Ship over polish
Production systems with real users beat pristine demos. Every project I take on has a deployment path defined before any code is written.
About
Thirteen years of shipping platforms that ship.
I’m Philip — founder and technical lead of SOFNED. For the last thirteen years I’ve worked as an independent software engineer, often as the only engineer on a project, sometimes as the technical lead alongside small, deliberate teams.
The work spans six industries — fintech, education, automotive, health, travel, and HR — because the underlying craft transfers. What stays constant is the bias toward shipping: production systems, real users, measurable outcomes, over polished demos and pitch decks.
I write the code, ship the platform, and stay until it is in the hands of users. That sentence does most of the work in describing how an engagement with me actually goes.
Operating principles
How I think about the work.
Solo or small, deliberately
I work as the only engineer on a project, or as the technical lead alongside a small team. Coordination cost is the silent killer; staying small keeps it close to zero.
Boring infrastructure, ambitious product
Well-known stacks, durable choices, and predictable operations underneath — so the budget for ambition lives in the product surface, not in the runtime.
Stay until it lands
I do not hand off a half-finished platform to a maintenance team. I stay through the launch, the first hundred users, and the second iteration.
Recent
A short timeline.
2025
Auto Tech Solutions
Lead engineer & designer on a unified DMS, AI search, inventory, and marketing platform live across USA, UK, Canada, and EU.
2024–Present
OnlyEV · YoYo AI
Engineering across an EV marketplace and a multi-tenant dealership AI agent for car dealerships.
2023–Present
Homecoming Signature Tours
Built the digital platform for a premium heritage and luxury travel brand operating across Africa — booking surface, content system, and brand site.
2012–Present
Independent practice
Thirteen years of independent engineering and consulting across fintech, education, automotive, health, travel, and HR.
Engagements
How we might work together.
- Greenfield platform builds — architecture through ship.
- Technical lead engagements alongside small product teams.
- AI agent and integration work (chat, voice, retrieval).
- Editorial, brand-led marketing surfaces for technical products.
Get in touch
Currently selecting engagements for 2026. The fastest path is email.