Our Full Story

The Journey Begins

My name is Paul Ropel, and this is the story of how ONSPRY came to be.
It’s a journey that began with a simple belief: that technology should empower businesses, not complicate them.

The Early Years

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by how things work. I was the kid who’d take apart a radio just to see what it is made of and how it works. This curiosity stayed with me, and over time, it naturally evolved into a passion for software development. What really drew me in wasn’t the code itself, but the elegance of finding simple solutions to complex problems — the moment when everything just clicks.

The Turning Point

After working on countless projects across different industries, I began to notice the same story repeating. Companies would invest huge sums into technology, yet the transformation they hoped for never fully materialised. The problem wasn’t the tools or platforms themselves — it was how they were applied, how they fit into real business workflows, and how well they were actually understood by the people meant to use them.

Over time, I also became increasingly frustrated with the sheer craziness of our own industry — an obsession with reinventing the wheel every few years. New front-end frameworks popping up constantly, endless architectural trends, and the bizarre reality where even a simple “Hello World” project might pull in 700 MB of dependencies just to run.

Reading the DDD Blue Book had a big influence on me too. It made me realise this wasn’t new: since the 1970s, our industry has been chasing the next shiny tool, often forgetting that the real value comes from truly understanding the business domain first.

That realisation stayed with me. And it became clear that what businesses truly needed wasn’t more technology — it was the right technology, implemented thoughtfully and grounded in real business context.

Moving to Shanghai & The Birth of ONSPRY

In late 2023, I moved to Shanghai with my family — driven partly by adventure, and partly by curiosity to see my profession from a new cultural and business perspective. What struck me immediately was the speed and openness with which ideas circulate here.

It wasn’t late-night brainstorming sessions in isolation that shaped the idea for ONSPRY, but rather the countless conversations in WeChat groups and professional communities. Hearing real challenges from founders, developers, and business leaders helped me spot recurring gaps — and sparked the idea for a consultancy built to bridge them.

To be honest, I didn’t start with a grand vision to reinvent consulting. The idea grew organically: I needed to pay the bills, saw a real demand in the market, and realised my experience could genuinely help. ONSPRY crystallised not from a polished business plan, but right in the middle of actually building solutions.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:
– Solutions are shaped by the business need, not copied from templates or bound to frameworks.
– We don’t limit ourselves only to our tools we use; we experiment, adapt and learn fast to deliver what’s really needed.
– Success isn’t about ticking technical boxes; it’s about real business impact.

And thanks to modern AI coding tools, we can deliver tailored solutions faster and more affordably — without forcing businesses into off-the-shelf products bloated with features they’ll never use.

Building on 100+ Projects of Experience

What made this approach possible isn’t just new AI tools, but a foundation built over two decades and 100+ successful projects. From digital transformations to AI implementations, across industries like retail, manufacturing, and logistics, each project taught me something new: about how businesses really work, where technology adds value (and where it doesn’t), and why the simplest solutions often have the biggest impact.

Along the way, I was strongly influenced by Gregor Hohpe’s concept of the “Architect Elevator” — the idea that real value comes when you can move seamlessly between the “engine room” (code and infrastructure) and the “penthouse” (business strategy). That ability to translate between business goals and technical design became a cornerstone of how I approach projects.

Another lesson that kept surfacing is Conway’s Law:

"Any organization that designs a system will produce a design whose structure mirrors its communication structure."

This means systems can’t be built in isolation from the people, teams, and workflows that make the business run. It’s why off-the-shelf tools often miss the mark: they weren’t built with your unique context in mind.

These insights shape ONSPRY’s approach today — grounded in real-world experience, yet always willing to experiment, adapt, and learn fast.

What Makes ONSPRY Different

• Direct Access: When you work with ONSPRY, you work directly with me. No middle layers, no hand-offs. Your challenge becomes my challenge.
• Proven Results: Over 100 successful projects, each crafted to address a real business need.
• Flexible Approach: We don't impose standard frameworks. Every organisation is unique, so every solution is unique.
• Long-term Partnership: Technology isn't something you install and forget. We stay engaged to ensure our solutions keep delivering value as your business evolves.

Looking Forward

Technology keeps moving — AI, automation, and data-driven systems are opening new opportunities every day. But businesses often feel overwhelmed by this pace of change. My goal with ONSPRY is to act as both guide and partner: helping you see what’s possible, then making it real.

Whether it’s building custom tools, rethinking workflows, or training your teams to use new systems confidently, ONSPRY is here to help you navigate this evolution — so you can focus on running and growing your business.

The Mission Continues

From the start, my mission has always been to help businesses make technology actually work for them — not just to implement shiny tools, but to solve real problems and unlock real value.

With ONSPRY, I can take that mission further: working directly with each client, adapting fast, and crafting solutions that truly fit — rather than forcing businesses to fit into generic frameworks.

It’s still early days, and ONSPRY is small by choice. That keeps us agile, curious, and close to what really matters: your actual business goals.

The journey is far from over, and I’m excited for what’s ahead. If this approach resonates with you, and you’d like to see what it could look like in practice — let’s start a conversation.

Your success story might just be the next chapter.

Paul Ropel
Founder & CTO, ONSPRY