Iterate (iterate.com) is a developer productivity startup founded by Jonas_Templestein, the former co-founder and CTO of Monzo Bank. The company focuses on tooling to help software developers ship faster and more effectively.
In May 2025, Jonas Templestein reached out to Jan Wilmake to do a paid trial week. Jan completed the trial, earning approximately $3,600 (recorded internally as €4,000).[1] After the trial, Jonas offered Jan a full-time role, but the terms required full-time commitment with no room for Jan's own projects — which Jan declined.
Jan's diary from May 30, 2025: "Ok that was the quickest freelance gig I've had ever. He wanted me full-time, but not 2d/week. Too bad. It was a fun ride."[2]
The Iterate trial came at a pivotal week in May 2025 — the same week Upstash began sponsoring uithub at $100/month and Ben Tossell expressed interest in investing. Jan had noted these three events simultaneously as significant validation of his work.[2]
Jan and Jonas had been in contact through the developer community. The trial arrangement is notable in that Jonas — as a highly credentialed founder (ex-Monzo, now building in the developer tools space) — directly sought Jan out for paid work, which Jan considered meaningful recognition of his skills and public profile.