About R&D Teams
A small, senior team that ships production AI.
Most companies can stand up an AI prototype. Very few can ship a production-grade system that holds up under real users, real data, and real cost. That production layer is the only thing we build — applied AI agents and GenAI systems, plus the AI platform and MLOps engineering that keeps them running.
What we do
Two services, done at a senior level
We deliberately keep our focus narrow. Doing two things well beats doing ten things adequately — especially when the goal is software that has to run reliably in production.
AI Agents & GenAI Systems
Applied generative AI for real workflows: LLM integration, RAG over your proprietary data, agentic automation, evals and guardrails, and human-in-the-loop orchestration — built to be evaluated, monitored, and trusted.
Explore AI AgentsAI Platform & MLOps Engineering
The infrastructure that turns a model into a product: MLOps and LLMOps platforms, deployment pipelines, eval and observability, data and feature infrastructure, inference scaling, and model governance.
Explore AI PlatformWhy we exist
Closing the gap between demo and production
Generative AI has made it remarkably easy to build a convincing demo. A weekend with an API key gets you something that looks like it works. The hard part — and the part that decides whether a project creates value or quietly stalls — is everything after the demo: evaluating quality, handling edge cases, controlling cost, observing behavior in production, and keeping the whole thing maintainable.
That gap is where we live. We started R&D Teams because we kept seeing capable organizations get stuck there: a promising prototype that never makes it past the pilot, or a model deployed once and then left without the platform around it to keep it healthy. We focus on the engineering that turns AI capability into a system you can actually rely on.
We work with US companies and operate as senior, US-facing partners. The people who scope and lead your engagement are the same senior engineers doing the work — not a sales team handing you off to whoever is available. We keep the team small on purpose, because the production layer rewards depth over headcount.
Market context
The demand is real — the production gap is wider
These are industry figures, not our own results. They describe why the production layer is where the value sits today.
How we work
Engineering discipline, applied to AI
Production AI is still software. We treat it that way — with the rigor that keeps systems reliable long after launch.
Evals before opinions
We measure AI quality with evaluation sets and guardrails, not vibes. Before something ships, we can show how it behaves on cases that matter — and catch regressions when models or prompts change.
Observability from day one
You can't operate what you can't see. We instrument for cost, latency, and output quality so the system stays understandable in production, not just on the demo day.
Direct, honest communication
Plain language, no jargon for its own sake, and straight answers — including when the right call is to scope down, change direction, or tell you something isn't worth building yet.
Outcomes over hours
We scope around the result you need and price on the outcomes we deliver, not time on a clock. Engagements start at $100K because the work we do is production-grade, not proof-of-concept.
How we engage
A senior partner, not a vendor
We keep the model simple and honest: a senior US-facing lead drives strategy and stays accountable, with leveraged delivery behind them. You always know who is doing the work, and there are no junior handoffs in the middle of your project.
We're transparent about what we are. We don't hold compliance certifications, and we won't claim otherwise. What we offer is security-conscious engineering and clear terms — the things that actually protect your work.
What you can count on
- You own all code and IP. Everything we build is yours — no lock-in.
- Senior engineers, no handoffs. The people you talk to are the people building.
- Outcome-based pricing. Priced on the results we deliver, not hours billed.
- Security-conscious engineering. Sensible practices built into how we ship.
- NDA on request. We're happy to sign before we dig into your data.
Current partnership
Working with Shotgun Keyboard
We're currently working with Shotgun Keyboard, the company behind the Mac app of the same name, on promoting its app. The app sits in the macOS menu bar and plays a shotgun sound every time you press a key.
The app is sold by its maker through shotgunkeyboard.com, which handles its pricing, purchases, refunds and support. We don't sell it or take payment for it.
Let's talk about shipping it.
Tell us where your AI is stuck between prototype and production. We'll give you an honest read on whether we're the right team to get it across the line.
Prefer email? [email protected]