In Maltese, "solvejta" means "I solved it." That's where the name Solveita comes from. I wanted something that reflected what I actually do for clients, but with a pronunciation that works internationally.
Solveita is the result of ten years of writing code, leading teams, and learning what businesses actually need from their software. To understand why I built it, you need to understand the decade that came before.
A Decade of Writing Code
I wrote my first line of code in 2010. Starting in 2015, I studied for my Bachelor of Science in Software Development at MCAST. During my time there, I worked with local software companies and spent a year at KPMG Crimsonwing as a student developer. That mix of formal education and real-world experience set the foundation for everything that followed.
Back then, I was just a guy who liked building things on the internet. I coded at work, then came home and coded some more. Side projects. Freelance gigs. I even took leave from my day job just so I could work on my own stuff. That probably sounds obsessive, but it never felt like work to me, more like a hobby.
My first job after graduating was at Arkafort, where I stayed for three years. I started as a junior and eventually led a small team of junior frontend developers. I reviewed their code, answered questions, and learned a lot in the process myself. Those developers have since moved into senior and lead positions at other companies.
After that, I worked at MeDirect, a digital bank operating in Malta and Belgium, on their internet banking platform. Working on production systems in a regulated industry teaches you to be careful with your code.
Across different jobs and roles, I worked under good leaders and bad ones. I worked alongside people who lifted the team up and others who dragged everyone down. I saw firsthand how a single negative person can poison an entire group, making everyone around them resent the company. These experiences shaped how I think about hiring and culture today. A rotten apple really does damage the whole basket.
I've also been on the other side of the classroom. In 2024, I lectured part-time at MCAST, teaching Laravel to degree students and web development to diploma students. Teaching forces you to understand things deeply enough to explain them simply. It made me a better developer.
The Freelance Years
When I decided to go freelance full-time, my last employer wanted to keep working with me. I stayed on contract for another year while building my client base.
It was liberating. I picked my clients, set my hours, and took on projects that were a good fit for both sides.
But freelancing has limits.
When you're a developer who also does design and understands marketing, people sometimes perceive you as a "know-it-all" rather than a specialist. The truth is, a dedicated designer will produce better designs than I ever could. I knew enough to be dangerous, but not enough to be excellent at everything. I needed experts around me.
There was also the loneliness. Working alone, day after day, with no one to bounce ideas off. No one to challenge your thinking. No one to keep you accountable when you're tempted to cut corners. I missed having a team.
And then there were the clients.
I can't count how many people came to me after being burned by other developers. Ghosted mid-project. Overcharged for basic work. Delivered something that barely functioned. One medical clinic owner I worked with had been paying for both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 because someone set her up with both and never mentioned she only needed one. Her infrastructure was a mess. I cleaned it up and saved her almost a hundred euros a month. It wasn't a huge project, but for her, it mattered. And for me, as one of my earliest clients, it gave me a sense of purpose. I hate seeing people get taken advantage of.
That frustration, combined with the limitations of working solo, is what pushed me toward building something bigger.
Why I Started an Agency
I founded Solveita because I hit the ceiling of what one person can deliver. As a freelancer, you're the bottleneck. But it's not just about capacity. A dedicated designer will always out-design me. A specialist will go deeper than a generalist ever could. I wanted to amaze clients, not just satisfy them. Give them more value. Show up with polished designs and demos that made them excited, not just functional wireframes. Charge what the work is actually worth and feel confident doing it. And honestly, being a team carries more weight than being a solo freelancer. Clients trust teams to stick around.
Today, we're a lean operation. Three designers, three developers. That's intentional.
I've seen agencies scale fast and lose what made them good in the first place. I've lived it too. At one point, we were nine people. Now we're six. I learned firsthand that more people doesn't mean better work. You hit a point where adding headcount just adds overhead, more handoffs, more places for quality to slip.
We stay small so that every project gets real attention, and so I can stay close to the work. We have a designer for 3D and motion graphics, one focused on UI and simplifying UX, and a creative all-rounder. Each person has a clear role. Flat hierarchy, no middle management.
Running an agency means making hard calls. Letting go of people who aren't the right fit. Restructuring how you handle project payments. None of it's fun, but it's part of the job.
