STUDIO NOTES
One founder. Software built to last.
This page is how I work, what I take on, and what I pass on. No account team - just direct engineering.
FROM THE FOUNDER
Why I started IK Labs.
I wanted a studio where the engineer you email is the engineer who ships. No layers, no handoffs.
I've been building with machine learning and AI in production since 2018 - before it was a slide deck mandatory. That work started in real systems, not demos. Today it shows up in our products: moderation, task intelligence, community signal filtering, agent interfaces - always tied to a workflow people actually use.
The work I care about runs long after launch: marketplaces, payments, platforms with messy edge cases. The hard calls happen in production - in migrations, incidents, code someone else reads in two years.
If that sounds like your problem, write to me. First step is a short honest exchange: fit or no fit, in writing.
SIGNED
STUDIO MODEL
Why we stay small.
Fewer projects, closer to the code, accountable for what ships.
Selective engagements.
We take on a small number of projects per year. Saying yes to one means saying no to another - which is what keeps the work serious.
Direct communication.
You work with the engineer writing the code, not an account layer. Updates are written, tradeoffs are explicit, decisions move in days.
Long-term ownership mindset.
We design for the second year, not the launch week. Clear boundaries, honest scoping, architectures we can keep operating.
HOW WE WORK
How a project moves through the studio.
Always know where we are and what you get at each step.
PHASES
- Conversation
Written intro and one call. Outcome: clear yes or no on fit - no scope commitment yet.
- Discovery
Short paid engagement: map the system, constraints, and failure modes. You keep the scope doc even if we don't continue.
- Build
Small increments, visible progress weekly. You see what shipped, what's next, what we rejected.
- Operate
We stay close after launch - incidents, migrations, the second-year work most teams skip.
- Hand off or continue
Clean documentation and transition, or ongoing support. Either way, explicit.
BOUNDARIES
What we will not take on.
- Boundary 1:
Pitch processes and unpaid speculative work.
- Boundary 2:
Projects we do not understand well enough to commit to.
- Boundary 3:
Subcontracting core engineering to people you will never meet.
- Boundary 4:
Engagements where success depends on metrics no one can measure.
- Boundary 5:
“Let's start now and figure out scope later.”
OWN PRODUCTS
We build and operate our own software too.
Alongside client work, IK Labs runs its own products. IllDoItApp - a live task marketplace with payments, reviews, and disputes - is one example. The same standards apply.
See productsRECORD
- Delaware LLC
- Founded 2026
- Founder-led
- IllDoItApp in market
- Direct communication
IK Labs, LLC · Delaware, United States
IF THIS FITS
If this fits, let's talk.
Send a short brief: what you're building, what's hard about it, what a good outcome looks like. I reply with real questions - not a booking link.