Who We Are - Republic Systems

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Republic Systems is a systems development company primarily serving businesses, government agencies and NGOs.

Our areas of expertise include delivering custom mobile apps, modernizing older enterprise applications and optimizing algorithms for large data sets.

Through our core principles of open innovation, crowdsourcing, and technology towards sustainability, we build technically advanced, cost-effective SaaS applications that engage users and deliver measurable results.

History

Software – specifically the intersection of developers, online communities and emerging technology – has long been the Hughes family business.

The family’s first firm was a full-service system integrator and application development firm, Business Data Services. Later renamed Tallan, it grew to $114 million in annual revenue before its sale to CMGI in 2000. The team then created crowdsourcing site TopCoder, which grew to more than half a million community members before its sale to Appirio in 2013.

Republic Systems took shape in 2014 as the Hughes team aligned with colleagues from NASA, Harvard and MIT. The group found new opportunities with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, assisting with the development of crowdsourced software solutions in the Medicaid space.

Republic Systems’ work includes mCiti, a citizen engagement app and eligibility calculator for those receiving state and federal assistance benefits. The firm is also developing its TruTrace system for a global NGO focused on conservation.

As the power and ubiquity of mobile technology continues to grow and bring immediate information to people worldwide, Republic Systems plans to leverage its existing platforms for broader use as well as engaging in select custom development projects.

Leadership

ROB HUGHES
Founder & President

Rob Hughes brings more than 20 years of software and technology management experience to Republic Systems. He directs all aspects of the company’s development, in alignment with its core principles of open innovation, crowdsourcing, and technology towards sustainability. ..

JACK HUGHES
Co-Founder

Jack Hughes is a seasoned software and technology management expert with more than 25 years of experience in the field. In addition to his work as a Co-Founder of Republic Systems, Hughes is a Founding Investor, Co-Creator and Director at Tongal, a global community of creators that collaborate with networks, studios and brands to develop multi-platform video content. ..

DR. KEVIN BOUDREAU, PH.D.
Co-Founder

Dr. Kevin Boudreau is the Chief Economist and co-Principal Investigator of the Harvard-NASA Tournament Lab, and is an applied micro-economist and strategy researcher. Through his research he generates ideas, devises empirical research designs and conducts quantitative analysis on how platforms are best designed and organized. ..

DR. KARIM LAKHANI, PH.D.
Co-Founder

Dr. Karim Lakhani, a co-founder of Republic Systems, is the Charles E. Wilson Professor of Business Administration and the Dorothy and Michael Hintze Fellow at the Harvard Business School. He is the founder and co-director of the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard, the principal investigator of the NASA Tournament Laboratory at the Harvard Institute for Quantitative Social Science, and the faculty co-founder of the Harvard Business School Digital Initiative. He specializes in the management of technological innovation in firms and communities. ..

JASON CRUSAN
Co-Founder

Jason Crusan is a pioneer in technology and open innovation. As a Co-Founder at Republic Systems, he brings broad experience in strategic program formulation, technology development, financial performance, partnership development, and project management. ..

JAMES HARAKALY
Program Manager

James Harakaly serves as the Program Manager for Republic Systems, with deep involvement in the firm’s mCiti and TruTrace projects. He specializes in program and project management within the information technology and services industry, with a history of on-time, on-budget completion and delivery. ..