20 Years of 303 Software: A Colorado-Born Team Still Building What Matters

Twenty years ago, two people sat down in Colorado with a simple idea. Build great software with good people, keep the culture authentic, and stay close enough to the work that decisions never need a meeting to become action.

That was 2006. A lot has changed since then. The tools. The tech. The expectations. The skill sets. Even the way people build apps.

But the part that mattered most never changed. We still believe that small, senior teams can out-deliver massive bodies of fully offshore developers. We still believe every project deserves someone who actually listens. And we still believe Colorado is the best place to build something meaningful.

As we reach our twentieth year, it felt like the right time to look back at where we started and how the last two decades shaped the 303 Software of today.

The early days: two founders and a vision.

303 was born long before app development was cool. Stefan came from the world of highly structured enterprise consulting. Matt came from the publishing and creative culture in San Francisco. Together, they wanted a company that respected process without letting it crush creativity.

They also wanted a team that felt like Colorado. Open minded. Welcoming. Full of people who hiked their own trail and brought their own talent.

The first few years were full of short-term design and advertising projects. Lots of websites. Lots of late nights. Lots of “Can you build this by Monday?” requests. Those early builds gave 303 a reputation for clean execution and pixel-perfect delivery, but the bigger shift came later.

When the work started getting bigger.

Around 2012, things changed. Clients were no longer coming in for quick launches. They needed long-term partners. They needed actual strategy. They needed more than someone who could code a feature. They needed someone who could tell them whether they should build it at all.

That period forced 303 to rethink who we were becoming. The team built our core values in 2014, not as a branding exercise but as a way to stop taking on work that didn’t fit. Those values still shape how we work today.

• We Take Ownership
• We Deliver Success
• We Solve Problems Together
• We Improve Continuously
• We Exhibit Grace Under Pressure
• We Love Colorado

If you have ever worked with us, you have seen every one of those play out in real time.

The shift to senior-led development.

The next phase of growth came when we embraced an approach many firms avoid. Small teams. Senior builders. Direct communication. No layers of account managers. No pass-the-ticket development chains.

It was slower to scale but much faster to deliver. Clients finally had access to people who could architect, scope, build, and explain. No wasted loops. No handoff confusion.

This model carried us through some of the biggest transformations in our history. Enterprise mobile builds. Massive integrations. Healthcare platforms. And yes, eventually AI.

2020 to 2026: reinvention on several fronts.

The last five years reshaped the software world more than the previous fifteen combined. We followed the wave, but we didn’t chase the hype. Instead, we doubled down on what clients actually needed, including structured planning through our System Design and Planning sessions.

• Native and cross-platform mobile apps that feel fast, stable, and modern
• AI products that are grounded in real business value, not buzzwords, supported by our AI Integration team.
• Healthcare platforms designed around clinician workflow
• System Design and Planning that de-risks entire builds before a single line of code
• Fractional CTO leadership for teams who need strategy more than headcount
• Vibe Check, a service that helps AI-assisted coders ship stable, secure builds
• Cross-functional product teams who understand the full lifecycle, not just the code

We didn’t set out to be a “full-service” firm. We set out to be the people you can talk to when everything you are trying to build feels stuck.

That focus has shaped everything from our hiring to our project structure to how we plan for the next decade.

What hasn’t changed: building for humans, not headlines.

After twenty years, the biggest lessons are surprisingly simple.

• Good software starts with clarity.
• Small teams deliver big outcomes.
• Honest conversations solve more problems than complicated workflows.
• And your technology partner should be someone you can text at 4 p.m. on a Thursday without wondering who will respond.

We stay close to the work because that is where the real decisions get made. Architecture. Scope. Timeline. Complexity. Trade-offs. Those choices shape businesses, and they deserve the attention of people who have been doing this for decades, not months.

Twenty years in Colorado tech.

Colorado has always been part of our DNA. The mindset. The energy. The problem-solving culture. The way people balance ambition with actual life.

It shaped our team. It shaped our values. And it kept us focused on what matters most. Real people. Real software. Real progress.

Looking ahead: the next 20 years.

So what does the next chapter look like? Here is what we know.

• AI will keep moving fast, and we will keep shipping real, practical solutions.
• Mobile will continue to be the core experience for the majority of applications.
• Healthcare will demand better tools, better UX, and better security.
• More founders will need strategic guidance before they need full builds.
• And teams everywhere will rely on hybrid AI-human development in new ways.

We plan to stay exactly who we’ve always been. A team of senior builders who care about the product as much as you do. A tech partner who tells you the truth. A Colorado company that still believes anything is possible with the right group of people in the room.

Twenty years down. Many more to go.

Here’s to the work we have done. Here’s to the work still ahead. And here’s to everyone who trusted us to build something important with them.

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