Data typed in by hand
Someone retypes orders, invoices or prices from one system into another.
AI for companies that don’t sell softwareAI for non-software companies
Forward Deployed
Engineer Services
Our 100% US-based senior engineers join your team, find the work AI should do and build it into your systems.
- A founder on every project
- A ranked list of AI work
- AI built into your ERP
- Code you own
Trusted by teams at
Book a free call
30 minutes with Pete Whiting on whether our engineers fit.
Case study · Counter Culture Coffee
What our engineers found at Counter Culture Coffee
79AI and automation ideas scored and ranked
15+interviews with the people who do the work
10top ideas planned out for building
Counter Culture Coffee's data was spread across NetSuite, Shopify and Zoho.
We scored every idea on what it saves, what it costs to build and whether the data is ready.
The top 10 add up to $1.5M in potential savings.
"The engagement gave us a roadmap that we're using to flow into our 3-year plan."
Also · GSC EnterprisesIn four weeks, we made AI part of how GSC's engineers build software. Those engineers then trained 70 GSC leaders on AI.
Five signs
Signs you need forward deployed engineers
AI tools few people use
You renew the licenses each year, and few people use them.
Demos that never go live
A demo worked on one laptop, then stalled when it had to touch the ERP.
A board asking for an AI plan
Someone was asked to find places to use AI, on top of a full-time job.
Too few engineers to take this on
Your own team has no time to take this on, or you have no engineers at all.
Inside your company
What our engineers do in your business
First, 6 to 8 weeks at a fixed price to map how your team works and rank the AI work. Then you decide what to build, and who builds it.
Example: a customer emails an order, and someone types every line into the ERP.
Your AI work list, ranked
- 1 Orders from email into the ERPBuilding
- 2 Matching invoices to ordersNext
- 3 The month-end reportLater
You decide what we build first.
- 01
Sit with your team
We watch how orders get entered and write down every step.
- 02
Rank the work
We score retyping orders on what it saves, what it costs and if the data is ready.
- Orders from email into the ERPBuilding03
Build it into your ERP
AI reads the email, finds the customer and fills in the order for a rep to check.
- 04
Sign off
Your reps test it and sign off before it goes live.
- 05
Hand it over
It runs in your own systems, and you own the code. Then you pick the next task.
Staff augmentation or a team
A team that finds the work, then builds it
Staff augmentation
Gnar's forward deployed team
How the work gets picked
Staff augmentationYou tell them what to build
Gnar's forward deployed teamYou pick from a list we rank with you
Who you get
Staff augmentationEngineers you manage
Gnar's forward deployed teamA small senior US team, with a founder on every project
How you pay
Staff augmentationBy the hour
Gnar's forward deployed teamA fixed price for the mapping and each build. Any build overage is on us.
The triple guarantee
The Only Firm To Offer A Triple Guarantee
It covers the build.
Guaranteed Price
The number we quote is the number you pay. Any overage is on us.
Guaranteed Outcome
The software works the way we agreed, or we fix it.
12-Month Warranty
For 12 months after launch, we fix any code that doesn't work the way we agreed, at no charge.
Four steps
How we work with you
- 0130 minutes
A free call
Talk with Pete Whiting about a task that costs your team time. He will tell you if we fit.
- 026 to 8 weeks
Map and rank the work
At a fixed price, we rank every idea and plan the first build. Building it is a separate decision.
- 03A fixed price
Build it in your systems
We build the task you pick into the systems you already run. Builds typically run $150K to $300K+. The people who use it test and approve it before launch.
- 04Code included
You own what we build
You get the code and written instructions. If you want, two to four of your people build with ours and learn as we go.
What clients say
What it's like to work with Gnar
4.8/5 from 20 reviews on Clutch
James Wong
Director of Product Management
@ Vermont Mutual
They’ve been able to integrate with our team. We don’t view them as a third-party at all.
Amit Kapoor
Chief Executive Officer
@ First Line Technology
We weren’t just a project to them. Even now, they catch up and ask how the app is running, and not from a sales standpoint. They really care about our end-users.
Noelle Mykolenko
CEO
@ Trusted Advisor Associates
I always felt like they cared about us and our success more than just completing the work.
Our engineering team spent a fraction of their time (from many hours per week down to < 1 hour per week) supporting API customers.
Since Gnar started working with the AARP Foundation Property Tax-Aide, these digital tools have helped over 28,000 people apply for and, if eligible, obtain over $10M in property tax relief.
Work was accurately estimated and completed within the timeframes planned.
…they help make important business decisions; they acknowledge what I want to do but also help me understand the alternatives we have. In a nutshell, their thoughtfulness and communication have blown me away.
Our system is quite complicated, and Gnar was really able to be productive quickly without a lot of ramping up.
Delivery was on time and the team was responsive and professional during the entire process with weekly checkin meetings.
From the first conversation, Pete and Mike were open and curious about our project and, more importantly, about our company and how this project helped us help our clients.
…we ended up agreeing with 100% of their change requests because they were so well explained.
…they offered out great ideas, more efficient ways things could be done if applicable and were cost conscious. I would recommend them to anyone.
They care about the quality of their work, and the satisfaction of their clients. They take the time to understand what you are trying to achieve.
I would describe the engagement as highly successful.
They were really great partners, not only in getting the work done but also in helping us drive the software in the right direction.
I very rarely have to over-prescribe the work, Alex does a great job of listening to stakeholders which requires less work for me to best define a solution.
We like that they are a small, nimble company like we are, and that they are invested in our success.
It was always easy to work with the company founders, who went out of their way to meet our needs
The team also responds to pivots in priority very well and are willing to dig into problems with you to make sure the solution is right.
Future clients should trust them and take advantage of their extensive knowledge and expertise.
They did a good job of jumping in and learning the in's and out's of the application quickly to begin building right away.
Creative, timely, flexible, organized, personable, and strong technical skills.
They were able to advise us on good long-term approaches and strategies for frontend development.
Questions we hear on calls
Common questions
What is a forward deployed engineer?
A software engineer who joins your team's daily work. Ours find the tasks AI should do and build them into your systems.
Why not use an AI company's own engineers?
An AI company's engineers are there to get you using its product well. Ours start from your problem. Claude is our default, and we use Google's Gemini when it fits the task better.
Do you work with our ERP and other systems?
Yes. AI reads from your systems and changes only what you allow. Every action is logged. We build one task at a time.
Who will be on our team?
A small team of US-based senior engineers, with a founder on every project. The same people map the work and build it. They work your hours, in your time zone.
How much does it cost?
The mapping takes 6 to 8 weeks at a fixed price. Each build gets its own fixed price before we start. Builds typically run $150K to $300K+. If a build runs over, the overage is on us.
Do we have to build what you find?
No. Building is a separate decision, made later, with us or anyone else.
Who do you work with?
US companies with over $10 million in yearly revenue that don't sell software. The call is usually with a CEO, COO, CFO or CTO who owns the result.
Should our own team do this instead?
Often they should. If your own team has the capacity and the direction, do it internally. Pete will say so on the call.
The call
Where should AI start in your business?
You get a free 30-minute call with Pete Whiting, Head of Sales at Gnar.
- Bring a task that costs your team time, or the question your AI plan has to answer.
- Pete tells you whether forward deployed engineers fit, and what the mapping costs.
- You hear how the fixed build price and the guarantee work.
- If your own team should do it, he will say so.
Book a free call
30 minutes with Pete Whiting.