GRDS // AI

AI WITHOUT THE VIBES.

GRDS // AI

Deploy one high-value AI workflow in 6–8 weeks — measured, secure, and yours to operate.

Built for startups and SMBs who need production AI outcomes — without hiring a full internal team.

Book assessment — fixed price, 2 weeks

From $8k–$15k

// 00 · What We Do

Boutique AI implementation for teams that value outcomes over hype.

Focus
End-to-end AI implementation — from feasibility assessment through production deployment and ongoing measurement.
Philosophy
Ship fast, measure everything, keep costs predictable. No black boxes, no magic — just disciplined engineering with AI.
Scale
Built for startups and SMBs (up to 500 employees) who need production AI outcomes without a full internal data or ML team.

// 01 · Approach

How we work: four phases, zero waste.

  1. Learn

    We embed with your team to understand the problem, the data, the constraints, and the definition of success. Output: a one-page spec with measurable targets.

  2. Design

    Architecture, model selection, cost modeling, and security review. We deliver a technical blueprint that maps directly to your infrastructure and operational constraints.

  3. Implement

    Build, test, harden. We ship in tight cycles with clear checkpoints. Code is handoff-ready — your team owns it from day one, with thorough documentation and no proprietary lock-in.

  4. Measure

    If you can't measure it, you didn't build it. We instrument every output for accuracy, latency, cost, and business impact. Dashboards, alerts, and feedback loops built-in.

// 02 · Differentiators

What sets us apart in a crowded AI market.

Data Security

Deep security, human-centered. We know what it takes to harden production systems without paralyzing the teams that ship them. Every architecture defaults to zero-trust, encrypted-at-rest, and minimal-data collection. Beyond the controls: we design for usability, because security that creates friction creates workarounds.

Cost Discipline

Spend discipline is built into how we work. We track token consumption alongside latency and accuracy from the first prompt. Every dollar of inference spend should be accountable. When you measure carefully, waste stops being a surprise and becomes a solved problem.

Effective Outcomes

Outcomes are measured, not assumed. We define success with you before we start, using the metrics your team already cares about. Every engagement ends by answering one question: did this make things better?

// 02b · Why GRDS

Senior-led. Handoff-ready. No lock-in.

GRDS is a boutique, senior-led firm — not a body shop. We bring years of production AI deployment experience across real business workflows, not slideware pilots.

Every engagement runs on fixed-price milestones with handoff-ready code, docs, and scorecards your team owns. No proprietary lock-in, no open-ended hourly billing.

We're built for startups and SMBs who need one high-value AI workflow in production — without hiring a full internal AI team first.

// 03 · Services

Capabilities.

  • AI Readiness Assessment Feasibility analysis, data audit, cost projection, and risk assessment — delivered in two weeks. From $8k–$15k.

Phase 2 — after assessment findings

  • Custom AI Pipeline Development End-to-end pipelines: ingestion, preprocessing, model orchestration, output validation, and deployment. Built on your stack. Focused pilots from $25k–$45k.
  • Automated Workflows Multi-step workflows with human approval steps — support triage, doc Q&A, internal search. Tool use, memory, planning, and guardrails for production reliability.
  • AI Application Security Prompt injection and jailbreak defense at the model boundary. Data flow controls, output filtering, least-privilege tool execution, and audit logging. For SecOps-side detection and SOC automation, see GRDS // SEC.

Need SecOps, detection engineering, or SOC automation? See GRDS // SEC →

// 04 · Engagement Model

How a project runs.

We start with a free 30-minute fit call. If there's a match, we move into a paid, fixed-price scoping phase before any implementation work begins.

Phase Duration Deliverable Cost Model
Scoping & Proposal 1–2 weeks One-page spec + fixed-price estimate Fixed-price milestone (from $8k–$15k)
Learn & Design 2–4 weeks Technical blueprint + cost model + risk register Fixed-price milestone
Implementation 4–12 weeks Working system + docs + tests + dashboards Fixed-price, milestone-billed
Measurement & Handoff 2–4 weeks Scorecard, runbook, team training Fixed-price milestone
Ongoing Support Optional retainer Monitoring, tuning, escalation support Monthly retainer

// 05 · FAQ

Common questions.

  • Do you work with specific LLM providers or stay vendor-neutral?

    Vendor-neutral by design. We recommend the right model for the task — OpenAI, Anthropic, open-weight models, or a multi-provider routing layer — based on accuracy, cost, and latency requirements. No exclusive partnerships or kickbacks.

  • Do we need a data team to work with you?

    No. Most startup and SMB engagements start with one technical stakeholder and a business sponsor. We handle the AI engineering; you bring domain knowledge and access to your systems. We document everything so your team can operate it after handoff.

  • What if we're mostly on Microsoft (365, Azure, Copilot)?

    We work across Microsoft, AWS, and GCP stacks daily. We'll assess what you already have — including Copilot and Azure OpenAI — before recommending anything new. No rip-and-replace pitches.

  • Can you work alongside our existing dev shop or agency?

    Yes. We often embed alongside internal teams or external agencies on the AI-specific pieces — model selection, pipeline architecture, cost controls, and security hardening — while your existing partners handle the broader product work.

  • Do prices change for regulated industries?

    Fintech, healthcare, and defense engagements typically run 15–25% above listed ranges due to compliance scope, data handling requirements, and tighter change controls.

// 06 · Contact

Let's talk about what you're building.

We start with a free 30-minute fit call. If there's a match, we move into a paid, fixed-price scoping phase — typically $8k–$15k for the AI Readiness Assessment — before any implementation work begins.

hello@grds.io