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SHORTSTONE

Studio

Finance people who build software.

Shortstone is an independent, founder-led software and product engineering studio. We exist because most software teams don't understand the business they are building for, and most businesses can't explain themselves to a software team.

Two kinds of knowledge, in one team.

Our founder has a chartered accounting background and extensive leadership experience in financial services, alongside practical experience building complex software systems. So nothing has to be translated between the people who run the business and the people who write the code.

From finance and operations

  • Financial controls, approvals and audit trails
  • Month-end close, consolidation and reporting
  • Compliance and regulatory requirements
  • How work really moves between teams

From software engineering

  • System architecture and data modelling
  • Product and interface design
  • Applied AI and automation
  • Integrations with banks, ledgers and existing tools

What that produces

Software that changes the numbers.

Working with us

What you can expect.

  • You talk to the person doing the work

    No account managers and no hand-offs. The founder is involved in every engagement, from the first conversation to the release.

  • You see working software early

    We build in short cycles and show the real product as it grows, so you steer by using it, not by reading status reports.

  • Everything important is written down

    Scope, decisions and costs are agreed in writing before work starts, and kept current as the project moves.

  • We stay after launch

    Going live is the midpoint. We keep improving the system as the business uses it and its needs change.

See how a project runs

Is Shortstone right for you?

Where we do our best work.

We are a strong fit when

  • Your operation is too specific for off-the-shelf software
  • Money, approvals or compliance sit at the centre of the process
  • Spreadsheets and disconnected tools are holding the business together
  • You want one accountable team from idea to production

Bespoke builds typically start from around $40,000.

We are probably not right for

  • A brochure website or a quick template build
  • Configuring a packaged product you have already bought
  • Extra developers to top up an existing team

If that's you, we will say so quickly and point you somewhere better.

How we think

Four things we hold to.

  • Understand first

    The expensive mistakes in software are misunderstandings, not bugs. We learn the operation before proposing a system for it.

  • Build the real thing

    We would rather show working software than a slide about it.

  • Say it plainly

    No jargon and no inflated claims. If something is hard, uncertain or not worth building, we say so.

  • Use AI where it earns its place

    We know where AI helps and where it doesn't. It goes into a product when it makes the work better.

Work with a studio that speaks both languages.

Tell us what you're trying to build or fix. You'll hear back from the person who would lead the work, with questions rather than a sales deck.

Start a project