HELIODOR LABS / SOFTWARE STUDIO
Heliodor Labs helps mission-driven organizations, startups, and institutions plan, build, and lead custom software projects, from product strategy and architecture to full-stack development, internal tools, AI-assisted workflows, and technical leadership.
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STUDIO / PROOF
Built for real organizations and real-world constraints.
Heliodor Labs brings senior product thinking and engineering rigor to complex software, from early-stage launches to established platforms used by public-interest organizations, startups, and enterprise teams.
$160M+ raised
BY CLIENTS WE'VE SUPPORTED
0→1 + scale
PRODUCT STAGES
End to end
STRATEGY · DESIGN · ENGINEERING
Small & senior
TEAM
HELIODOR LABS / SOFTWARE STUDIO
Heliodor Labs helps mission-driven organizations, startups, and institutions plan, build, and lead custom software projects, from product strategy and architecture to full-stack development, internal tools, AI-assisted workflows, and technical leadership.
21.3099°N 157.8581°WHonolulu, Hawaiʻi
STUDIO / PROOF
Built for real organizations and real-world constraints.
Heliodor Labs brings senior product thinking and engineering rigor to complex software, from early-stage launches to established platforms used by public-interest organizations, startups, and enterprise teams.
$160M+ raised
BY CLIENTS WE'VE SUPPORTED
0→1 + scale
PRODUCT STAGES
End to end
STRATEGY · DESIGN · ENGINEERING
Small & senior
TEAM
SELECTED WORK
From public mobility and scientific research to enterprise systems, ocean forecasting, and applied AI, this work turns complex needs into software people can actually use.
Community Bike-Station Planning Tool
Giving the community a place on the map.
Designed and built the strategic planning platform that helped Biki transform mobility data into smarter expansion decisions, identify high-impact locations, and establish a 160-station bikeshare network across Honolulu.
Community Research / Product Design / Map-Based Web App
Enterprise React Component Engineering
Reusable components for complex product environments.
Worked as an embedded extension of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s internal team, delivering accessible, modular developer tools that helped Grommet earn 8.4K GitHub stars and adoption by organizations including GE, Netflix, and Boeing. Designed and built 80% of HPE’s developer portal, creating a stronger developer experience and accelerating product adoption.
React / Design Systems / Component Engineering
Fish Tracking Progressive Web App
Scientific workflows designed to move into the field.
Built an application for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration used by 4,000+ fishermen to track more than $120M in annual fish sales and catch data. Secure geolocation logging and compliance reporting helped support sustainable fishing practices.
Progressive Web App / Data Workflows / Mobile-First UX
Dive Conditions Forecasting
Turning ocean conditions into a clearer call.
Helped take LuʻuLive from 0→1, transforming an early concept into a production-ready ocean intelligence platform and supporting the company’s admission to the Blue Startups accelerator.
Product Engineering / Data Visualization / Forecasting Systems
AI-Powered Small Business Assistant
Practical AI for the realities of small business.
An AI-powered assistant designed to help small-business owners navigate operational questions, find useful guidance, and move their work forward.
Applied AI / Product Architecture / Full-Stack Engineering
OUR FOUNDER
Kent Salcedo is a Hawaiʻi-raised software leader, founding engineer, and product strategist who turns ambitious ideas into durable digital products. His work includes an open-source design system with 8.4K GitHub stars used by teams at GE, Netflix, and Boeing; a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration platform used by 4,000+ fishermen to track more than $120M in annual fish sales and catch data; and 0→1 ventures brought from concept to market, including a company selected for Blue Startups.
He founded Heliodor Labs to give ambitious organizations direct access to senior technical judgment, product clarity, and hands-on execution.
Connect with Kent SalcedoSERVICES / CAPABILITIES
Engagements vary by scope, but most of our work combines strategy, software development, technical leadership, and workflow design.
Turn a messy idea into a clear technical plan.
Build durable software your team can use, own, and improve.
Senior technical judgment without hiring a full-time CTO.
Useful automation without AI slop.
ENGAGEMENT / MODELS
Three paths in, depending on where you are and what you need next.
01 / Plan the Build
Best for teams that need clarity before they build.
Walk away with a scoped product plan, technical architecture, roadmap, budget range, and next-step recommendation.
Plan the Build02 / Build the System
Best for teams ready to ship custom software.
Ship a custom app, dashboard, platform, internal tool, or AI-assisted workflow with a steady delivery rhythm.
