Forward-deployed engineer
Nick Krause
Works with your users, shapes the product and writes code. Connects technical decisions to the workflow, the customer and the business model.
Software Development
Software development. Built for growth.
An original study in joined forms and light.
Turn an idea, a new business offering or a difficult workflow into software people can use—and a product your business can own.
Nick Krause as your forward-deployed engineer, paired with a full-stack software engineer. Business context and hands-on code, in one monthly engagement.
The paired model
Close to the business.
Deep in the code.
We push reviewed code, not just recommendations.
AI-assisted development helps us make rapid progress through focused scope, short feedback loops and demonstrated increments. It does not replace engineering judgment, tests or review.
Engineering partner
Full-stack software engineer
Builds alongside Nick across the interface, application, data and integrations. Shares responsibility for architecture, testing and release readiness.
Your part: a client decision owner, a domain reviewer, approved access and clear feedback. The roles are paired; capacity and cadence are agreed for your engagement.
From thought to working product
Build the useful thing.
Then improve it.
A new product for your existing business, a better customer experience, or a workflow your current tools cannot handle. Start with a clear need, not a stack of technology.
What we build
- Customer products & SaaS
- A usable product with onboarding, billing and monetization designed into the right scope.
- Portals & internal tools
- Clear interfaces for customers, teams and the decisions they make every day.
- Integrations
- Connect systems with defined data ownership, reliable handoffs and visible failures.
- Bounded AI agents
- Useful actions within explicit permissions, human approvals and operating limits.
Start with the idea
Name the user, the problem and what a useful result would change for the business.
Validate the first version
Test the need, choose a focused scope and agree the acceptance criteria. Configure existing software if that is the better answer.
Design the architecture
Map the experience, data, permissions and integrations. Make ownership and operating costs explicit.
Build in tested staging
Push reviewed code, run tests and demonstrate working increments against the agreed user journey.
Prepare an authorized release
Document access, backups and rollback. Release to production only with the client’s approval.
Learn from real use
Review adoption, conversion and cost. Improve the next useful part within the agreed monthly capacity.
Cybersecurity-first engineering
Simple architecture.
Explicit boundaries.
Elegant software is understandable software. Keep the parts clear, the permissions narrow and the next change manageable.
A maintainable foundation.
- Clean, modular architecture. Separate the interface, application rules, data access and external actions. Add complexity only where it earns its place.
- Authentication and data boundaries. Check who can do what on the server. Test tenant isolation and protect secrets and sensitive records.
- Changes you can inspect and recover. Reviewed code, automated tests, separate staging, dependency checks and a rollback plan.
Ready for agentic work.
- Permissions are not a prompt. Apply least privilege and keep authorization outside the model. Bind approvals to the exact action and target.
- Untrusted content stays untrusted. Treat documents, emails and tool results as data. Test prompt injection attempts; they cannot grant permission.
- Bound the action. Set spend limits and run limits. Keep an audit trail, require approval for high-impact actions and provide controls to stop execution.
A useful reference for the design review: OWASP’s AI Agent Security guidance.
Ownership & growth
Your product.
Your next move.
Build something your business can run, understand and improve.
Know what you own.
Commissioned source code, business data and account control are defined in the agreement. We establish repository access and handoff early, with documented exceptions for third-party licences, model services and pre-existing materials.
Leave with the source, architecture decisions, access inventory and operating notes—not a dependency on an unexplained black box.
Measure the work that matters.
For a customer product, that might mean onboarding, activation, paid conversion and correct billing. For an internal tool, it might mean task quality, review effort and repeat use.
We scope the events, consent rules and reporting, test them in staging, then use observed adoption and cost to guide improvements. Revenue is an objective, not a guarantee.
Train the team using the productMonthly engagements · USD
A clear scope.
Room to build.
Choose a starting point for the complexity of the work. We agree the backlog, engineering capacity and delivery cadence before the engagement begins.
Small business
$5,999–$13,999per month
A focused product or workflow, with a prioritized delivery stream and agreed engineering capacity.
Midmarket
from $18,999per month
Multi-team products and more involved integrations, with added testing and release coordination in scope.
Enterprise
from $29,999per month
A defined business-unit build with deeper architecture, access and security requirements.
Pricing is subject to change based on scope. Capacity, delivery cadence and final fees are agreed in the statement of work. Hosting, software and model/API usage are separate unless included.
Need the revenue engine operated, with a sales professional in market? That is a separate engagement.
Explore the GTM EngineBefore we build
Software development questions.
What does a forward-deployed engineer do?
Nick works close to your users: understanding the workflow, shaping the product, writing code and checking the result against the business need. A full-stack software engineer works alongside him on architecture, front-end and back-end implementation, integrations and testing.
Can we start with an idea or an existing product?
Either. We can shape a new product into a useful first version or improve an existing system. We validate the need and agree the smallest sensible release before committing to a broader build. Scope, access and feedback determine the delivery plan.
What is included in a monthly engagement?
An agreed backlog, engineering capacity, delivery cadence and acceptance process. The statement of work defines contributors, concurrent work and support. The paired model describes responsibilities, not unlimited development or two full-time allocations.
How much does software development cost?
Small business engagements are $5,999–$13,999 per month; midmarket starts from $18,999 per month and enterprise from $29,999 per month. Pricing changes with scope. We agree capacity and final fees in the statement of work; hosting, software and model/API usage are separate unless included.
Will we own the code, data and accounts?
The agreement defines ownership of commissioned source code, your business data and account control. We establish repository access and handoff requirements at the start, with exceptions for third-party licences and agreed pre-existing materials.
How do you approach AI and agent security?
We use scoped permissions, keep authorization outside the model and require approval for high-impact actions. Tests cover unsafe inputs and unauthorized actions. Data boundaries, spend limits, an audit trail and a way to stop execution are part of the design—not left to a prompt.
Is the GTM Engine or a sales professional included?
No. Software Development is a distinct engagement. We can connect the product to your revenue system, but sales representation, campaigns and other GTM services have their own scope.
What about revenue results and ongoing support?
We can measure adoption, conversions and costs, then use that evidence to improve the product. We do not guarantee revenue. Maintenance, incident response, service levels and continuing development are included only when the statement of work defines them.
Bring the idea. Let’s make it work.
Tell us what you want to launch or improve, who will use it and what success would look like. We’ll work out the smallest useful next step.