We'll tell you what you actually need — then build it, integrate it, and run it.
Operations software built for a critical power equipment company.
They ran field ops on paper. We built their platform from scratch: scheduling, assets, jobs — with a private AI hub behind it.
“They saved us months of trial and error by diagnosing the real business problem before writing a single line of code.”
YOUR TECH DEPARTMENT, WITHOUT THE OVERHEAD
“I want to use AI, but I don’t know where it fits.”
Most AI gets sold before anyone checks if it fits. We check first — then build the parts that earn their place: custom agents, LLM integrations, internal tools that run on private infrastructure, not someone else's.
Senior technical leadership on retainer — we set direction, make the hard build-vs-buy calls, and keep what we ship running and scaling. Strategy and operations in one relationship. Retainers from $2,500/mo.
“I need a roadmap, not just a list of features.”
You know something has to change — you're just not sure what, or in what order. We dig into how your business actually works, then hand you a plain-English roadmap: what to build, what to buy, what to leave alone, and when.
“I need someone to make my vision a reality.”
You have the idea. You need someone to build it — properly. From discovery to launch, we design and ship products that solve the real problem, not just the one written in the brief.
PRIVATE AI, RUN ON OUR OWN INFRASTRUCTURE
Most "AI integration" is a wrapper around someone else's API — your data flowing through OpenAI, your costs set by their pricing, your access subject to their terms. We built our own platform instead: open-source models on infrastructure we control, exposed to your project through our APIs. Private by default, and priced for the job.
Not a reseller wrapper. We run open-source models on our own infrastructure and integrate them into your project through our APIs — so the AI in your product is built on something we control, not rented from a vendor who can change the rules.
Your data runs through our platform, never third parties — and it's never used to train a model, ours or anyone else's. The privacy isn't a setting you switch on or a policy you take on trust. It's built into how the platform works, by default.
Not one model — a range. Conversational LLMs, voice transcription, and more, matched to what each task needs. One client's field-operations platform runs a conversational assistant and transcription through it today.
Open-source models mean no premium per-token rates — and because we match each task to the right-sized model, you're not paying for capability you don't use. Modern AI in your product, without your own infrastructure or a bill that scales against you.
SENIOR PEOPLE, START TO FINISH
We're a small team by choice — and we use the same AI we build for clients to punch well above our size. The people who scope your project are the people who build it: no account managers, no handoffs, no junior team swapped in after the pitch. Senior judgment on the real problem, the same people all the way through.
Case Studies
Power Techniques Inc.
The gap between what happened on-site and what the office knew about it — gone. We took a field team off pen and paper and put the whole job in their pocket: schedule, assets, and voice-to-report AI, built to work with gloves on and no signal.
20 min → under 3
Voice-to-report time, from desk paperwork to on-site completion
Zero
Data lost between field and office
Stiff Upper Lip Blog
Frequently Asked Questions
Every engagement starts with a fixed-fee diagnostic — we scope the actual problem before quoting for the work. From there, most projects run on a fixed-price deliverable basis, so there are no open-ended retainers and no invoice surprises. For ongoing advisory work we offer a defined monthly scope. We will tell you upfront if the problem does not justify the cost.
We do not take equity in place of payment. We work with funded start-ups — pre-seed and beyond — where budget exists to do the work properly. If a founder is looking for sweat-equity arrangements or MVP-for-equity deals, we are not the right fit.
Diagnostic phases run two to four weeks. A focused build — a new product feature, a system integration, an AI workflow — typically takes eight to sixteen weeks depending on scope. We publish a delivery timeline at the start of every project and flag it early if anything changes. We do not run indefinite projects without defined milestones.
Yes — and we will tell you if you do not need what you asked for. We frequently find that clients come in thinking they need a rebuild when what they actually need is a better process, or vice versa. Our diagnostic phase exists to make sure we are solving the right problem, not just executing a brief.
Yes. Strategy, design, and engineering sit in one team. We do not hand off between agencies or ask you to manage a creative lead separately. If the scope is large enough that specialist external design is warranted, we will tell you and help you find the right person rather than quietly subcontracting it.
We keep teams small and senior. There are no junior developers handed the work once a senior wins the business. Code is reviewed, tested, and shipped against a defined acceptance checklist. We run a shared staging environment throughout the project so you can see progress in real time, not just at handover.
Every project includes a defined post-launch period — typically thirty days — during which we monitor, fix, and tune at no extra cost. After that, clients can move to a support retainer or handle things in-house. We document everything so that handover is clean if you bring work back to an internal team.
We run a weekly written update and a short fortnightly call — no long status meetings for the sake of it. You will have access to the project board throughout. We prefer written communication for decisions so there is a clear record. If something material changes, we will call you the same day.
Book a discovery call. It takes thirty minutes and we will come prepared with what we already know about your industry and the problem you have described. If there is a fit, we will propose a diagnostic engagement within a week. If there is not, we will say so honestly and point you toward someone better placed to help.
Can't find the answer you're looking for?
Contact UsPICK YOUR STARTING POINT
Not sure what to build, or in what order. See how we turn that into a roadmap you can act on.
Where AI actually fits in your business — and how we build it private, on our own models. Take a closer look.
From idea to shipped product, built to solve the real problem. See how we work.
Support and senior technical leadership on retainer — from app support at $2,500/mo up to a full fractional CTO. One team, either way.
One conversation to figure out what's actually going on - and whether we're the right people to fix it.
