Brisbane, Australia · Est. 2020
Hi, I’m Rikus. I’m the strategist, the designer and the engineer. Zeltta is my one-person studio, and I take on a few projects a year, almost always by referral.
01 — Who I work with
A senior product engineer who plugs into your team when the stakes are high. I build under your brand, for your client. Agencies like Ingot have leaned on me for years.
“Zeltta are a huge asset for us. Timely, well-crafted apps and dev with good comms.”
Dan Webster · Founder & Director, IngotYou bring the idea and the domain knowledge. I do the rest, from the first whiteboard session to the day your customers log in.
“Rikus is trustworthy, dependable, and innovative. Thanks for all your help Rikus”
Thomas Nabbs · Founder/Director, The Waterboy02 — Selected work
Star Safety · Web, iOS, Android
Star Safety came to me after a previous vendor failed to deliver. I built the whole platform, and their construction clients now run their health and safety on it daily, from site inductions to job safety analysis forms.
starsafe.app ↗Ōkupu · Marketplace · Web, iOS, Android
Customers place an order and fluent te reo Māori translators deliver it. I built the payments, automatic payouts, audio recording, and a white-label engine ready for other languages. 1,000+ translations completed.
okupu.co.nz ↗“E kaha ana taku whaikupu kia mahi ki tō Rikus taha me tō hinonga te whai ake nei.”
“I wholeheartedly recommend working alongside Rikus on your next venture.”
Aroha Turner · Founder, Ōkupu
Game Kings · Language games
The digital companion to Game Kings’ Tākaro te reo Māori games: hundreds of words with native-speaker audio, searchable and organised by game edition.
“Top notch app development!”
Eliot Jessep · Founder, Game Kings
Autism New Zealand · Community
A private chat and video platform where people with autism and their families connect with Autism NZ staff and each other: public and private rooms, group and one-to-one video.
Go Eco · Food rescue
Pickup-and-delivery tracking with impact dashboards. I rode along on the rescue runs first, then built the system around what the crews actually do; the impact reports now back their funding applications.
Nourished for Nil · Repeat client
First an inventory system for their food rescue operation. Years later they came back for a second build to run their food banks and social supermarket. Repeat work is the reference I value most.
03 — How I think
Boring technology ships.
I build on TypeScript, React, React Native, Node and Postgres, because in ten years any good engineer will still be able to maintain it. Your system should never be hostage to one person’s favourite niche tools.
The test is Tuesday morning.
Anything looks good in a walkthrough. The software I’m proud of is the kind people open every working day for years without thinking about it.
One accountable person beats a handoff chain.
The strategist, the designer and the developer are the same person. Whoever took your first call also deploys the code and answers the support email.
04 — How I work
Step 1
Every project starts with a short, paid sprint. You leave with a fixed quote and a build plan solid enough to hand to any developer.
Step 2
I do the work myself, from the first call to the final deploy. You see working software within weeks, and every decision is made by the person who has to live with it.
Step 3
The code, the app, the domain and the data all live in accounts that belong to you. After launch I stay on to manage and improve the system, on retainer or as needed. If you ever want to take it elsewhere, everything is already yours.
Projects typically start at $30k. If your budget or timeline doesn’t fit that, I’ll tell you on the first call and point you somewhere that does.
If I take your project on, it ships.
05 — About
I started Zeltta in New Zealand in 2020 so I could choose my clients and build the unusual, complex systems agencies can’t deliver, where layers of managers and coordination distort the idea and drag the timeline. Working alone, with the whole picture in one head, I can.
Most of the work on this page was built there, for founders and organisations that put the entire build in my hands. These days I run Zeltta from Brisbane, and I keep it small on purpose.
06 — Start
Tell me what you’re building and where it’s stuck. If I’m the right fit, I’ll say so. If I’m not, I’ll point you to someone who is.
Not the right time? and stay in touch.
