Frequently Asked Questions

We work best with companies building physical products — hardware that you can hold in your hand. If you're a funded startup needing to move fast, or an established company needing overflow engineering support, we're probably a good fit.

The easiest way to find out is a 15-minute intro call. We'll ask about your product, timeline, and challenges, and tell you honestly whether we can help.

Our 60-day sprints typically start around $50K-150K depending on scope. For smaller projects or ongoing support, we offer hourly engineering support.

We're flexible — the right answer depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

Typically 1-2 weeks after signing. We maintain capacity specifically to help startups who need to move fast.

If you have an urgent timeline, mention it in our first call — we'll tell you what's realistic.

Every sprint delivers a concrete outcome: a working prototype, a production-ready design, or a validated subsystem. Not a PowerPoint — something real.

Typical sprint deliverables include:

• Functional prototype demonstrating core technology
• Complete mechanical design ready for tooling quotes
• Working firmware on production-intent hardware
• Test fixture for manufacturing validation

We define the specific deliverable together during scoping.

Some projects need multiple sprints. That's fine — we'll scope it that way from the start.

The 60-day constraint is about focus and momentum, not arbitrary limits. If your project genuinely needs 90 days, we'll tell you.

Requirements change — we get it. We build in weekly check-ins specifically to catch these early.

Small adjustments are normal and expected. If something fundamentally changes, we'll discuss the impact on timeline and scope, and decide together how to proceed.

We need enough access to make good decisions, but we don't need babysitting. Typically that means:

• Kickoff meeting to align on goals and constraints
• Weekly 30-minute progress check-ins
• Access to someone who can answer technical questions
• Timely feedback on designs and prototypes

We're designed to be low-overhead for busy teams.

Most work happens at our San Diego facility. We have the equipment, the team, and the environment set up for efficient hardware development.

That said, we're happy to visit your site for kickoffs, reviews, or when it makes sense. And you're always welcome to visit our lab.

You do. Work product created for your project belongs to you. We'll sign whatever IP assignment agreements you need.

We retain rights to our general know-how and pre-existing tools, but anything specific to your product is yours.

Yes. We maintain ISO 13485:2016 certification for medical device quality management, as well as ISO 9001 for general quality management.

This means we can serve as your design and development partner for FDA-regulated medical devices.

We help with the engineering side of regulatory submissions: design history files, risk analysis, verification and validation testing, design controls documentation.

For regulatory strategy and FDA interactions, we typically recommend working with a dedicated regulatory consultant. We're happy to make introductions.

Absolutely. While we have deep medical device expertise, we work across industries: consumer electronics, robotics, industrial automation, defense, clean energy.

The engineering fundamentals are the same. The quality mindset we bring from medical devices makes everything we build more robust.