Most consultancies will hand you either strategy or engineering. We have spent our careers doing both, often in the same conversation, on systems that have to keep running.
Icecube is the consultancy of Robert Coleman, a hands-on founder who combines strategic vision with deep technical experience across cloud infrastructure, connected devices, and product development for regulated and multi-jurisdiction businesses. Whether you are scaling a platform, modernising a fleet of field hardware, or digitally navigating a regulated market, our work is built to outlast the engagement.
Strategy, Engineering, and Practical Innovation
I am Robert, a New Zealand based founder and engineer who has built, scaled, and turned around businesses by paying attention to the small details and the broader picture in equal measure. My work spans cloud infrastructure for clients in Europe and Asia-Pacific, connected device platforms across Australia and New Zealand, appliance manufacturing and product export across Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe, and product development for startups in regulated industries.
The thread through all of it is the same: complex problems where the answer needs both engineering rigour and commercial judgement, delivered by someone who has actually done the work before.
Our Services
Cross-functional consulting for businesses that need more than a vendor.
Business & Product Architecture
We help businesses figure out what to build and how to build it. Drawing on hands-on experience turning around operations and scaling startups, we bring leadership insight and engineering depth to engagements that need both.
Cloud Infrastructure & Data Platforms
We have built and operated modern cloud platforms for high-throughput, resilient applications. Our work has covered bespoke Kubernetes deployments, multi-cloud and multi-region architectures, real-time data streaming and analytics pipelines, and data sovereign infrastructures that meet European and Asia-Pacific privacy and residency requirements.
Connected Devices & Field Systems
We have designed and operated connected device platforms for environments where reliable connectivity cannot be assumed. Our experience spans embedded tablet deployments across multi-site warehouse operations, delivery fleets with intermittent network access, and sensor-driven hardware for healthcare and research applications. We have worked across Android, embedded Linux, and custom hardware, with offline-first architectures, cellular and eSIM connectivity, and sync protocols that hold up in production.
Product Development for Regulated Industries
Some products need to do more than work well. They need to be auditable, defensible, and aligned with the standards their market requires. We have delivered hardware and software into regulated markets across Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe, including:
- Medical devices: pre-market software development aligned with FDA, MDR, and ISO 13485 expectations
- Product safety and electromagnetic compliance: FCC (US), RCM (AU/NZ), and CE marking against the relevant EN standards (EU/UK)
- Manufacturing and export from China: GB standards, conformity, and the customs and labelling work required for each destination market
- Consumer goods and biocides: export and compliance across six markets in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America
- Data protection: GDPR-aligned data sovereign infrastructure for European clients
- Primary industries (New Zealand): MPI certifications for export
We have worked alongside quality, regulatory, and clinical teams to support certification pathways, and we understand that documentation and process discipline are not paperwork, they are the product.
eCommerce, Warehousing & Logistics
Specialising in high-volume operations, we have designed and delivered eCommerce platforms and the warehousing and logistics systems that sit behind them. Our hands-on experience has driven measurable improvements across New Zealand and internationally, from inventory and fulfilment to last-mile delivery.
Meet Robert Coleman
I am a Kiwi founder and engineer drawn to problems that need strategic thinking and technical depth in the same room. My work has taken me from leading remote engineering teams building data sovereign cloud infrastructure for European clients, to side by side on the warehouse floor optimising fulfilment operations, to collaborating with researchers and product teams on sensor-driven hardware for regulated markets.
At Icecube, I am committed to delivering pragmatic, well-engineered solutions tailored to the specific shape of your problem, with the operational discipline that complex environments demand.
Our Products
Specialist platforms built from our own consulting work.
Cloud Infrastructure & DevOps
Far from traditional web hosting, Hostcube is our cloud and application infrastructure service. We run high-performance Kubernetes clusters across multiple clouds and regions for applications that cannot afford to go down.
Email Delivery Platform
A managed email delivery platform for high-volume transactional and marketing campaigns.
Get in Touch
If you are scoping a complex build, particularly one with regulatory, multi-region, or device complexity, let's talk. We work with clients in New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and beyond.