_Forward Deployed Engineer
We sell by _building. Not by pitching.
Forward Deployed Engineering is the model Palantir, Clay, and OpenAI use to win enterprise deals. Instead of pitching slides, an engineer embeds with your team and builds a working system. We offer the same model to founders and agencies.
What is a Forward Deployed _Engineer?
A Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) is a software engineer who embeds directly with a client team to build a working solution inside their environment. The term was coined at Palantir, then adopted by Clay and other AI-era companies for engineers who deploy into customer settings to build systems rather than ship pre-packaged software.
The modern version of the FDE is the operator who replaces the traditional sales pitch with a working proof-of-concept. Instead of a deck arguing why their product would work, the FDE builds the integration during the evaluation. The result is undeniable because it is already running.
We use the same model. When you describe a problem, our default move is to build the solution rather than write you a proposal about building the solution.
What an FDE engagement looks like with _us
Fixed-scope sprints
2 to 12 weeks, defined outcome, fixed price. No hourly billing surprises.
Embedded in your team
Slack, GitHub, your tools. Daily async updates, weekly calls only when needed.
Real architecture calls
We make decisions in the moment instead of escalating every choice back to you.
Working software, not slides
End of sprint, you have a system that runs in production. Not a recommendation document.
Full handoff
Code, accounts, infrastructure, documentation. All transferred. Fire us and nothing breaks.
Optional retainer continuation
If you want us to keep building after the sprint, roll into the Technical Partner tier.
_Pricing
Project-based fixed price, or as part of the Technical Partner retainer.
_Project-based
Custom
Fixed scope, fixed price. Typically $1.5K to $25K depending on sprint length and complexity.
_Ongoing
$5-8K/mo
Technical Partner. 80 hours/month of hands-on engineering plus advisory.
Tell us what to _build
Describe the problem. We come back with a fixed-scope sprint proposal in 48 hours.
_Common questions
What is a Forward Deployed Engineer?
A Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) is a software engineer who embeds directly with a client team to build a working solution inside their environment. The term was coined at Palantir and is now widely adopted across AI-era companies like Clay and OpenAI. FDEs replace traditional consulting pitches with working proof-of-concept systems, then hand off the code.
How is an FDE different from a contractor or consultant?
A contractor typically takes a spec and ships features. A consultant typically writes recommendations. An FDE does both: lives inside your team during a defined sprint, makes architecture and product calls in the moment, builds the system end to end, and leaves you with running software (not a deck).
When should I hire an FDE instead of a regular agency?
When the problem is not yet well-defined enough to write a spec, when the value lives in the integration with your existing systems, when speed of proof matters more than long-term staffing, or when you need a senior engineer to make calls in real time rather than escalate every decision.
How does zer0xception engage as an FDE?
Fixed-scope sprints from 2 to 12 weeks, or as part of the $5-8K/mo Technical Partner tier where 80 hours per month are dedicated hands-on engineering. You define the outcome, we embed, build, and hand off. Code, accounts, infrastructure, all yours.
Who is FDE engagement best suited for?
Founders with a vibe-coded MVP that needs production hardening, technical leaders running enterprise evaluations who want a working proof-of-concept built for them, agencies that need to deliver a technical project but lack the in-house engineering, and companies adopting AI infrastructure that needs to be wired into their existing stack.