Start Building03 / Lead the Technology
Best for teams that need senior technical direction without hiring a full-time CTO.
Get better architecture, clearer decisions, stronger vendor and team oversight, and less technical chaos.
Get Technical DirectionNot sure which model fits? Start with a discovery call.
MANIFESTO / PRINCIPLES
We build systems that help good teams move faster without losing their soul. Technology should make people more capable, not more replaceable. AI can be useful, but taste, judgment, and responsibility do not get outsourced. The best software is useful, understandable, durable, and built with care.
01
Software should serve real people in real places, not dashboards built for their own sake.
02
AI can be useful, but taste, judgment, and responsibility cannot be automated.
03
Ambitious technology can still have weird, human energy. We are not allergic to personality.
04
We document, explain, and hand off systems so your team can maintain them without us.
CLIENTS / SECTORS
We partner with serious teams whose work has social, environmental, cultural, civic, or operational stakes, and whose software needs to be useful, maintainable, and worth the budget.
Field data, impact tracking, and coordination systems for teams protecting ecosystems and measuring what actually changes.
Tools for growers, distributors, and organizations building resilient supply chains and smarter food systems.
Platforms for institutions, creators, and educators preserving knowledge and reaching the people who need it.
Software for government-adjacent teams, civic orgs, and builders working on problems that should not be left to ad tech.
Product engineering for startups with traction, deadlines, and investors who expect software that survives contact with users.
Internal tools, data pipelines, and infrastructure for research-driven organizations doing work that takes years, not sprints.
Hawaiʻi-rooted. Globally accessible.
21.3099°N 157.8581°W / Honolulu
PROCESS / FIELD MANUAL
Our process is built to reduce ambiguity before it becomes expensive.
Understand the mission, users, workflows, constraints, stakeholders, and technical landscape.
Turn ambiguity into scope, architecture, interfaces, milestones, and a practical roadmap.
Ship working software in visible increments, with tight feedback loops and calm technical judgment.
Deploy, document, hand off, measure, and improve the system so it can survive real use.
You should always know what is being built, what changed, what is blocked, and what decision comes next.
ABOUT / STUDIO
Heliodor Labs is led by Kent Salcedo, a Hawaiʻi-rooted engineer and builder with ten years of experience across government, big tech, startups, and nonprofits, spanning climate, culture, education, agriculture, civic tech, and more. He has been part of four startups that raised over $90M combined, and knows what it takes to move from idea to funded product to field-tested system.
Ambitious scope does not scare us. Neither do vague requirements. Our default is ship early, iterate fast, and get real user feedback before anyone gets too attached to the wrong idea. Kent and the team are as strong in architecture and engineering as they are in go-to-market, because useful software only matters if people actually use it.
Heliodor is intentionally small: a scrappy crew of sharp, seasoned tech experts who do the work themselves. No bloated bench. No surprise handoffs to junior contractors. You get senior people who move fast, think clearly, and execute: the kind of team you want when the stakes are real and the timeline is not fake.
We have shipped across formats and problem spaces: web apps, native mobile, PWAs, AR/VR, business management platforms, computer vision, AI, workflow automation, NFT platforms, and CRMs. So many CRMs. If your build is technical and your team is serious, there is a good chance we have done something adjacent before.
Bring the ambition. A tight team of seasoned builders will help you scope it, ship it, and put it in front of users.
Selected founder experience
BUILT / SHIPPED
Web apps / Native mobile / PWAs / AR / VR / CRMs / Business platforms / Computer vision / AI systems / Workflow automation / NFT platforms
FAQ / QUESTIONS
Straight answers about fit, scope, and how we work.
We take on custom software projects for mission-driven organizations, startups, institutions, and teams working on meaningful problems with real technical needs.
No. We work with nonprofits, startups, universities, agencies, institutions, and established organizations when the mission and technical needs are a fit.
Whatever you need. We build apps, web platforms, dashboards, internal tools, APIs, data systems, AI-assisted workflows, and technical infrastructure.
Yes, carefully. We use AI where it improves the work, but we avoid AI slop, opaque automation, and systems that remove human judgment where it matters.
Yes. We can build directly, support internal teams, review vendors, lead architecture, or provide fractional technical leadership.
Heliodor Labs is Hawaiʻi-rooted and globally accessible.
CONTACT / START
Tell us what you are building. We will help you figure out whether you need strategy, a build partner, or senior technical leadership.