👋 Meet the founder

Built on craft, not shortcuts

Independent developer and consultant based in Finland. I build iOS apps and help companies ship quality software — through consulting and my own indie products.

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About

Meet the Founder

The person behind Smart Kiitos.
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Lemon Xie

Founder & Owner, Smart Kiitos Oy
I'm an iOS developer and independent consultant based in Helsinki, Finland. I hold an MSc in Software Development from the University of Tampere and a BSc in Software Engineering from Sichuan University. With over 10 years of hands-on iOS experience since 2014, I've shipped apps used by hundreds of thousands of people — from consumer music apps at Zoundio (including a guitar learning app co-branded with Gibson) to Mooova, a location-based logistics platform operating across Sweden, Finland, and Germany that was successfully acquired in 2023. My technical expertise spans Swift, SwiftUI, UIKit, Core Data, CloudKit, real-time audio signal processing, and on-device AI with Core ML.

I founded Smart Kiitos Oy in 2018 to work on my own terms: consulting for select clients in Finland and Sweden on long-term partnerships, and building indie apps — including Second Brain, NoDiary, Ashglow, and Fed? — with a privacy-first, local-first philosophy. I believe in quality over volume: fewer clients, deeper work, better results.
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10+ Years iOS

Swift, SwiftUI, UIKit, Objective-C, Core Data, CloudKit. From real-time audio signal processing to on-device AI with Core ML.

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MSc, Tampere

Master's in Software Development at the University of Tampere, with a focus on mobile and web technologies.

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Clients Since 2016

Deep, ongoing consulting partnerships — not one-off gigs. Embedded in client teams across Finland and Sweden for years.

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Mooova (Acquired)

Location-based logistics platform across Sweden, Finland, and Germany. Led mobile development from launch to successful acquisition in 2023.

Philosophy

How does Smart Kiitos approach client work?

A few principles that guide everything I build — for clients and for myself.
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Consulting only

I work exclusively as an independent consultant — no full-time roles. This means full focus on your project when we work together, with the flexibility to bring broad experience from different domains.

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Long-term partnerships

My longest client relationship started in 2016 and continues today. I prefer deep, ongoing partnerships over short engagements — it leads to better code and better products.

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Quality over volume

I take on fewer projects so I can give each one the attention it deserves. No assembly lines, no junior handoffs — you work directly with me.

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Indie apps on the side

I build and maintain my own apps — Second Brain, NoDiary, Ashglow. It keeps me close to the craft, experimenting with new frameworks and AI before bringing them to client work.

Contact

Let's work together

Whether you need a development partner or have a project in mind, I'd love to hear from you.
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Email

info@smartkiitos.com

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Location

Finland, EU
Working with clients globally

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Company

Smart Kiitos Oy
Finnish registered company

FAQ

Questions about Smart Kiitos

Common questions about the founder and the company.
Who is behind Smart Kiitos?
Lemon Xie is the sole founder and developer. He holds an MSc in Software Development from the University of Tampere (Finland) and a BSc in Software Engineering from Sichuan University (China). He has been building iOS apps professionally since 2015.
Why consulting instead of full-time employment?
Consulting gives me the freedom to choose projects that match my expertise, maintain high quality standards, and build my own indie products on the side. It also means clients get a senior developer who is fully invested — not someone counting down to the weekend.
What kind of projects do you take on?
iOS apps that need senior-level expertise — whether that's greenfield development, complex feature work, AI integration, or architecture improvements. I'm most effective on projects where deep iOS knowledge and long-term thinking matter.
Where is Smart Kiitos based?
Helsinki, Finland. Smart Kiitos Oy is a registered Finnish company (Y-tunnus: 3231458-1). I work remotely with clients across Finland, Sweden, and globally.
What makes Smart Kiitos different from an agency?
You work directly with a single senior developer — no handoffs, no project managers in between, no rotating team members. This means consistent code quality, direct communication, and someone who truly understands your codebase over time.