Simon Betton

Simon Betton

Principal Software Engineer

A software engineer with over 19 years experience — I thrive on problem‑solving, delivering bespoke solutions for entities varying from innovative startups to leading brands. A strong advocate for modern development architecture. Dedicated to creating simplified DX, better performance, cost-effectiveness and scalability.


Currently at House of Doge building products for Dogecoin to increase utility and adoption. Previously at OneTwo, pioneering transformative workflow automation for internal banking systems. Previously at GetSetUp, DDB, and more.


Latest open-source projects —

A handful of current public repositories, from developer tooling and API services through to mobile modules and data platforms.


Recent work —

OnlyDoge Dogecoin Block Explorer

OnlyDoge

Dogecoin Block Explorer Platform

OnlyDoge is an open-source Dogecoin block explorer and analytics platform for searching blocks, transactions, addresses, and live mempool activity. I built the full chain data path around Dogecoin Core, a custom indexer, and ClickHouse-backed APIs. That backend runs on hardware at home and reaches the public web through Cloudflare Tunnel. The TanStack frontend adds market data and an AI analyst grounded in the indexed chain, so Dogecoin can be investigated without relying on a third-party blockchain API.

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KiwiCV New Zealand CV conversion service

KiwiCV

New Zealand CV conversion service

KiwiCV is a CV conversion platform for migrants and overseas professionals applying for work in New Zealand. It turns the documents people already have into locally relevant CVs and cover letters, using career facts the customer has checked before the AI begins rewriting. Each version can be tailored to a role without inventing experience, then delivered as editable files or a shareable web profile.

GetSetUp learning platform experience

GetSetUp Platform

GetSetUp

An innovative EdTech platform revolutionizes learning for older adults by offering a wide range of interactive classes. GetSetUp's collaboration with AOL through a pilot program exemplifies its capability to extend educational content seamlessly to partners, enhancing its reach and impact. By prioritizing the empowerment of older adults through education and connection, GetSetUp stands as a leader in transforming how mature learners access and engage with new learning experiences.

A Smart Green Future, Together project

A Smart Green Future, Together

Plant and Food

Plant & Food Research, a state-owned institute, leverages cutting-edge scientific methods to revolutionise agriculture and food systems globally. As the lead developer, I played a pivotal role in the technical implementation of a performant, unrestricted, future-proofed web platform based on the JAMstack philosophy.

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GeminAI Rising project

GeminAI Rising

Alberta Health Services

An online learning program and game for grades 7-9 on problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, self-concept, and coping skills. The goal was to give students practical tools for hard situations, including pressure around nicotine.

Helping New Zealand Succeed project

Helping New Zealand Succeed

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

A purpose built web platform serving as a knowledge hub, empowering exporters with strategic resources and connections. The platform aims to enhance New Zealand businesses and Maori entities, connect them with suitable partners and investors, introduce global investors to local opportunities, and elevate New Zealand's business reputation globally.

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Scam the Scammers project

Scam the Scammers

NetSafe

Re:scam used IBM Watson's DeepQA to read scam emails, judge sentiment, categorise them, and send replies automatically. The bot kept scammers busy so they had less time for real victims.

Fight for Territory project

Fight for Territory

Lion

A fan engagement campaign for the Lions Rugby Tour in New Zealand. A custom PHP platform coordinated 65 Raspberry Pis across Auckland International Airport for facial recognition and remote control over WebRTC.

Nationwide Free Wi-Fi project

Nationwide Free Wi-Fi

McDonald's

A captive portal for nationwide in-store Wi-Fi. Guests get 30 minutes a day; signed-in members get unlimited access. It ran across the Vodafone Ruckus network.

Unsullied project

Unsullied

Sky

In a partnership with Twitter, thousands of Unsullied Army accounts reacted to #CommandTheUnsullied. A custom dashboard and Twitter's Streaming API let the army craft replies, retweet, and follow users in real time.

Buzzdial project

Buzzdial

Buzzdial

A second-screen platform for broadcasters and brands: real-time audience interaction and sentiment during live TV. A two-person engineering team built it to take traffic spikes of hundreds of thousands of concurrent users when a show went live.

Video Streaming Mobile Apps project

Video Streaming Mobile Apps

TVNZ

With Brightcove, I led New Zealand's first on-demand streaming apps for smartphones and tablets. Soon after launch, each app ranked #1 on its store chart.