About
An independent software studio, run by one person, built for the long run.
The studio
The name comes from the French tonneau à idées, a barrel of ideas. We all scribble them on napkins, in notes apps, on the edges of boarding passes. tonoïd is where a handful get pulled out, pressure-tested, and shipped as small profitable software.
A microstartup: a real business with real revenue, a specific problem to solve, and no ambition to eat a market.
The founder
I'm Simo Elalj. I've been shipping side projects and tiny companies since 2007, the year I built RefurbMe after setting my alarm for 2 a.m. to buy my own refurbished MacBook Pro.
Some projects grew quietly profitable, some got acquired, some retired without fanfare. tonoïd is where all of it lives. I'm based in Bordeaux, interested in thoughtful UX, clever life hacks, and travel that takes more than a weekend.
How I work
- One owner, one desk. Every decision lands on the same person.
- Lean before clever. Ship the smallest version that answers the question.
- No investors, no roadmap theatre. Revenue is the only deadline.
- Trusted freelancers when a project needs a specialist, AI where it sharpens the craft.
- Products run for years, not quarters.
Built to outlast me
A fair worry with a one-person studio: what if I step away? tonoïd is a SASU, a legal entity built to outlive any single month. Every product ships with a data-export path and a published sunset policy, so customers always get their data back and months of notice if a product ever wraps up.
A small circle of trusted collaborators keeps the lights on during long trips, sabbaticals, or anything less predictable. Since 2007, the studio has already outlasted several laptops, moods, and time zones.