Fixed scope and a handover, or one active request at a time.
We run three shapes of work. The right one depends less on budget than on whether your roadmap has an end.
| Dimension | Retained | Build |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Monthly and ongoing | Fixed scope, fixed price, then handover |
| Best for | A live product with a backlog that keeps changing | One scoped product taken from idea to launch |
| How work arrives | Unlimited requests in a queue, one active at a time | A one-page scope agreed before any code |
| Timeline | Open-ended. Pause anytime | 6 to 16 weeks |
| Includes | Unlimited access to both founders, weekly Friday demos | Discovery, design, build, launch |
| When scope changes | Add it to the queue and reorder | A written addendum: new line item, new delivery date |
| How it ends | You pause, or you hire the team that takes over | Launch, plus a written plan for the first ninety days |
| Price shape | One monthly fee | One fixed price for the scope |
| Both include | Staging URL on day one, IP yours from the first commit | Staging URL on day one, IP yours from the first commit |
§01
When Build is the right shape.
You have one product to get live and a scope that fits on one page: features, user types, a date. We run discovery, cut the scope, design, build, and launch in 6 to 16 weeks at a fixed price, with a staging URL on day one and a demo every Friday.
Before launch we agree in writing what the first ninety days look like: a stabilisation window, a clean handover with a runbook, or a move onto a retained queue. One of those three, chosen explicitly.
§02
When Retained is the right shape.
The product is live, the backlog keeps growing, and next month's priorities aren't knowable today. A fixed scope would be out of date before it was signed.
On retainer you submit requests as they come up and one goes active at a time. The queue takes product features, AI agents and RAG, workflow automation, integrations, design, site and commerce work, and infrastructure. Both founders stay on the work, with no end date you have to predict.
§03
Where Systems fits.
Systems is a fixed-scope project for automation and AI workflow work: scoping, build, integration, an evaluation harness, and handover, with monitoring afterwards if you want it.
It's its own shape because an automation has a clear finish line, it does the job reliably or it doesn't, and because the evaluation harness belongs in week one, not month three. If the automation is one item in a bigger roadmap, it can sit in a retained queue instead.
The other side
When Build wins.
When the work genuinely ends. If the scope fits on one page and nothing obvious follows launch, a retainer pays for a queue you won't fill. Buy the build, take the handover, keep the repo.
When you need a number to plan a runway around. Founders spending a fixed raise usually want a price and a date in writing before a repo is cloned, and a fixed-scope build gives exactly that.
And when your first in-house engineer starts soon. A build that ends with a clean handover sets them up with a finished system, not a queue they inherit halfway through.
Price
Tell us which shape sounds closest and what you're building, and we'll reply with pricing within 24 hours. Ask for pricing
Questions founders ask
- Should I choose a fixed-scope build or a retainer?
- A build if the work has a clear end and the scope fits on one page. A retainer if the product is live and requests keep coming. If you're unsure, start with a build; the ninety-day plan we agree before launch is where the question gets answered.
- Can I move from a build to a retainer after launch?
- Yes. Before launch we agree in writing what the first ninety days look like, and moving onto a retained queue is one of the three options.
- What is the Systems tier?
- A fixed-scope automation or AI workflow project: scoping, build, integration, an evaluation harness, and handover, with optional monitoring afterwards.
- Do both shapes include a staging URL and Friday demos?
- Yes. Every engagement gets a staging URL on day one, a demo every Friday, and IP that's yours from the first commit.
- Can I pause a retainer?
- Yes, anytime. It's useful when the queue is empty or the roadmap sits between phases.
Keep reading
Talk to the two people who'd do the work.
A 30-minute call with Naman or Abhiraj. Or email two paragraphs on what you're building — we reply with a pricing estimate within 24 hours.
Send two or three times that work, with your timezone. A founder confirms within 24 hours.
Request a call by email