THE STRING AHEAD

exploratory design & engineering studio.
based in hamburg, germany.

make. things. go. boom.

we find ideas, explore them & turn them into real things–
software, hardware, brands.

we design and build:
— web, desktop & mobile apps.
— apis & internal tools.
— ai-driven systems & experimental tech.
— hardware prototypes & full devices.
— brand, strategy & narratives.

with a focus on intentional tech and thoughtful computing.
we love to get hands-on early, be fully involved & get creative with constraints.
and we figure things out. always.

if you want to work with us, send a mail.

some r ecent work

apps in the cloud

some full-stack business applications we've recently build for startups / businesses:

  • Workplace safety platform— highly modular platform for workplace safety management with autonomous subsystems for risk monitoring, incident workflows, automated risk assessment, and compliance reporting.
  • Enterprise tax compliance system— for multinational corps to ensure international tax compliance throughout all processes
  • Architecture firm management suite— Clients, projects, invoicing, time tracking, audit trail and advanced features, standard solutions couldn't provide.
  • Music licensing platform— catalog management & secure demo-preview sharing tool for labels & artists
  • Custom CRM systems— multi-tenant, audit trails, APIs
  • Multivendor e-commerce platform— advanced invoicing, inventory sync with vendor ERP, next-level search & filters, strong rest api
webphppython doctrine mezzio/laminas laravel nodeJSgolangjsvuereact mysqlpgsqlsearch search docker ci/cd infra aws azure gitlab hetzner supabaseecommerce

applied AI

from agents to vision — we ship useful AI into products.

  • agents & copilots: workflow automation, data triage, content ops.
  • vision & sensor fusion: frames + IMU/sensors for robust detection.
  • custom models: fine-tunes, retrieval, light on-device inference.
  • web tools: internal UIs to operationalize models to automate processes.
agentsvisionretrievaledge
demo: a web based tool to automate bookkeeping.
demo: app that turns any podcast into live language lessons (studio venture).

studio venture: podcasts app for language learning (MVP)

app that takes any podcast and turns it into a guided lesson — code-switched translation mixed into the audio, A–B loop, slow replay, offline playback.

  • outcome: working MVP; tested on iOS/Android; production-ready; private beta currently running;
  • scope: concept & product vision, backend & API, audio-processing pipeline, language-switching logic, HLS streaming, offline capability, mobile integration.
iosandroid pythonfastapi whisperai streamingoffline-first studio venture

prototype: portable sampler

portable instrument: standalone sampler & drum controller (inspired by a kids pop-it toy).

  • outcome: validated playability & manufacturability;
  • scope: enclosure & 3D prints, PCB, firmware, sound design.
hardware embedded pcb cpp python dsp iot
demo: testing the first proof-of-concept of the device.
demo: bzzzd. web-based haptic pattern editor for esp devices.

bzzzd — haptic pattern designer

quick & dirty gui for a hardware startups internal use, to design vibration patterns & flash them to ESP hardware.

  • outcome: ~10× faster haptic iteration; non-engineers can design & test haptic feedback patterns quickly.
  • scope: waveform synthesis, webserial, device sync, custom firmware.
webespreal-timecanvas

offbridge — internet via sms

studio venture: gateway for basic phones to access modern services using SMS/calls.

  • outcome: early users live on non-smartphones; validated low-cost access model.
  • scope: concept & product vision, landing page & brand design, backend & infra, GSM orchestration, Python services, lightweight AI.
pythongsm aiinfra brandingstudio venture
the kaios sms app "#talktalktalk".

#talktalktalk — sms app for feature phones

app for kaios to make texting enjoyable. with text-to-speech, emoji reactions, and desktop web sync (like whatsapp web).

  • outcome: great messaging experience on cheap feature phones; field-tested.
  • scope: kaios app, tts, offline, sms, sync service + dashboard.
kaiosjavascriptttsoffline
NN
launches
NN
prototypes
2009–
still shipping

clients / collaborators

notes

read this if you must
  • keeping teams as tiny as possible;
  • attach early and stay close to outcomes;
  • prefer shipping over meetings; MVPs beat slides;
  • fail fast; learn; iterate;
  • keep it as simple as possible.

venture

we occasionally co-build products, invest, or launch a studio venture. if you’re an investor or founder exploring a build partner— maybe we should talk.

say hi // work with us

THE STRING AHEAD
based in hamburg, germany
[email protected]

make. things. go. boom.