Fernpath Labs

Small team. Senior only.
Software that ships.

Fernpath Labs is a boutique software studio near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We build prototypes, MVPs and long-running product rails for founders who value judgment over headcount.

Engagements

Rapid Prototype

from $9,500 · 2–3 weeks

A focused sprint that turns an idea into a working, demoable product.

  • one senior engineer, AI-augmented workflow
  • deployed preview + handover session
  • scoped flat fee, no surprises

MVP Sprint

from $24,000 · 4–6 weeks

Everything needed to put a real product in front of first users.

  • architecture, build, deploy, instrumentation
  • weekly written updates
  • codebase you actually own

Fractional Founding Engineer

$14,000 / month

An ongoing retainer for teams that need senior judgment, not a hiring cycle.

  • dedicated capacity, async-first
  • code review and technical direction
  • pause or cancel monthly
Most of our client work is covered by NDA, so we don't publish a portfolio. References are available on request after an introduction. We work async and by email — no sales calls, no account managers.

How we work

We are deliberately small. Every engagement is run by an engineer with 15+ years of shipping experience, using a heavily AI-augmented development loop — the honest version of what the internet calls vibe-coding: fast iteration, senior review, tests and reversibility built in. You get weekly written updates, clean handover, and no lock-in.

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