Bespoke software development for founders with ambitious ideas.

I excel at working with early-stage startups, getting them to market as fast as possible.

Bespoke software is my business, so let me handle it while you concentrate on running yours.

Ewald Horn waving at DevConf
Ewald Horn at DevConf

No singing, dancing or bullshit.

If you are looking for a slick presentation, filled with lofty promises, you are plain out of luck. This is the website of a guy who loves building bespoke software solutions, using things like Java, JavaScript or Go, mixed with a little Rust, Python, Scala, Kotlin or, well, whatever gets the job done I guess.

I'm not an investor, founder or any of those things. I'm the guy you hire when you know what you want and want someone in your corner that will build what you need. My speciality is in helping early-stage startups maximise their runway by building efficient, robust and scalable solutions that use as little compute resources as possible. This makes your money stretch further, as there's nothing as frustrating as almost getting to break-even and then hitting the end of your runway.

Building software solutions can be fun, when done properly. That implies that there's planning, lots of it, before the development ever kicks off. I absolutely enjoy working with people who know what they want, how they want it to work and are happy to put in the effort and commitment required to make things happen.

Hire me to build the stuff that matters for your business. High-performance web applications, interactive simulations, AI-assisted tooling, APIs, backend systems, affordable MVPs and kick-ass demos to help secure funding. Whatever needs doing, I can do it. The real question is whether doing it moves the needle, and that's where I'll be frank with you when I don't see how something adds value.

Naturally, it's also important to me that you will love and enjoy working with me. As a potential client, ask yourself - why are you here?

Working together

Mutually respectful client relationships are central to my work ethic. And an absolute deal breaker. Experience has taught me that true success requires collaboration, a partnership with shared goals.

Building software is hard work. It is often stressful, frustrating and fraught with challenges. Challenges which require team solutions. If we cannot work as a team, we will fail. I hate failing, so let's not set ourselves up for that.

I will not be offended if this does not appeal to you right now.

Still here? Great!

I have created a little cheat sheet below that aims to assist you in making a decision regarding our business compatibility. I hope it will resonate with you.

Cheat sheet

Give yourself one point for every statement that you find true and agree with. We'll tally the score afterwards.

Your Score: 0 / 10

Select your answers

What if you need wireframes and screen designs?

A great user experience (UX) is at the heart of everything I do. It is essential to the success of your project. Great UX includes screen designs and the look and feel of your solution. If you have not yet run your designs and requirements past a UX expert, I highly recommend speaking to Peter Koen from Pondo. He specialises in the creation of a frictionless, engaging user experience for web and mobile applications. A consultation with him will provide you with the output required to engage with developers, enabling the smooth communication of your vision and requirements.

Based on past experience, engaging an expert UX consultant saves a significant amount of time and costly rework. This saves you valuable time-to-market as well as expensive development and design overhead. The more you plan before we start development, the higher the chances of success.

I firmly believe in a dedicated Project Manager for any serious project. You could do it yourself, of course, but your role should ideally be that of the Product Owner. Let someone else manage the project and the development team. Trust me, everyone will be happier!