How to start, and what it costs

Start with a paid two-week project, then keep me on month to month.

Three ways to work with me. Start with a Ship Sprint - a two-week paid project that ends with something working, not a document. Then keep me on month to month, building the software you need, week by week. For founders building a product around AI, there is an option to work for a share of the upside instead. Prices in USD, stated up front.

How it works

Start with a Ship Sprint, then keep building.

Most businesses start with a Ship Sprint, then decide on ongoing monthly work from there. Each step builds on the last, not a fresh start.

01

Ship Sprint

A two-week paid project with one agreed outcome. It ends with something running live in your business. The fastest, lowest-risk way to see how I work before anything ongoing.

02

Work inside your team

Keep me on month to month. I work inside your team and your tools, building what you need week by week. You can stop any month; we review at three months.

03

Lead the technical work

Add the bigger calls - how the software is put together, who to hire, which tools to buy - or, for a product built around AI, work for a share of the upside.

The options

Three ways to work together. Prices in USD, stated up front.

Start with a two-week paid project that ends with something working, then ongoing monthly work. You can stop any month; we review at three months.

01

Ship Sprint

Start here

Where most people start. Two weeks, fixed price, one outcome agreed up front - and it ends with something running live in your business. I work inside your own tools and code, then hand over a short written guide so your team can run it and build on it. The fastest way to see how I work before anything ongoing.

Proof · Built Scorafy (scorafy.com) from nothing to live, and Sensational League's digital platform and member hub as their Technology Partner. Working software is always the result, not a report.

Fixed price
USD $4,000
Two weeks · something working
Scope
One outcome
Agreed on the first call
Start a Ship Sprint
02

Ongoing, month to month

I work inside your team and build what's on your list. Three options: Build is one to two days a week of hands-on engineering. Build + Lead adds the bigger calls - how the software is put together, who to hire, which tools to buy - and is the anchor tier. Fractional CTO / AI Lead is full technical leadership for a team without a senior engineer on staff. With all three, you can stop any month, and we review at three months.

Build

USD $8,000/ month

1-2 days a week · hands-on building

  • A hands-on engineer inside your team
  • Working software off your list
  • Stop any month
Start a conversation
Anchor tier

Build + Lead

USD $12,000/ month

Building plus the bigger calls · anchor tier

  • Everything in Build
  • The bigger technical calls
  • How it's built, who to hire, what to buy
Start a conversation

Fractional CTO / AI Lead

USD $15,000/ month

Full technical leadership

  • Everything in Build + Lead
  • Full technical ownership
  • For a team without a senior engineer on staff
Start a conversation

Proof · Technology Partner to Sensational League since November 2025 - built and lead their digital platform and member hub. Rebuilt the back-end system and advised on the product for a confidential automotive-insurance and incident-reporting startup.

03

Build together for a share

Optional

For founders building a product around AI who want a senior engineer sharing the risk. I work inside your team and make the bigger calls - how it's built, what to build, who to hire - in exchange for a fee, a share of the upside, or both. Arranged case by case. I bring working products already in use and twenty years of commercial track record.

Monthly floor
USD $6,000 - $10,000 / mo
Senior technical lead
Share of upside
5% - 15%
Or a pure equity arrangement
Structure
Per engagement
Written agreement before any work starts

Proof · Rebuilt the back-end system and advised on the product for a confidential automotive-insurance and incident-reporting startup, as senior technical lead with a share-of-upside arrangement. Details confidential per agreement.

Start a conversation
Not sure which option fits

Start a conversation. Most businesses begin with a Ship Sprint and decide on ongoing work from there.

The first call covers what you're trying to build, what fits into two weeks, and whether ongoing monthly work makes sense after that. If Cognitiv isn't the right partner, that gets said on the call.

Start a conversation