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MELBOURNE, 2025
Everything started with four friends from the same small town, a few unexpected connections and eventually, a 3D printer. We founded Pretenders before we knew exactly what it would become. Our earliest work had little to do with software and websites. We began by producing and selling physical products and taking on different opportunities and figuring things out as we went. Looking back, the direction was probably there from the start. Websites, software and IT were what we knew best, and that became the direction for Pretenders.
"Pretender" is a Japanese song loved by two of our co-founders. We stuck with the name (Pretenders) because its irony represents us well.
It’s easy to pretend by giving yourself ambitious titles. Companies can make themselves look bigger than they really are. We’d rather prove what we’re capable of through our work.
Know what you’re paying for, and why.
We keep our scope and pricing clear from the beginning. If something changes along the way, we’ll explain what it means before moving forward — no unexpected additions at the end.
We start by understanding what you actually need before deciding what to build. If we don’t think you need something, we’ll tell you.
English, Cantonese or Mandarin — whichever works best for you.
Discuss your project in the language you’re most comfortable with. It makes ideas easier to explain, questions easier to ask and misunderstandings less likely.
We build it for you, not to keep you tied to us.
Where applicable, we make sure ownership, access and handover are clear from the beginning. You should know what belongs to you and what happens when the project is finished.
You work directly with the people involved in your project. If you have a question or feedback, you can talk to the people actually working on it rather than going through layers of account management.