Friendly,
senior product &
tech consulting.
Hi, I'm Emile. For 25+ years I've built products and led engineering teams — for Europol, HEMA and Sony Ericsson, and for startups that needed something real by next month. I still do both.
Amsterdam, NL · one senior · no juniors in a trenchcoat
Shipped for:
EuropolSony EricssonHEMA FundaKPNSuitsupply PicnicRTLEdge Impulse + 40 more
25+ yrs
building software & teams.
Since the dial-up days.
75%
of clients hire me to build
their new product.
weeks
to first working software.
Not quarters. Weeks.
What I do
// pick one, or mix — most engagements do
Build your product
MVP to production, hands-on. Modern stack, AI-accelerated workflow, code your future team won't curse at. The thing three quarters of clients come for.
Lead your tech
Interim CTO or tech lead: architecture, hiring, roadmap, and board-level reporting while you scale or search for the permanent hire.
Make your team AI-native
Vendor-neutral evaluation (I've scored Copilot vs. Claude vs. ChatGPT for real boards), agent workflows, and training that measurably shortens cycles.
Unstick your delivery
Quick scans and audits: two weeks, one honest report on where delivery leaks speed — and the shortest path to fixing it.
Train your people
25+ tailored courses — GraphQL, Kubernetes, React, security, AI-assisted development. Always adapted to your team.
Kick off your venture
Founder boot camps and design sprints: two intensive days from idea to a buildable, hire-able, fundable plan.
Receipts.
Europol · enterprise · 2015
Building an intranet for Europol
Secure software inside one of Europe's most demanding compliance environments. Stakeholders, clearances, audits — the full corporate obstacle course, cleared.
HEMA · enterprise · 2016
Building 1-Hour Photoservice for HEMA
Consumer services shipped end-to-end for a national icon. Yes, the cake thing was real, and yes, it shipped on time.
Edge Impulse · startup · 2022
Running Edge Impulse K8s team
Led the Kubernetes migration and infra team for a fast-scaling ML platform, then built the Python SDK developers actually use.
Aan de Stegge (ASVB) · enterprise · 2026
Evaluating Copilot, Claude and ChatGPT for Aan de Stegge
Copilot vs. Claude vs. ChatGPT, scored on quality, security, privacy and cost. A vendor-neutral report a board can decide on.
+ 25 more case studies in the work archive →
How I work
01
We talk. For free.
A short call about what you're building and when you need it. If I'm not the right fit, I'll say so and point you somewhere better.
02
Something ships in weeks.
First working software, first audit report, or first trained team — early, so we both know it's working.
03
Your team keeps the keys.
I coach while I build. When I leave, the capability stays — no dependency, no lock-in, no retainer ransom.
Latest writing
- Independent IT advice for good causes May 30, 2026
- Copilot vs Claude vs ChatGPT, without the hype May 28, 2026
- Teaching a construction company to actually use Copilot May 26, 2026
- When a fix at one company becomes a group-wide rollout May 19, 2026
- Untangling the tender process in construction May 12, 2026
Fair questions
Why you and not a big consultancy? +
A big firm sells you a partner and staffs the work with juniors. With me, the person you meet is the person who does the work — same deliverables, faster decisions, one senior rate instead of a pyramid of margins.
Can you handle our corporate environment? +
I've delivered inside Europol, AFM, KPN and HEMA — procurement, security reviews, compliance officers, steering committees and all. Corporate is not a surprise to me; it's home turf since 2001.
Are you actually hands-on, or "advisory"? +
Hands-on. I write production code weekly — TypeScript, Go, Python, Ruby, C# — and run AI-native workflows daily. The strategy advice is good because the hands still work.
What does an engagement cost? +
Depends on shape: fixed-scope builds, day rates for embedded work, or packages for training and audits. Always a fraction of an agency quote for the same outcome — ask and I'll give you a straight number.
Let's build something.
Tell me what you're making and when you need it. I answer my own email — usually the same day.
also building bouwtel.nl · digitaalgoed.nl · vibeveilig.nl — and yes, the cats page survives