About René Heinrich

The Short Version

Software architect. Innovation consultant. Recovering bassist.

I've spent 25 years writing code that people actually use — systems serving over 100,000 daily users, prototypes that became products, and ideas that went from whiteboard to production in weeks. Today I help companies do the same with AI.

How I Got Here

I started young and never stopped. Over two decades I've worked across the full stack — from architecture decisions that keep systems stable at scale, to the boardroom conversations where innovation strategy either becomes real or dies in a slide deck.

In 2017 I founded halfbaked — the name says it all. The best ideas rarely arrive complete. They need space, real-world testing, and someone willing to build before the plan is perfect.

Since then I've worked with everyone from scrappy startups to multinationals like LBBW, S-Payment, and Alfa Laval. The work is always different. The approach never changes: listen carefully, prototype fast, build things that last.

Before the Laptops

Before tech took over, I was making a living as a musician — bass, European tours, late nights in cramped tour vans. What that gave me wasn't just calluses. It gave me an instinct for rhythm, for when something is working and when it isn't. That instinct turned out to be remarkably useful in software.

What I'm Building Now

AI is changing what's possible — fast. I work with companies who want to move beyond evaluation and actually implement: prototypes in weeks, systems in production, outcomes that matter on the bottom line.

One project I'm proud of is Wastics — a sustainability-focused startup at the intersection of waste management and data. Because building good technology without thinking about what we're building it for has never interested me.