Our Vision for Social Fairness
We are a cooperative with a clear mission:
To improve the working conditions of the self-employed and promote social fairness. Discover our vision, learn more about our team and how Smart works.
Solidarity for better working conditions
Smart is a solidarity-based cooperative. With our socially transformative solution, we are committed to social justice. Our aim is to make the world of work more equitable and to improve the quality of life of the self-employed in the long term. This includes both their financial and social security. All profits flow into the expansion of our services.
Innovative Support for our Members
We stand in solidarity
Solidarity & community are the central pillars of our cooperative. We stand together, support each other and take responsibility for the well-being of each other. Within our cooperative, we promote networking and cooperation between our members. We work together with other cooperatives, both in Germany and worldwide. This is in line with the sixth cooperative principle: “Cooperation among Cooperatives”.
We are innovative
We constantly strive to find new ways to adapt our cooperative to the changing needs of our members. We are proud of being innovative and driving forward the way freelancers and collectives work.
Our Team
Get to know the Smart-Team
Silvia Loi
Finance – Client Support
DE / EN / IT
Marius Le
Head of Finance
DE / EN / PT / FR
Magdalena Ziomek
Co-Director & Member of Board
DE / EN / PL
Alicja Möltner
Co-Director & Member of Board
DE / EN / PL / FR / IT
Valentina Vighetti
Operations – Member Support
DE / EN / IT / FR
Marie Reiter
Head of Operations, Director of Smart Bildungswerk
DE / EN /FR / NL
Get to Know our Roots
The History of Smart Initiative, the Advisory Board and the General Assembly
Our Roots
The Smart Initiative was born in Belgium. Smart stands for “Société mutuelle pour artistes” and was launched in 1998 as a social economy project by founders from the cultural sector. These visionaries created Smart as an innovative solution for freelance artists and cultural professionals who often work under precarious conditions.
The initiative quickly developed into a successful project and soon attracted a broader target group of self-employed people. Today, Smart Belgium already has over 35,000 members from various areas of the self-employment sectors, and this number continues to rise.
Supported by Smart Belgium, independent cooperatives have been founded in various European countries. In Germany Smart was founded in 2015. Since then, we have been working closely with our European Smart partners to create a transnational knowledge and solidarity network for new forms of work.
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board of SMartDe eG consists of 5 members who are elected for a term of office of 3 years. The main task of the Advisory Board is to appoint and advise the Board of Directors.
Our Advisory Board: Norbert Kunz, Sébastien Paule, Marie Reiter, Céline Viardot, Prof. Dr. Dominika Wruk
The General Assembly
As a cooperative member, you are invited to attend and vote at the annual General Assembly. Each member has one vote, regardless of the number of shares they have purchased. At the annual General Assembly, we decide how profits and losses are distributed. In addition, the actions of the Board of Directors and Advisory Board are approved, and a new Advisory Board is elected.
Awards Won: Our Achievements
We are proud of the many awards we have received so far.
For us, they are not just prizes but also a commitment to continue doing our best for our members.
New Work Award
Smart is a winner in the “New Work Award 2023” competition in the “New Society” category.
Juni 2023
Berlin’s Social Enterprises
Smart is a winner in the “Berlin’s Social Enterprises 2022” competition in the “Transformation” category. This award is presented by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy, and Public Enterprises to outstanding social enterprises, making their impact visible to all.
September 2022
Global Goals Lab
Smart won 2nd prize in the Global Goals Lab Impact Fund 2021.
Juni 2021
The Smart-Partners
