Most of what we do is client work. Someone hires us to build something, we build it, they own it outright, and the relationship ends when the invoice is paid or the retainer stops. This page covers the other thing we do, which works differently.
A handful of times a year, we take on a product as a partner instead of a vendor. We build the whole thing, from the first commit through running it in production, and instead of getting paid for that work, we take a stake in the business. The split we default to is an even 50/50: the partner brings the idea, the domain knowledge, and a way to reach the market, and we bring the product engineering that turns the idea into something people can use.
That’s the only partnership offering we have. We don’t do advisory equity for a few hours of consulting, and we don’t take a small slice in exchange for a partial build. If we’re your partner, we’re building your product end to end, the whole thing, rather than adding a single feature to something you already have.
What makes a good fit
The partner side of this only works if the partner brings something we can’t build ourselves. That’s usually a combination of three things: you know your industry well enough to spot a real problem in it, you have a way to sell into that industry once the product exists, and you’re proposing something with a real path to recurring revenue rather than a one-time sale. We can build a product. We can’t invent a market for it or hand it distribution that doesn’t exist.
The other half of a good fit is on us. A partnership has to be work our team can commit to for years. A proof of concept squeezed in between client work does not qualify. Before we say yes, we need to believe the product is worth that kind of ongoing attention from a team our size.
What makes a bad fit
If an idea has no way into the market, we can’t help. We’re not positioned to build your product and also do the selling for you.
If a project only works once outside funding shows up, we pass. We don’t underwrite a bet on a future round that hasn’t happened.
And if the pitch amounts to “build this now and maybe I’ll give you something down the line,” we turn it down. That is an unpaid contract with a vague upside.
How it works
Nothing gets built until the terms are written down. Every deal is negotiated on its own, covers ownership, roles, and what happens if either side wants out, and gets signed before any code exists. We don’t have a standard cap table split or a boilerplate agreement we reuse, because no two products, partners, or markets are similar enough to make that safe for either side.
We also don’t take many of these on. Saying yes to a partnership means committing part of the team to one product for years, which means saying no to client work we’d otherwise take. That trade only makes sense a few times a year, so we’re deliberate about which ones we say yes to.
If you have a product idea, the industry knowledge behind it, and a real way to reach the people who’d use it, and you’re looking for a technical partner rather than a contractor, tell us what you’re building.