The joy of solving puzzles solving. Welcoming Luuk Geurten to Growcreate.

Luuk Geurten, Software Developer at Growcreate

Some developers love elegant interfaces. Others love the visible results.
For Luuk Geurten, Software Developer at Growcreate, the magic of software is solving the underlying puzzle—unseen systems, smart patterns, and architecture powering every feature.

“I love the hard problems,” he says. “The part you can’t see. The part that makes everything else work.”

His path into development began with something unexpected: jailbreaking an iPod.

“I felt like a hacker,” he laughs. “Not writing code, but changing sounds, exploring folders, making things behave differently.”

It was a small spark — but it would soon grow.

An Arduino, a switchboard, and the moment everything changed

In his final high school year, Luuk programmed Arduino microcomputers—devices wired into circuits to control them.

That was it. The moment.

It combined hardware and software, so I wanted to study electrical engineering,” he says. “But after a year, I just loved code.”

He changed degrees, joined Avans University of Applied Sciences, and everything clicked.

“With code, I could finally see what I could do. Building things—that’s what motivated me.”

And in a line only a true developer would say with complete sincerity:

“If I could learn it all again, from the start, I would.”

Falling in love with patterns

At the core of programming for Luuk is solving complex problems through well-built architecture—the foundation, not the surface, is what matters most.

Not the UI. Not the colours. Not the shiny surface.
The structure.

“When software patterns clicked for me, it was the most fun I’ve had studying—solving the puzzle, uncovering the most elegant solution. That thrill drives everything I do.”

His education was hands-on. Avans required teamwork with real clients—non-profits with real problems and tight budgets. Students designed, built, and delivered projects in teams.

“It was close to the real world,” he says. “You deal with clients. You communicate. You define architecture, design databases, and run sprints. It prepared me for the job more than anything.”

It also taught him something developers rarely admit openly:

“I like to over-engineer. And in the real world, you learn quickly that you don’t always need to.”

From Marvelous to Growcreate — a natural step

Luuk started at Marvelous as a part-time employee before interning with the team. When Marvelous joined Growcreate, moving to full-time felt like a continuation.

“I always loved the atmosphere,” Luuk says. “Quite a flat structure, informal, easy communication. If I want to talk to Jeroen or Peter, I just walk over. That’s important to me — I’m a people person.”

Joining Growcreate also meant a hybrid team across the Netherlands and the UK.

“For me, it feels like Marvelous — just online,” he says. “If I need James or Owen, I message them, and we hop on a call. But I also still have colleagues sitting next to me here. It’s the best of both worlds.”

The work: Backlot, C#, Umbraco, and the deep architectural puzzles

Luuk’s early work spanned projects—Flagstone, Abbeyfield, Flow, Quiet, Shell Germany—but his passion is in architecture.

I prefer backend. TypeScript is fine, but architecture energises me,” he says.

One of his favourite tools? Backlot is a pattern-based framework that uses a “movie script” metaphor to align technical and business language.

“You talk in terms clients understand,” he explains. “Actors, roles, scenarios. It forces good architecture. And I feel like next to Jeroen, I’ve become one of the experts in it.”

Being asked for Backlot advice is something he’s quietly proud of.

“That makes me feel valued,” he says.

Growing into the role: from developer to mentor

Even early in his career, Luuk thinks beyond code.

His next steps are about people, not just technology.

“I want to get better at seeing the full picture faster. Getting better at handovers. Communicating the architecture clearly,” he says. “Those things come with experience.”

And in a few years?

“I’d like to mentor new developers. The way James supports me — guiding someone else like that would be great. Maybe even become a technical architect.”

For Luuk, ambition means contributing to the team's success and supporting others, as much as building complex systems.

Life outside the code

When he’s not building clean architectures, Luuk is on the football pitch.

A centre-back in the Kelderklasse—Dutch Sunday league’s bottom division—he plays with intensity.

“When I play, I really want to win,” he says. “I love the physical duels. I’m 190 cm, so it helps.”

Off the pitch, he splits his time between fitness, friends, and — like any true developer — a personal programming project.

He’s building a game engine in C#, simply because:

“C# isn’t really made for it… But I want to make it work.”

Of course he does.

What he hopes people think when they work with him

There’s a Dutch word that doesn’t translate well: gezellig.
It means warm, enjoyable, comfortable — good company.

Luuk hopes that’s what colleagues feel.

“I want people to enjoy working with me,” he says simply.

It’s a fitting ambition for someone who loves both the system architecture and the relationships that make it work.

From hacked iPods to advanced systems, Luuk’s passion for solving complex software puzzles energises everything he builds—at work and in life.

We’re proud to have him on the team.

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