Illuminatio Development Group

Software development and research group for the public.

We are a student-led software development and research collective creating pro bono tools for nonprofits, online communities, and mission-driven projects — with complete confidentiality.

About Us

Illuminatio is a software development and research group founded by a collective of students who reside at Stevens Institute of Technology, committed to empowering social good through technology.

Custom platforms, websites, research and data analytics, regular tools — every project we undertake is unique and built with the goal of complete confidentiality and utmost quality.

Learn more on our about page.

Our Philosophy

  • Anonymity is power: We don't ask for credit. We don't take the spotlight. The organizations we support remain the face of the work.
  • Confidentiality is non-negotiable: All codebases and communications are private — shared only between your group and ours.
  • Quality over quantity: We pride ourselves in our ability to produce fast, efficient and clean software solutions.

What We Build

Illuminatio specializes in software and tooling tailored to the unique needs of nonprofit ecosystems and online communities. Some of our common projects include:

  • Websites
  • Data dashboards for research, or data analysis and analytics
  • Tools to help manage community moderation and safety, suchs as bots
  • Custom APIs and integrations for digital infrastructure
  • Experimental research tools and prototypes

If your organization needs something specific that is within our capabilities, we'll work with you to define and deliver it from scratch.

Who We Work With

We collaborate with nonprofits, mutual aid networks, online forums, activist organizations, academic groups, and any initiative working toward public good. Our ideal partners are:

  • Mission-driven
  • Privacy-conscious
  • In need of software but unable to afford industry rates
  • Aligned with values of equity, transparency, and trust

Given we are student-led, we are limited to the United States for now.

How It Works

  1. Reach Out: You contact us (see our contact page!).
  2. Initial Review: We review your request to make sure it is within our capabilities and values.
  3. Project Planning: We define your goals, timeline, and technical requirements — all under NDA or privacy terms.
  4. Build + Iterate: We design, prototype, and develop the software in close coordination with your team.
  5. Deliver + Support: You receive fully documented, ready-to-deploy code — and ongoing support if needed.

Once again, since we are a student-led organization, it is difficult to directly place an estimated time-to-product, however on average is about 3 months.

Privacy First

Everything we build and every message we send is handled with care. We adhere to strong operational security practices and work entirely under the assumption of zero public exposure. That means:

  • No public repositories
  • No names shared, internally or externally
  • No data retained after project delivery