Anna Topalidi is a Ruby engineer. This might sound like she works with jewels, but Anna refines digital "gems"—software solutions that foster democratic engagement. She works as a developer at PokeCode, a Barcelona, Spain-based company that creates applications using Decidim, an open-source platform designed to empower participatory democracy and civic engagement, and Ruby, the programming language behind its architecture.
As a key Ruby developer at PokeCode, Anna Topalidi has been instrumental in advancing the Decidim platform, driving innovation, and delivering impactful features that support participatory democracy across international projects. At PokeCode, she has designed and implemented scalable and secure backend systems to support high-load civic platforms adopted by governments and organizations worldwide, empowering millions of users to participate in digital democracy. Additionally, she has developed Ruby-based modules to enhance the transparency and usability of digital democracy tools, ensuring accessibility and reliability for diverse communities.
Her expertise and contributions have been acknowledged within the Decidim community, where she actively engages in events like the annual Decidim Fest, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange with global technopolitical leaders.
Anna is a skilled developer proficient in multiple programming languages and technologies.
Anna Topalidi is not just a programmer—she is a trailblazer in software development, combining technical mastery with a strategic vision for impactful solutions. She specializes in Ruby and its Ruby on Rails framework, where she has architected complex APIs and developed scalable, high-performance systems that empower digital democracy and civic engagement on a global scale.
Beyond backend development, Anna is highly skilled in frontend technologies, including JavaScript frameworks such as React and Vue.js. Her ability to seamlessly integrate interactive, user-centric designs with robust backend infrastructures positions her as a versatile developer capable of tackling multifaceted challenges.
Anna's technical repertoire extends to modern programming languages and frameworks, including Rust, Elixir, Phoenix, and Sinatra. Her deep understanding of database systems—from PostgreSQL and MySQL to Redis—allows her to design resilient data architectures that ensure reliability even under high load. Her work with Decidim, an open-source platform for participatory democracy, stands out as a prime example of her ability to deliver secure, scalable solutions tailored to societal needs.
"I'm passionate about creating technology that solves real-world problems and delivers meaningful value to communities," Anna shares. "My focus is on building scalable systems that promote transparency, inclusivity, and efficiency in democratic processes."
Her goal is to transform how technology supports society, making a lasting impact by advancing participatory democracy and setting new benchmarks for software innovation.
The Journey to IT
Anna Topalidi earned her master's degree in economics and territory management from the Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography in 2009. However, her career soon took a different direction as she ventured into the world of technology. In 2014, Anna began her path in IT, gaining foundational experience in technical systems and processes. By 2017, she transitioned into a support engineering role, where she developed technical support systems, automated tools, and monitoring solutions to improve operational efficiency. This hands-on work laid the groundwork for her journey into software development.
In 2019, Anna transitioned into frontend development, focusing on creating user-friendly and efficient interfaces for platforms serving thousands of daily users. Her contributions included implementing real-time data visualization dashboards, automating workflows with advanced algorithms, and optimizing codebases, achieving a 40 percent reduction in page load times. This period marked her growth into a versatile developer capable of addressing both technical and user-centric challenges.
As her expertise grew, Anna expanded into backend development, mastering Ruby and building scalable, secure systems tailored to high-load environments. Since 2022, she has been actively contributing to Decidim, an open-source platform for participatory democracy. Her work has focused on designing and implementing innovative features, ensuring the platform remains robust, user-focused, and adaptable to diverse civic needs.
"My journey has been about constant growth and learning," Anna reflects. "Each step has taught me to approach challenges from different perspectives, from solving user problems to building systems that scale seamlessly. I am passionate about creating technology that fosters transparency and inclusivity."
Better and More Accessible
At PokeCode, Anna has been busy, working to integrate new features focused on
accessibility and multilingual support, and significantly broadening the platform's reach, for example. She has also been actively contributing to other open-source projects and represented the organization at global forums such as Decidim Fest. Altogether, she sees her current strengths in open-source contributions and collaborations, system design and optimization, team collaboration, and problem-solving, where she can debug and optimize code across multiple technologies. But she is hungry for more and wants to contribute more to society.
"My skills in rapid learning, adaptability, and finding innovative solutions have positioned me as a leader in developing technologies that transform our society," says Anna of her future outlook. "I'll keep on striving to create technologies that make the world better and more accessible."
