Hire Forward Deployed Engineers for Your Startup

What You Get

✓Engineers who work directly with customers
✓Custom implementation and integration expertise
✓Technical consulting combined with shipping code
✓Bridge between product and customer success
✓Enterprise deployment and onboarding specialists

Ideal For

→B2B startups with complex implementations
→Companies with enterprise customers needing custom work
→Startups where engineering drives sales success
→Teams building developer tools or APIs

What is a Forward Deployed Engineer?

Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) work directly with customers to implement, customize, and deploy software solutions. Pioneered by Palantir, this role combines deep technical expertise with customer-facing skills.

What FDEs Actually Do

Customer Implementation: Work on-site or embedded with customers to deploy solutions
Custom Engineering: Build integrations, customizations, and workflows specific to each customer
Technical Consulting: Advise customers on best practices while writing code
Bridge Building: Connect product, engineering, and customer success teams
Enterprise Onboarding: Accelerate time-to-value for complex deployments

FDE vs Solutions Engineer vs Customer Success

Solutions Engineers focus on pre-sales demos and technical validation. Customer Success focuses on relationship management. FDEs write production code for and with customers. They're engineers first, but with exceptional communication skills and customer empathy.

When to Hire Forward Deployed Engineers

FDEs are ideal for B2B companies with complex implementations, developer tools requiring integration work, or products where engineering expertise drives sales success. Companies like Palantir, Scale AI, and Stripe have built FDE functions to accelerate enterprise adoption.

Fast, Seamless Onboarding

From first call to first commit in under a week.

Day 1

Discovery Call

Understand your product, stack, and what success looks like

Day 2-3

Team Match

Match the right engineer(s) based on your needs

Day 4-5

Onboarding

Slack access, repo access, codebase walkthrough

Week 1

First Ship

First PR merged, hitting the ground running

See Our Work

Rupa Health

Fractional CTO from Seed to Series A, scaling ARR from $100K to $5M.

Read case study →

OddsJam

Technical diligence and security hardening for successful exit.

Read case study →

View all case studies →

“Aravind is in the top 1% of engineers I've hired. He supported us from $100K to $5M ARR, keeping us shipping through crazy growth and investor scrutiny.”

Tara Viswanathan

Co-founder & CEO, Rupa Health (Acquired by Fullscript)

Hire a Forward Deployed Engineer FAQs

What is the process to hire a forward deployed engineer?

Start with a 30-minute discovery call where we understand your needs, tech stack, and goals. We then match you with the right engineer(s) from our team. Onboarding typically takes 2-3 days, and most engineers ship their first PR within the first week.

How much does it cost to hire a forward deployed engineer?

Our engagements are hourly with no retainers—pay only for hours used. 14-day risk-free trial. Book a call to discuss your specific needs and get a custom quote. No hidden fees or account manager overhead.

Can I hire a forward deployed engineer for just a few months?

Yes, we offer flexible month-to-month engagements. While most clients work with us for 6-12+ months, there's no long-term lock-in. We believe in earning your continued partnership through results, not contracts.

What makes your a forward deployed engineer different?

Our engineers have shipped products at venture-backed startups and understand the unique pressures of early-stage companies. They take ownership of outcomes, not just tasks. You get direct Slack access—no project managers or account executives in between.

Do you work with my tech stack?

Our team is full-stack and adaptable. We have deep experience with React/Next.js, Node.js, Python, TypeScript, AWS, GCP, and modern AI/LLM frameworks. We can also ramp up quickly on new technologies if needed.