Web platforms
Laravel Development
A Sydney PHP team building custom Laravel platforms for Australian organisations — from Western Sydney University's AI-driven career platform to subscription streaming for Riptide. We build new platforms, integrate them with everything around them, and rescue the legacy PHP nobody else wants to touch. Part of ourwebsite development practice.
Talk to us about your platformCustom platform builds
Laravel is our backbone for products that don't fit a template: learning platforms, member portals, subscription services, dashboards. Western Sydney University's Western Edge — an AI-driven employability platform on Laravel and Next.js — and Riptide's streaming and e-commerce platform were both built this way.
APIs & integrations
Laravel backends that power more than a website: REST APIs for mobile apps, headless frontends on Next.js, and integrations with the systems your business already runs — payments, subscriptions, CRMs, content platforms and machine-learning services.
Legacy PHP rescue & upgrades
Inherited an ageing PHP codebase — old Laravel, an unsupported framework, or no framework at all? We triage first: stabilise, get it under version control and CI, then upgrade or progressively rebuild on a current Laravel release without stopping the business while we do it.
Long-term support
We stay after launch. Structured maintenance keeps Laravel, PHP and dependencies current, with monitoring, security patching and a roadmap of enhancements — the same partnership model behind platforms we've run and grown for years.
Proof, not promises
When Western Sydney University wanted a personal career coach in every student's pocket, Shakewell built Western Edge — a custom platform on Laravel and Next.js with AI/ML-driven recommendations, skills tracking and alumni networking, now feeding into core curriculum.Read the WSU case study.
For Riptide, we built a subscription streaming platform — profiles, billing, curated video, digitised magazine archives and integrated merch — across web and mobile.Read the Riptide case study.
Engineering, accelerated
Our Laravel work is backed by Jasper — the AI-assisted engineering platform we built and run ourselves at heyjasper.ai — one of theproducts we operate as our own client.
Trusted by game-changers
“I’ve worked with Michael and the Team for a number of years now on a web development project of strategic value to the University. Michael and the team work in deep partnership and are genuinely invested in the success of the project and the maximising the impact it can deliver to end users. Always exceeding expectations, you will not find a more amiable, grounded and technically proficient team!”
Kelly Whitney
WSU Associate Director; Careers, Talent & Organisational Success
Engagement models
How we work
Four straightforward ways to engage us. Pick the one that fits, or mix them as your needs change.
Staff Augmentation
Add experienced Shakewell developers, designers or specialists directly to your own team. Engagements typically run three to twelve months, but can be as short or long as you need — you get the skills without the commitment and cost of hiring full-time.
About staff augmentationFixed-Scope Projects
Have a defined outcome in mind? We scope it, price it and deliver it as a project — a clear timeline, agreed milestones and a single point of accountability from kickoff to handover.
Embedded Delivery Teams
For larger or longer-running work, a cross-functional Shakewell team — development, design and delivery management — plugs in as your delivery arm, working to your priorities and your reporting cadence.
Support & Maintenance
Already live? We keep websites, stores and apps secure, updated and performing through ongoing retainers — business-hours support as standard, with 24/7 coverage available for critical issues.
About support & maintenance