Last-mile software development
Your product is 80% there. I do the other 80%. Production-ready, tested, and shipped. 16 years of engineering experience applied to the hardest part: finishing.
The problem
AI coding tools are incredible. You can go from idea to working prototype in hours. Cursor, Copilot, Claude - they'll generate a full application that demos beautifully.
Then you try to put real users on it. And things start to break. Error handling is missing or generic. There are no tests. The database schema won't scale. Authentication has holes. The code works but nobody can maintain it. It's 80% done - and that last 20% is where the actual engineering lives.
That's the gap I fill. I take AI-generated or rapidly-prototyped software and make it production-ready. Not by starting over - by understanding what's there, keeping what works, and fixing what doesn't.
Selected Work
Vividon
An AI-powered lighting plugin for Photoshop that brings huge time and money savings for photography, TV, and film professionals. Our flexible solution provided many useful features to help the client fine-tune their offering before going to market.
Event Discovery Platform
We worked with an events-aggregation website who were spending hours of manual time curating and updating event listings. We integrated an AI agent & crawler into an easy to use database and dashboard, combined with powerful admin and introspection tools.
Who I Work With
01
Founders & Startups
You've built a prototype with AI tools or a small team and it works - mostly. But it needs proper error handling, tests, performance tuning, and deployment before real users can rely on it. I get it over the line.
02
Agencies & Dev Teams
You're at capacity and a project needs finishing. I slot in, understand the codebase quickly, and deliver production-quality work without needing to be managed. Your clients see polished results, on time.
03
Product Companies
You have an internal tool, a side project, or a feature that's been stuck at 80% for months. I pick it up, untangle what's blocking it, and ship it. No ramp-up drama, no process overhead.
Services
01
Code Audit
A thorough codebase review with a written report and prioritised action plan. Know exactly where you stand before investing more.
02
Production Sprint
Take a working prototype to production-ready. Tests, error handling, security, performance, and deployment — done properly.
03
Ongoing Retainer
Regular development capacity without the overhead of hiring. Consistent availability, no recruitment headaches.
How I Work
Before I change a line, I read the code, understand the architecture, and figure out why things are the way they are. No cowboy fixes. No regressions from working on assumptions.
Tests, error handling, edge cases, performance, accessibility. The unglamorous work that separates a prototype from a product. I treat every project like it's going to have real users - because it is.
I work in focused, iterative cycles. You get working software regularly, not a big reveal at the end. When it's done, I help with deployment, monitoring, and handover so you're not left holding the bag.
No buzzwords, no inflated estimates, no unnecessary complexity. I tell you what I think, give you honest timelines, and deliver what I promise.
Recommended by
“Steve is one of those rare engineers who can do in a day what would take an average developer a week… He makes it look easy.”
“Brilliant at solving complex problems, deeply understanding business goals, and always delivering exceptional results… gets done in three days what most developers would need a full week for.”
“He really, really listens and understands the problem in a way that very few others do… a brilliant communicator who ensures everyone knows what’s happening.”
Blog
View allThinking Machine
Draw a digit. Watch a real neural network process it in real time, neuron by neuron.
From Noise to Image
An interactive, visual guide to the magic behind how AIs generate images from text.
Slow Until It Isn't
Exponential growth feels slow until it suddenly isn't. Watch the pixels double until the screen fills.
Got a project that needs finishing?
Whether it's a prototype that needs production polish, a feature that's been stuck, or a codebase that needs an experienced pair of hands - I'd love to hear about it.