# FAQ

The questions and answers from every service page, grouped by service.

## Consulting & Technical Strategy

### How is a consulting engagement scoped and billed?

Assessment engagements are scoped and priced before we start. Ongoing fractional leadership is billed monthly. We do not upsell into larger builds unless the assessment genuinely recommends one.

### Do you only consult, or do you also build?

Both. Many engagements start as advisory and move into build work when the recommendation calls for it. We also consult without building when that is what you need. The assessment is honest regardless of whether we stand to earn build revenue from the outcome.

### What size companies do you work with?

Companies at every stage, from early startups to established businesses and enterprise teams. Some have technical staff and need senior direction, and some need one architectural decision made or a new initiative scoped.

### Can you work with our existing developers?

Yes. A common engagement shape is advisory and architecture with your team handling implementation. We set direction, review pull requests, and unblock architectural decisions without displacing the engineers you already have.

### Can you join our team for a set period?

Yes. We work as contract engineers or engineering leads inside your team, and we agree the length and scope with you before we start.

### How is this different from a management consultancy?

We write code. Our recommendations come from building and operating the systems we advise on, not from frameworks and slide decks. When we say a particular approach will work, we can point to production systems where we made it work.

## Security, DevOps, LLMOps & Infrastructure

### Can you take over a project from a previous team?

Yes. We have done rescue engagements where a previous team left and the codebase needed someone willing to read it carefully and figure out what was real. We approach these with no judgment about the prior work and a focus on what needs to happen next.

### Do you do penetration testing?

We do code-level security audits and infrastructure reviews. For formal penetration testing with attestation we work with established pentest firms and remediate the findings.

### How is an engagement scoped and billed?

Audit and triage engagements are fixed-scope, with the timeline agreed before we start. Remediation and modernization work is billed time-and-materials with weekly check-ins so you can adjust priorities as we go.

### Can you operate the infrastructure for us?

Yes. We offer ongoing infrastructure operation including monitoring, on-call response, and routine maintenance. This is how several of our DeFi protocol clients have operated for years.

### What if the existing code is really bad?

We have seen worse. Almost no codebase is beyond rescue if there is a clear business reason to keep it. We will tell you honestly if rewrite is the better path.

### Who owns the infrastructure-as-code?

You do. Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes manifests, Dockerfiles, and runbooks are delivered as we build so your team can operate the system without us.

## AI Integration

### How do you decide if a problem actually needs AI?

We start with the workflow. If the problem is fuzzy pattern matching over text or images, AI helps. If the problem is structured data with deterministic rules, classical software is faster, cheaper, and more reliable. We tell you which one applies during discovery rather than selling AI for its own sake.

### How is an engagement scoped and billed?

We scope projects after discovery and bill on a fixed-scope or time-and-materials basis, depending on how much uncertainty the problem has. Timelines depend on scope, and some projects ship in under a week.

### Who owns the code?

You do. We deliver source code, infrastructure-as-code, and documentation. There are no proprietary frameworks you cannot maintain without us.

### Which models do you use?

Whichever fits the workflow. We have shipped on OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, and several open-source models. We do not have a vendor preference and we do not let model lock-in compromise the architecture.

### Can you work with our existing data team?

Yes. We integrate with your data pipelines, your authentication, and your existing applications. Our preference is to fit into what you already have rather than ask you to migrate.

### What if we already have a prototype?

We can audit it, finish it, or rebuild it depending on what makes sense, and the audit tells you which.

## E-Commerce & Marketplaces

### Can you build on Shopify or WooCommerce instead of from scratch?

Sometimes that is the right answer. If you need a single-vendor store with standard checkout, Shopify is usually faster. Multi-vendor marketplaces, escrow payments, and custom payout logic typically outgrow off-the-shelf platforms quickly, which is why we build custom for those.

### How do you handle Stripe Connect onboarding for sellers?

We use Stripe's hosted onboarding for compliance and KYC, paired with our own verification flow for marketplace-specific requirements. Sellers can list before onboarding completes and get paid once Stripe clears them.

### How is an engagement scoped and billed?

We scope after discovery, give you a timeline then, and bill on fixed-scope milestones for the foundation, then time-and-materials for ongoing iteration.

### Who owns the code?

You do. Source code, infrastructure-as-code, and documentation are delivered as we build. There are no proprietary frameworks you cannot maintain without us.

### Can you integrate with our existing back office?

Yes. We connect to ERPs, accounting systems, CRMs, and warehouse software through APIs or direct database integration depending on what is available.

