
By the end of the day everyone was exhausted from so much conversation and information. As the host I had to remind everyone to take breaks and go outside for a walk. I even had to force people to end sessions on time so that there was enough breathing room in between. We powered on though and ended the day with some brilliant show and tell sessions. In one room we focused on client work through informal 3-minute lightning talks where coops haphazardly got up to show us some of the projects they’d been working on and in the other room we zoomed in the community tech network and held an open space for to talk about community-driven projects. It was brilliant to see the depth and range of work happening across the network.
The Vibes: Food, Friends & Pub Times
Lunch was catered by the amazing Roti Joupa, a Caribbean spot just around the corner. The food was delicious and garlicy and as always, sharing a meal together brought a different kind of connection. After the sessions ended, a bunch of us headed to the White Lion pub for a proper wind-down. The conversations continued, the laughter got louder, and the feeling of community settled in even more. It honestly felt like a mini reunion. Many coops hadn’t seen each other for a while and this is a network as much about friendship as business.
What This Gathering Meant to Me
I left the day with so much adrenalin and genuine joy for being part of a cooperative business. There’s so much pressure and responsibility that comes with running a coop, but CoTech reminds me what a beautiful movement it is and how we’re so much stronger together. The openness, care, and generosity in the room were such a powerful antidote to the usual isolation of small business life.
Every time we meet in person, I feel more confident in what we’re doing, not just at Outlandish, but across the whole movement. This gathering made me proud to be part of a worker co-op and CoTech in particular and I got the sense that everyone around me felt the same.
What’s Next for CoTech
We’re keeping the momentum going with our monthly general circle calls and Agile Collective have promised the next in-person gathering in Oxford this Autumn. There’s also Worker Co-op Weekend in May, which will be another chance to hang out and scheme together. We’re in the process of trying to rebrand CoTech in time for Coops Congress in Rochdale in July which is very exciting!
All in all, a wonderful experience. I expected no less but I didn’t realise how rejuvenated it would make me feel.
