Elastic Mint

Bristol-based Elastic Mint builds bespoke software. Its senior developers are experienced enough to lead development teams and to work directly with a client's business leaders, and the firm describes a delivery style built on openness, small teams and working software.

Senior developers who lead teams

The firm's developers are presented as capable of running teams and of working closely with business heads at a high level. Its teams are built around people who have spent around twenty years on the tools, and the firm says this experience matters most where a project is complicated or where the client has inherited a difficult system. Elastic Mint says it shares its expertise with the client's own staff, providing training so that the internal team can maintain and extend the software as the business changes.

Matching technology to the business problem

The company says it is independent and deeply knowledgeable about choosing technology. With new applications, platforms and tools appearing constantly, it argues that choosing the right technology has become critical, and it offers to advise clients on which solution fits their business. It also says that if it does not have enough expertise in a particular field, it will tell the client at the outset rather than learn on the client's budget.

Software scoping before a build

Before any build, the firm runs a brief paid session that produces a written specification, wireframes the client can click through and a fixed price. The client owns everything produced in this stage and can take it to any supplier, which the firm presents as a way to test the idea and the working relationship before a larger commitment.

Teams spread across locations

Elastic Mint has experience managing software teams spread across several locations and time zones, which it says can be difficult for department heads and business owners. It acts on behalf of clients in this role, and it offers fractional CTO support for businesses that need help defining their technology strategy without hiring a full-time officer.

Values that shape delivery

The firm sets out values that govern its work. Transparency means being open about what it does and sharing good and bad news. Communication means small, experienced teams that talk every day and work together from requirements through to code. Simplicity means doing just enough, in small steps, so that feedback arrives early. Feedback means delivering working software in each iteration. Respect means valuing the expertise of the people it works with, and courage means telling the truth about progress and estimates.

Platforms, accessibility and legacy work

The firm lists expertise in .NET and Azure, agile methods, API design and database technologies. Its published case studies include work to improve automated testing for a search platform, a platform foundation for a healthcare business and assistive technology for people with visual impairments. For businesses with systems that are hard to change, its legacy modernisation service helps decide what to fix, what to leave alone and what is slowing the business down.

Use of AI in the work

Elastic Mint says it uses AI every day for tasks such as scaffolding, drafting tests, exploring an unfamiliar interface and working through a refactor. It argues that these tools speed up delivery, but that judgement and experience remain the responsibility of the team.