Software Studio · Philadelphia, PA

I build software — and the teams that ship it.

25+ years in technology — across IT, software, and engineering leadership — for teams that need it done right.

In the studio

Founder's 25+ years include apps for J&J, Nike & Etsy.

  • Live

    KneadNotes

    A baking journal for sourdough bakers.

  • Live

    Aftershow

    Setlists, turned into Apple Music playlists.

  • In development

    PhilaArt

    Philadelphia's public art, on a map.

Software delivery

Ways we help you ship

From a first-time app to extra senior firepower for your existing team.

I.

Mobile App Development

iOS and Android apps from idea to App Store — design, build, ship, and the strategy to get it there.

II.

Contract Engineering

Embedded senior engineering capacity for your team when you need to move faster without a long hire.

III.

Technical Consulting

Architecture reviews, product and platform strategy, team practices, and AI-assisted development.

Engineering leadership

I build teams, too — not just software

I've spent twenty-five years leading and scaling engineering organizations, and that experience is available to yours. I help you build the team and the practices that keep shipping great products long after the engagement ends.

Fractional Engineering Leadership

Step in as your interim or part-time Director / VP of Engineering — set technical direction, steady delivery, and lead the team without committing to a full-time hire.

Team Building & Hiring

Build, grow, and retain high-performing engineering teams — hiring, org structure, onshore/offshore models, and performance development that keeps people through change.

Agile & SAFe Transformation

Install predictable delivery: SAFe and Scrum rollout, planning cadence, and cross-team alignment — the kind that ships 90%+ of committed work, quarter over quarter.

Mentoring & AI-Tooling Adoption

Level up your engineers with mentoring and apprenticeship programs, and roll out AI coding tools that measurably accelerate throughput — proven across whole organizations.

Our work

Apps we've built

We don't just consult — we ship our own products. Here's what's in the studio.

About

Jim Oxenford, Founder

Portrait of Jim Oxenford, Founder of ThinkUp LLC
Fig. 01 — Jim Oxenford, Philadelphia

I've spent twenty-five years in technology, and I came up the long way. The first half of my career was on the IT side — fixing computers, desktop support, administering servers — before I moved into software engineering and found what I really wanted to do: build the things people actually use. From there I grew from hands-on work across mobile, web, and back-end to running a 31-person engineering organization, but I've always stayed happiest closest to the work itself.

That work has included award-winning health apps for Johnson & Johnson, consumer experiences for the likes of Nike and Etsy, and smart-building technology that unlocks doors and keeps buildings running. I started ThinkUp to bring all of it — the hands-on craft and the hard-won leadership lessons — to a smaller table, working directly with the founders and teams who want their app done right. I'm based in Philadelphia, I answer my own email, and I'd genuinely love to hear what you're building.

Track record

Backed by a real track record

A few of the numbers and names behind the work.

01
25+ years in technology
02
Fortune 500 clients shipped for
03
Award-winning iOS & Apple Watch apps
04
Mobile, web & back-end engineering

Founder's prior work includes apps for

  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Janssen
  • Nike
  • Abercrombie & Fitch
  • Etsy
  • Barilla
  • LiveNation

Built under prior employers and agencies — names shown to convey experience, not endorsement.

Contact

Have a project in mind?

Tell me what you're building, and I'll tell you how I can help.