How We Work With Startups

We don't do proposals that sit in inboxes. From first call to first commit, here's how we embed with your team and start delivering value.

From Call to Shipping in a Week

📞
Day 1

Discovery Call

30 minutes with Aravind to understand your product, team, tech stack, and goals. No sales pitch—just an honest conversation about whether we're the right fit.

  • What are you building and why?
  • What does your current team look like?
  • What would success look like in 3-6 months?
🎯
Day 2-3

Team Matching & Proposal

Based on your needs, we match the right engineer(s) from our team. You'll get a clear proposal with scope, team composition, timeline, and pricing.

  • Engineer profiles and relevant experience
  • Recommended engagement structure
  • Transparent pricing, no hidden fees
🔧
Day 4-5

Onboarding & Access

Once you sign, we move fast. Slack access, repo access, and a deep-dive into your codebase and product. We come up to speed quickly—no lengthy ramp-up periods.

  • Slack channel created, introductions made
  • Codebase walkthrough with your team
  • Development environment setup
🚀
Week 1

First Ship

Our engineers aim to merge their first PR within the first week. We believe in proving value quickly, not hiding behind "research phases" or lengthy planning cycles.

  • First PR merged to production
  • Initial roadmap alignment
  • Weekly sync cadence established

Ongoing Partnership

After the initial onboarding, here's what working together looks like on a weekly basis.

💬 Daily Communication

  • • Direct Slack access to your engineers
  • • No ticket systems or project managers
  • • Real-time collaboration on decisions
  • • Async updates when you need them

📋 Weekly Syncs

  • • Progress review and demo
  • • Roadmap and priority alignment
  • • Blocker identification and resolution
  • • Strategic technical discussions

📊 Monthly Reviews

  • • Outcome and impact assessment
  • • Team fit and engagement health
  • • Scope and resource adjustments
  • • Strategic planning for next month

🎯 Continuous Delivery

  • • Regular releases to production
  • • Feature flags and incremental rollouts
  • • Code reviews and knowledge sharing
  • • Documentation as we build
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)

Engagement Models

We structure engagements to fit your stage and needs, not arbitrary packages.

👔

Fractional CTO

Part-time executive leadership for technical strategy, team building, and investor relations.

10-20 hrs/week
🚀

Embedded Engineers

Full-time equivalent engineers who embed in your team and ship like your own.

Full-time
📋

Project-Based

Defined scope projects like MVP builds, security audits, or due diligence prep.

Fixed scope

Engagement FAQs

How quickly can you start?

Most engagements start within 1-2 weeks of the initial call. For urgent needs, we can sometimes accommodate faster timelines. The discovery call helps us understand your timeline and match the right engineers.

What are your engagement terms?

We work on monthly retainers with flexible terms. Most clients start with a 3-month minimum to give the engagement time to show results, but we don't lock you into long-term contracts. We earn your continued partnership through results.

How do you bill?

Monthly retainers billed in advance. No hourly tracking, no surprise invoices. Our pricing is transparent and based on the scope and seniority level needed. We'll provide a clear quote after the discovery call.

What if it's not working out?

We have a 30-day trial period. If the fit isn't right in the first month, we'll work to resolve it or part ways amicably. Our goal is long-term partnerships, so we're invested in making sure the relationship works.

Can you work with our existing team?

Absolutely. Most of our engagements involve integrating with existing teams. Our engineers are experienced at ramping up quickly, following existing conventions, and collaborating through your existing tools and processes.

What time zones do you cover?

Our team is primarily US-based with coverage across EST, CST, and PST. We prioritize real-time collaboration during your working hours, with async communication for off-hours follow-up.

Do you sign NDAs?

Yes, we sign NDAs before any detailed technical discussions. Confidentiality is standard for all engagements. We work with startups at all stages and understand the importance of protecting your IP.

What happens when the engagement ends?

We ensure clean handoffs with documentation, knowledge transfer sessions, and overlap with incoming team members. Many clients bring us back for future projects or refer us to other founders.

Ready to see how we can help?

Book a 30-minute discovery call to discuss your needs.