STUDIO NOTES
A small studio for systems that have to keep working.
IK Labs is one founder, deliberately small, and built around long-lived software. This page is how we work, what we take on, and what we choose not to.
FROM THE FOUNDER
Why I started IK Labs.
I started IK Labs because I wanted a small studio where the engineer writing the code is also the person you talk to. No account layers, no rotating teams - direct, careful engineering by people who own what they ship.
What I care about is the work that has to keep running long after launch: marketplaces, payments, operational platforms, internal systems. The interesting decisions live in production - on call at 11pm, in a migration that has to land, in code someone else will read in two years.
If your problem is operational, please write. The first step is short and honest: a written exchange that ends with whether the engagement is right for both sides.
SIGNED
STUDIO MODEL
Why we stay small.
Selective on purpose. Direct by default. Built to stay close to the code we ship.
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. We commit when we understand the problem well enough to stand behind the implementation.
Direct communication.
You work with the engineer writing the code, not an account layer. Updates are written, tradeoffs are explicit, and decisions move in days - not weeks of meeting cycles.
Long-term ownership mindset.
We design for the second year, not the launch week. That means clear boundaries, honest scoping, and architectures we can keep operating - including incident response, migrations, and the work that does not get a press release.
HOW WE WORK
How a project moves through the studio.
Five phases. Each one ends with a written artifact and a decision.
PHASES
- Conversation
We start with a written exchange and one call. The output is a clear yes or no on whether the engagement is right for both sides - no commitment to scope or timeline yet.
- Discovery
A short, paid discovery: we map the system, the constraints, and the failure modes. The output is a written scope document and an honest cost estimate. You own it whether or not we continue.
- Build
Engineering work in small, reviewable increments. You see what's shipped, what's pending, and what was rejected - every week. No black-box delivery, no surprise deadlines.
- Operate
We stay close to production after launch: incidents, migrations, performance work, and the second-year decisions most teams do not plan for. Operations is part of delivery, not a separate concern.
- Hand off or continue
At the end of an engagement we either hand off cleanly with documentation and a transition plan, or continue under a long-term arrangement. Either is fine; both are 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 engagements, IK Labs designs and operates its own products. IllDoItApp - a task marketplace platform with payments, reputation, and dispute primitives - is one in-market example. The same operational standards we expect from client work apply there too.
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.
The first step is short and written: send context, constraints, and what you would consider a good outcome. We reply with substance - questions, tradeoffs, and a clear path forward. Usually within one business day.