We also use AI tools like Claude Code as part of our workflow. Not to replace developers, but to move faster and catch issues earlier. It's one of the reasons a small team can punch above its weight.
What We Actually Build
At Solveita, we specialise in custom software. Not templates. Not cookie-cutter websites. Real systems built for how a business actually operates.
One of our bigger projects is a management system for a local gymnastics academy. Parents create accounts, browse class schedules, and book sessions for their children. Staff manage operations, track attendance, view capacity, and analyse what's selling. The system handles payments with full EXO fiscal compliance as per Malta VAT law, which is required for businesses operating in Malta with online payments. To date, it has processed hundreds of thousands of euros through our code and logic.
We've also worked with clients in cleaning, beauty, coaching, financial services, food, and sports. We've helped businesses apply for EU grants like the ecommerce scheme, guiding them through the process and building the digital infrastructure they need to qualify.
Our stack is modern but pragmatic: React and Next.js on the frontend, Laravel on the backend, hosted on Vercel, Ploi, and Vultr. We design in Figma and we're not shy about using AI tools like Claude Code to accelerate development. We pick tools that let us ship quality work fast.
Founder-Led, By Design
One decision I made early on is that Solveita stays founder-led. When you work with us, you're talking to me. Not an account manager. Not a sales rep. Me, the lead person on your project.
This limits how big we can scale, and I'm fine with that. I'm not trying to build an agency with hundreds of developers. I'm trying to build something where the work is excellent, the relationships are real, and clients don't feel like they've been handed off to someone who doesn't understand their project.
Being small makes us more approachable. We go deep with our clients to understand their business, not just their feature requests. That's harder to do when you're managing dozens of accounts.
The tradeoff is worth it because clients aren't just projects to me. When you work closely with someone over time, you understand their business deeply. That's when you can actually help them grow, not just build what they asked for. Some of my best opportunities have come from clients who trusted me enough to bring me into bigger conversations.
The Malta Ecosystem
I work remotely with my team. Most days, you'll find me at DiHubMT, a co-working space set up by the Malta Digital Innovation Authority to support startups and tech businesses on the island. It's become central to how I operate.
The space itself is well-designed for focus. But what makes it valuable is the community. The entrepreneurs there are driven, and the conversations I've had have genuinely shaped how I think about Solveita. The staff are helpful. The events are practical. If you're building something in Malta, it's worth checking out.
Being plugged into that ecosystem matters. Malta is small, but that's an advantage. Word travels. Reputation matters. When you do good work, people talk. When you disappear on a client, people talk about that too.
What I Got Wrong
I used to be rigid about technology. For years, I only wanted to work with Vue and Laravel. If a project didn't fit that stack, I wasn't interested. That was stupid. I was optimising for my comfort instead of the client's needs.
These days, I'm more open-minded about technology. We still use Laravel for most backend work because the ecosystem is mature and lets us move fast. On the frontend, it depends on the project. Vue and Nuxt when that's the right fit. Most of the time it's React and Next.js, especially when we need something that pairs well with React Native for mobile apps. We've also shipped projects with Next and Supabase when a lighter backend made sense. The point is we pick what works for the project, not what we feel like using that week.
I also underestimated how much management matters. When I was a developer, I thought the hard part was writing good code. But leading a team, especially a remote one, is its own skill. Hiring well is hard. Firing people who aren't working out is also hard. Creating systems that catch problems before they reach the client is ongoing work. I'm still learning.
Where This Is Going
In three years, I want Solveita to be the agency that Malta businesses think of when they need serious custom software built. Not the biggest agency, but the one with the strongest reputation for actually delivering.
We'll stay lean. We'll stay founder-led. And we'll keep taking on projects where we can make a real difference to how a business operates.
Since writing this I've also started a courier company, which changed how I think about where software value actually sits. I wrote about that in Software Is Saturated. I Bought a Van Instead.
If You've Read This Far
If you're a developer: the transition from freelance to agency is harder than it looks. You're not just doing the work anymore. You're selling it, managing it, and taking responsibility when things go wrong.
If you're a business leader looking for a custom software agency in Malta that actually delivers, we should talk. We'll still be here six months after launch, making sure everything works.
Looking for a reliable Malta software agency? That's what we built Solveita to be.