Can software be a force for good?

We had a busy week last week, as we attended not one but two major events: SaaStock 2025 in Dublin, and Blue Earth Summit 2025 in London.

James shares his experience at both and what he learned along the way.

SaaStock is the biggest gathering of people involved in the world of SaaS (software as a service), and Blue Earth Summit is one of the best events for the world of purpose-driven organisations driving positive change for the climate.

Two very different events, one very different attendee. For the first half of the week, I was one of the few people (along with our friends at Ticket Tailor and SquaredUp) talking about the climate, sustainability, and purpose, in a sea of thousands of people who are usually talking about growth, revenue, and profit.

For the second half of the week, I was one of the few people talking about software and technology in a sea of hundreds of people who are passionately discussing and campaigning for a more sustainable world.

I finished the week feeling incredibly inspired and motivated by both events. And admittedly a little exhausted!

A SaaStock surprise

It was truly an honour to join our friends at Ticket Tailor to represent SaaS for Good.

The Ticket Tailor team created the initiative after many years of operating a successful event ticketing platform and being one of the first software companies to gain B Corp certification.

I must admit, on my way to Dublin for SaaStock, I was skeptical.

Most people building software right now care about revenue, growth, investment, and AI.

But after just an hour on the floor at the SaaS for Good booth, I was blown away.

So many people in the software industry are already doing great things. And even more are hungry to start.

Whether it’s Founders Pledge for donating to high impact charities upon successful exit, or arranging time for your team to partake in volunteering days in their local community, you don’t have to be a B Corp to do good!

The SaaS for Good panel

I was joined by George (MD at Ticket Tailor), Kirstie (SquaredUp), and Joe (founder of Issuu) to discuss purpose and impact.

George asked us many thoughtful questions, and I learned as much from the panel as a participant as any audience member! Hearing about Ticket Tailor’s “penny for the planet” initiative, and Canva’s two part plan made me realise that our impact initiatives at EcoSend are just getting started.

Blue sky thinking at Blue Earth

Overwhelmingly, I felt a sense of hope at Blue Earth.

The wider world is not the perfect haven we might want it to be. It can be easy to feel down and frustrated when so many of the news headlines are enough to make you want to run away to a remote island and bury your head in the sand.

But so many people at Blue Earth were positive and driven. And crucially, so many people were out there, making real change.

I saw so much on show that reminded me of what is possible:

• The smartest system I’ve seen to re-use coffee cups. Every coffee cup is tagged, and you get a deposit back automatically if you recycle it in a specific bin.
• Hannah’s Project Salt Run — running 100 marathons in 100 days along a route that follows a hedge that once spanned the width of India.
• Cardamon from Root & Branch for developers to track carbon emissions from every single action their software performs.
• 30×30 — the hugely ambitious project to protect 30% of the land and sea around the UK for nature by 2030.
• Agency for Nature — giving nature a voice with creative marketing campaigns like the talking tree.
• People, Planet, Pint, who we have the pleasure of working with on the Sustainability Events Calendar. An initiative that has inspired thousands around the world to come together to talk about climate and impact.

More motivated than ever

Change is hard.

Anything anyone has put into the world has only made it there with an enormous amount of effort.

It’s extremely hard to change the status quo.

But last week really inspired me of what is possible.

Many founders and team members in the startup world are motivated to change the world for the better. Some have novel approaches. Some are prioritising differently. But there is motivation — and that’s exciting.

Many people in the world of climate and sustainability are already out there making change. But they’re often held back by budgets, resources, and sometimes by technology.

Clearly, software can be a tremendous force for good with the technologies, user bases, and often the finance we have available.

I couldn’t be more excited to be building EcoSend — software can change the world for the better. We are amplifying the voices of amazing organisations and individuals. We have the opportunity to support the growth of some incredible good causes. I couldn’t be more proud of that.

Thank you to Jonny, Emily, George, Tom, Maria, Kirstie, Adam, and Cathy for making us part of the SaaS for Good initiative.

We are just getting started.