Before you write
the brief.
The questions we get asked most, answered plainly: no hedging, no marketing copy.
01 How do engagements usually start?
With a discovery session, not a sales call. We map the problem, the data, and the constraints, then send a written brief and estimate. If the scope is still fuzzy after that, we'll sometimes run a small paid discovery phase first rather than guess. See the Process page for the full shape of an engagement.
02 How much does this cost, and how long does it take?
It depends on scope, so we quote ranges, not a fixed price, once we understand the problem. Most first engagements ship a production slice within a few weeks. The budget ranges on the contact form are a reasonable starting point for sizing your brief.
03 Who owns the code and the models?
You do. Everything we build is documented, observable, and handed over at the end of the engagement. We're consultants, not vendors with a kill-switch.
04 Do you use our data to train models?
No. Your data stays in your environment. We build on top of it, not off it.
05 We're not sure AI is even the right answer. Will you tell us?
Yes. Our Strategy & Readiness engagements exist specifically to give you an honest answer, including "don't build this" when that's the right call.
06 Which models or stack do you build on?
We're model-agnostic — Anthropic, OpenAI, open-weight, or self-hosted — and we build on open standards rather than locking you into one vendor's stack.