Software rescue & automation
Fix a legacy application, connect your systems or replace repetitive spreadsheet work with a reliable workflow.
Indicative sprint: £1,250–£2,500
Creative technology + engineering
Fix the bottleneck. Build what comes next.
We help businesses fix troublesome software, cut repetitive admin and turn technical ideas into working prototypes. Hands-on UK engineering across software, AI, electronics and connected hardware.
Services
Three practical ways to get moving.
Start with one problem and a defined outcome. We scope the work, build and test the solution, then hand it over with clear next steps.
Test your AI idea
Find out whether AI can help with a specific process. We build a focused proof of concept with clear evaluation and human review where it matters.
Indicative sprint: £2,500–£5,000
Connected hardware prototypes
Bring sensors, embedded electronics, controls and web dashboards together in a working prototype.
Projects from £3,000
Extra engineering capacity
Specialist help with overflow development, awkward integrations and existing systems. Bitcoin, Lightning and decentralised engineering are also available.
Discuss subcontract work →Prices are indicative; scope, delivery dates, external costs and applicable VAT are confirmed in your written quote. We agree a manageable first milestone before building.
Selected work
Built to solve real problems.
Our work ranges from embedded prototypes and internal engineering tools to production software and decentralised infrastructure. The examples below show the kinds of systems we build rather than a complete client list.
Connected hardware
Embedded devices combining sensing, displays, local control and network services — designed as complete systems rather than isolated electronics.
Purpose-built software
Web platforms, operational tools, APIs and automation designed around a specific workflow, with infrastructure that can be understood and maintained.
Decentralised experiments
Bitcoin and Lightning applications, blockchain-connected services, infrastructure and experimental systems that explore what these protocols can actually do.
Research + prototyping
Fast prototypes used to answer hard technical questions early — before committing to a full build.
Some of our best work is deliberately absent from this page. Much of what we build is bespoke, commercially sensitive or covered by confidentiality agreements. Where we cannot publish the finished system, we share the engineering ideas and lessons behind the work through Insights.
Hodlmaker Insights
Useful engineering notes, experiments and things we learned the hard way.
Not a content machine. Just practical write-ups about prototyping, infrastructure, embedded systems, software and decentralised technology when there is something worth sharing.
Read Insights →About
Small by design.
Hodlmaker is an independent UK creative technology consultancy for projects that need hands-on engineering, rapid learning and direct technical collaboration.
We work directly with organisations and individuals who have an idea, problem or experiment that does not fit neatly into an off-the-shelf product. That might mean a proof-of-concept, a piece of embedded hardware, an internal platform or an unusual integration between several technologies.
There are no layers of account management between the problem and the people building the solution. We prefer clear communication, practical technology choices and systems that remain understandable after launch.
Start a project
What is costing your team time?
Tell us about the process or system, what gets in the way, and your timescale. Screenshots or a short description are enough to start. We will discuss fit and scope before proposing paid work.