Opinionated engineering. Direct delivery.
We solve the specialized architectural and AI integration bottlenecks that keep growing applications from performing under load.
Building AI features that customers actually trust.
Wrapping an LLM in an API endpoint is simple. Designing an AI feature that remains reliable, fast, and cost-effective at 50,000 requests per day requires deep software engineering.
"Most AI failures aren't model reasoning failures—they are orchestration, streaming, and database synchronization failures that cause lag and hallucinations."
Problems We Solve
Latency & Streaming: We implement custom Redis buffers and async workers to stream responses instantly without blocking connections.
Evaluation Regressions: We set up programmatically run datasets in CI/CD to evaluate prompt revisions before deploying.
Vector Matching & RAG: We configure Postgres pgvector search models to handle hybrid retrieval with sub-100ms response times.
Fixing the database bottlenecks that stop products from growing.
We audit codebases, refactor data models, and optimize databases under load. We decouple synchronous bottlenecks to ensure your system keeps scaling.
"Most database performance issues aren't caused by PostgreSQL limitations—they are caused by data models and transaction hold times that stopped matching the product."
Problems We Solve
Monolith Lockups: We locate long-running queries holding row locks inside ActiveRecord transactions and move them to background workers.
Slow Local Tests: We audit RSpec test structures, mocking slow API targets to double local compilation speeds.
Index Bloat & Partitioning: We prune unused indexing, configure write/read splits, and partition cron tables past 50M rows.
Shipping full-stack systems that age well.
We write pragmatic, test-backed code in Next.js, TypeScript, and Rails. We build clean codebase structures that are straightforward for new developers to understand.
"Feature velocity decreases because of tangled abstractions, not because of code volume. We design systems to remain refactorable."
Problems We Solve
API Friction: We build self-documenting APIs that interface seamlessly with React/TypeScript layouts.
External Integrations: We write reliable transaction handlers (Stripe, Segment) with complete audit logging and retry queues.
UI State Sync: We design structured component libraries with smooth micro-animations and robust validation.
Strategic engineering oversight that compounds velocity.
We provide fractional CTO advisory and technical reviews. We help align engineering plans with direct business milestones and audit codebases before funding rounds.
"The most expensive code is the code you write but didn't need. Good leadership is knowing what not to build."
Problems We Solve
Speculative Abstractions: We evaluate roadmap plans, stripping out premature microservices or excessive dependencies.
Hiring & Auditing: We write coding challenges, lead technical interviews, and review pull requests to ensure code standards remain high.
Delivery Processes: We install lightweight asynchronous project-scoping guidelines that eliminate standups and meetings.
retainer-based partnership.
We work on a weekly or project retainer model. We don't write scoping amendments or bill by the hour. We focus entirely on delivering engineering leverage.
Boutique Retainer
Typically 2-6 weeks of dedicated execution. Ideal for database restructuring, LLM integration, or refactoring slow test suites.
Fixed retapping // High speedStrategic Retainer
Ongoing fractional partnership. Wilbur reviews your pull requests, guides target architecture plans, and audits processes.
1-2 Days / Week // Ongoing advisory