FAQ
The questions we get asked.
Pricing, engagement models, NDAs, IP ownership, our stack, and what “small startups, big fires” actually means in practice. If something's still unclear after this, write us — a real engineer will reply.
What does "small startups, big fires" actually mean?
It's the idea behind the name. Most of our clients come to us with a small spark — an early idea, a prototype, a v1 that needs to grow up, a stalled internal project that needs new oxygen. Our job is to help that spark catch and scale: production-grade code, sensible architecture, and the engineering judgment to build something that holds up — whether you're shipping v1 or taking v3 to the next level.
How do you typically engage — project, retainer, or fractional CTO?
All three. Fixed-scope projects work for MVPs and well-defined builds. Monthly retainers are ideal for ongoing product work and AI/automation pipelines that evolve. Fractional CTO engagements suit product teams that need experienced technical leadership without a full-time hire. We'll suggest the model that fits your situation, not the one that maximizes our hours.
How do you price work?
Every project is fixed-scope. We don't do per-deliverable billing or hidden change orders — once we've scoped the work, you know exactly what it costs. We price each project on its own, after a free discovery call; rough estimates are free too. We also back every fixed-scope project with a delivery guarantee (see below).
What's the delivery guarantee?
Every fixed-scope project comes with an agreed one-month delivery window. If we slip more than two weeks past that window, the price drops to half. Four weeks past the deadline and the project is free. We carry the cost of our own delay, not you. You get the build on time, or you stop paying for it.
Where are you based, and what timezone do you work in?
Sofia, Bulgaria (EET / EEST, UTC+2/+3). We work standard business hours across the EU — local for Bulgarian clients, fully overlapping for CET/WET teams. Async work covers everything outside of focused calls.
Will you sign an NDA? Who owns the code?
Yes — we sign NDAs as a default. You own all code, designs, and deliverables produced under the engagement. We retain the right to discuss general approach and stack choices in case studies, but specifics are NDA-bound unless you explicitly approve them for publication.
What's your tech stack? Are you flexible?
Our defaults are React/Next.js or Vue/Nuxt on the frontend, .NET/C# or Node/TypeScript on the backend, PostgreSQL for data, Docker/Coolify for infra, and Claude/OpenAI plus Qdrant for AI features. We're flexible — if your team runs Python or your infra is on AWS, we adapt. We won't fight your existing stack just to use ours.
Do you take on AI-only work, or do you only build full apps?
Both. We do greenfield AI-powered SaaS builds, but we also drop into existing codebases to add LLM features, vector search, or agent workflows. If you have a working product and just need an experienced crew to ship the AI layer, that's a great fit.
How do we get started?
Send us a short note via the contact form — what you're building, what's working, and what's stuck. We'll set up a 30-minute call to see if we're a fit. No deck, no sales funnel.
Got an idea in the dark? Let's bring it to light.