### What happens at scale?

We design with horizontal scaling in mind from day one: stateless services, queue-driven background jobs, read replicas where they help. The harder scale problems are usually operational rather than technical, and we plan for those during discovery.

## Product Design & UX

### Can you design without also building?

Yes. We deliver design files, prototypes, and a design system that another engineering team can implement. We add more value when we also build, but design-only engagements are normal.

### Can you build from a designer we already have?

Yes. We work from existing Figma files and design systems. We will flag inconsistencies or gaps before we start building rather than guessing during implementation.

### How is an engagement scoped and billed?

Timelines depend on product scope, and some design work ships in under a week. Design plus implementation is scoped together after discovery and billed on fixed-scope milestones.

### Who owns the design files and code?

You do. Figma files, design systems, source code, and documentation are delivered as we work.

### Do you do design system audits?

Yes. If you have an existing product with inconsistent UI we can audit the components, identify the patterns worth keeping, and consolidate into a real design system.

### What happens after launch?

We can continue with design and engineering retainers for ongoing iteration. We can also hand off cleanly if you have an in-house team taking over.

## Web Design & Small Business Sites

### How do you price a website?

We quote a fixed price after discovery, once we know the pages, how your team will update content, and any store or integration work. Shopify stores depend heavily on the catalog size and integration needs.

### How long does a site take?

Timelines depend on the size of the site, and some projects ship in under a week. We give you a timeline during discovery and we stick to it.

### Will I be able to update the site myself?

Yes. Every site we build includes a content management approach that your team can operate without developer help. We show you how during handover and document everything.

### Do you do WordPress?

We do not build new sites on WordPress. Our builds use modern frameworks that are faster, more secure, and easier to maintain. If you have an existing WordPress site that needs updates, we can help with a migration plan to something better.

### Can you help with SEO?

Technical SEO is included in every build: proper site structure, meta tags, schema markup, fast load times, and mobile optimization. For ongoing content strategy and link building, we can recommend partners or include it in a monthly retainer.

## Enterprise & Institutional Software

### Do you have experience with institutional procurement?

Yes. We respond to RFPs, complete security questionnaires, provide insurance certificates, and work within procurement frameworks including standing offers and master service agreements where applicable.

### Can the system run on our infrastructure?

Yes. We deploy to your AWS, Azure, GCP, or on-premise environment depending on your data residency and security requirements. Infrastructure-as-code is delivered with the application so your team can operate it.

### What accessibility standards do you target?

WCAG 2.1 AA by default, AAA for specific patterns where it is achievable. We provide an accessibility statement and remediation log as part of the deliverables. AODA compliance is included for Ontario engagements.

### How do you handle bilingual content?

We use proper internationalization libraries with locale-aware routing, translation key management, and a content workflow that integrates with your translators. URLs, meta tags, and hreflang are handled correctly for SEO.

### How is an engagement scoped and billed?

Institutional engagements are scoped after requirements review and typically billed on fixed-scope phases with clear deliverables. Maintenance retainers are billed monthly with defined SLAs.

### Who owns the code?

You do. Source code, infrastructure-as-code, documentation, and operational materials are delivered as we build. There are no licensing constraints that would prevent your team or another vendor from continuing the work.

## DeFi & Blockchain

### What chains do you work on?

We have shipped production work on Ergo, Cardano, Ethereum, Base, and Solana. Smart contracts in Solidity, ErgoScript, and Aiken. We pick chains based on the protocol requirements rather than holding a chain preference.

### Do you handle the security audit?

We do internal review and can coordinate external audits with firms we have worked with before. For protocols holding real value, external audit is non-negotiable and we treat it as part of the project rather than an optional add-on.

### How is an engagement scoped and billed?

Timelines depend on the protocol and the audit schedule, and we set them during scoping. We bill on fixed-scope milestones for the contract work and time-and-materials for the surrounding infrastructure and frontend.

### Who owns the contracts and infrastructure?

You do. Contracts, indexing code, infrastructure-as-code, and operational runbooks are delivered as we build. There are no proprietary frameworks you cannot maintain without us.

### Can you maintain the protocol after launch?

Yes. Several of our protocols have been live for multiple years with us providing ongoing infrastructure operation, monitoring, and incident response. We are equally happy to hand over to your team if you have the in-house capability.

### What is your exploit history?

Zero. Our smart contracts have managed over $20 million USD in deposited funds across ErgoPad, Paideia, and other protocols, with no successful exploits to date. We do not consider this luck and we do not take it for granted.