About Joe
I’m Joe Swenson, founder and software architect at Montedia. I’ve been building software since 2000. I ask a lot of questions, I build small, and I try to hand back something that works before asking for a second commitment.
The story so far
A ticket system for a university
As a student I wrote ticket management software for a state university. They asked me to keep building tools for them after I graduated. That was when I saw how much need there was for software that does a lot and is still simple to use.
Montedia, 2000
I started Montedia to strengthen the connection between people and technology. That is still the point of it.
Leading technology teams
I held CTO and CIO roles in the payments industry, building tools for merchants and the people who serve them. That is where I learned that the technical problem is almost never the real problem.
Universities, banks, and non-profits
Along the way I’ve built custom applications, payment systems, and AI integrations for university departments, international banks, and non-profit organizations.
Now: AI, with people in charge
Much of my work today is AI tooling for non-profits and data integration across different domains. The tools are new. The questions I ask are the same ones I’ve always asked.
What I believe about technology
- Software should speed up communication between people, not replace it.
- People are still more creative than machines.
- Technology needs guidance from people.
- Technology should affirm our humanity, not turn us into machines.
Want to talk something through?
I’m based in Montana and work with people wherever they are.