Forward Deployed Engineerin Costa Rica forSMBs

The model already exists. What's missing is someone inside your team who makes it work against real data, real workflows, and a brand you can actually launch.

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Referencia de diseño — Forward Deployed (1)

Referencia de diseño — Forward Deployed (2)

Referencia de diseño — Forward Deployed (3)

Referencia de diseño — Forward Deployed (4)

Integrate AI into a stack nobody cleaned up

Data in three places, legacy auth, a half-wired CRM, and a workflow that lives between WhatsApp and a spreadsheet. We embed an engineer who writes integration code and leaves the system usable.

Launch an AI product without losing the brand

Connecting a model isn't enough. We design the product surface, empty state, messaging, and handoff so the launch looks serious — not like an internal demo.

Automate operations that stall the team

Lead routing, repeated replies, reporting, customer onboarding: we map the process, build the agent or flow, and connect it to the tools you already use.

Close the gap between ‘we have GPT’ and ‘it runs in production’

Loose prompts and one-off tests aren't a product. We define architecture, guardrails, evaluation, and ownership so your team can sustain it after the engagement.

Accelerate an MVP without hiring a lab FDE

An OpenAI or Anthropic FDE almost never deploys to SMBs. You get the same working pattern — team embed + ownership — at studio scale.

Modernize a legacy flow without rewriting everything

We find the bottleneck, wrap what we can, and build the new layer where it creates value: API, agent, panel, or site — without a six-month big bang.

Testimonials

Happy clients

In two months we doubled our contact form submissions without increasing our ad budget. They prioritized the highest-traffic pages and every change was live the next day in Webflow.

Elena MoralesCommercial Director · Logística regional

We needed a site that marketing could update without relying on developers. They delivered it in Webflow with a CMS, animations, and clear documentation for the whole team.

Andrés CamposHead of Marketing · Fintech regional

We went from almost zero visibility in AI search to being cited in answers about our niche. Organic traffic grew month over month with a clear GEO strategy.

Valentina RuizGrowth Lead · Consultora B2B

Our old site didn't reflect the quality of our service. The redesign clarified the message, sped up load times, and we finally have a homepage that turns visits into meetings.

Roberto SánchezFounder · Estudio creativo

They migrated our site from WordPress without losing rankings. Redirects, content, and integrations were all ready in two weeks, with zero drama at launch.

Patricia NúñezCOO · E-commerce local

Since Flow started maintaining the site we haven't had any downtime or broken forms. Small improvements ship fast and we always know what changed and why.

Diego HerreraOperations Manager · Clínica privada

They connected HubSpot, analytics, and automations to our Webflow site. We finally see which campaign each lead comes from, and the sales team stopped chasing data across silos.

Laura MéndezMarketing Director · Edtech

The new identity unified our pitch deck, website, and campaigns. For the first time everything feels like the same brand, and that showed in prospects' trust from the very first meeting.

Carmen SolísCEO · Healthtech

Embedded in your context, not a ticket queue

We work in your repos, with your stakeholders and constraints. The engineer understands the business and ships production — not a PDF of ‘recommendations’.

Vendor-neutral by structure

We don't sell token quota. We pick the model (or none) based on latency, cost, compliance, and task quality. Neutrality is the default, not a slogan.

Product + brand + engineering in one pod

Lab FDEs integrate; they rarely name the product, design the empty state, or write the launch. Flow™ closes that half: design, messaging, and a surface ready for users.

Startup-CTO mindset, outcome ownership

We prioritize the outcome: live feature, moved metric, documented handoff. If the scope isn't a fit, we say so on the first call.

Built for ventures in Costa Rica and LatAm

WhatsApp, SINPE, small teams, real budgets. We adapt the enterprise FDE model to local pace and market — in Spanish and English.

Clear exit criteria

Week 4 and week 8 with written milestones. If they aren't met, we pause or restructure. No endless retainer without deliverables.

Proceso

From brief to system in production

We go from a one-paragraph problem to code, interface, and handoff — with ownership at every stage.

Week 1 — Brief and opportunity map
What happens
We land the problem in one sentence, the user in one sentence, and the ‘why now’. We audit stack, data, compliance, and workflows. We define what is AI and what isn't.
What you get
A written brief, a prioritized opportunity map, and the pod shape (who joins and for how long).
Weeks 2–4 — Embed and first outcome
What happens
The engineer embeds in your cadence: repo, standups, stakeholders. We build the first slice in staging — integration, agent, or product surface — and align design/messaging if in scope.
What you get
A usable first deliverable, a decision log, and kill/continue criteria for week 4.
Weeks 5–10 — Production and full surface
What happens
We ship to production, harden evaluation and edge cases, connect CRM/analytics, and close the brand or launch layer if needed. We document internal ownership.
What you get
A live system, basic metrics, a runbook, and a handoff plan.
Close — Handoff and autonomy
What happens
We train your team, transfer repos and access, and leave a clear list of what to maintain vs. what to iterate next.
What you get
An autonomous team, clear IP, and an optional light retainer only if you need it.

Founders who already tried ‘hire one great AI engineer’

Landing that lab profile takes months and competes with offers a venture can’t match. You need throughput now, not a hypothetical headcount.

Product teams stuck with half-done AI

You have demos, prompts, and an internal pilot. You need someone to close it against real auth, data, and UX.

Operations drowning in repeatable work

Support, onboarding, or reporting eat the team. An FDE builds the flow; you keep selling.

Mid-market studios and SaaS the labs don't serve

OpenAI/Anthropic FDEs go to banks, government, and healthcare. This model is the sized analog for 11–500 employees.

Businesses that need brand and integration together

If the AI feature is the news of the quarter, the missing half is the launch. We include it when scope calls for it.

Teams that want vendor neutrality

If you already standardized on one provider and that's fine, their FDE may be enough. If you can't yet pick the winning model per task, you want a team with no quota incentive.

Embedded engineer

Integration code, agents, APIs, and refactors that unblock deploy. Present in your working cadence.

Product design and brand (as scoped)

Empty states, UI, feature identity, and visual consistency so the ship feels like a product — not an experiment.

Strategy and an honest brief

A PM-strategist who owns the decision log, interviews users, and says no when scope bloats.

Launch and messaging (optional)

Launch copy, announcement sequence, and assets when the outcome is a public story — not just a merge.

Evaluation and guardrails

Tests, response evaluation, cost limits, and data policies so the system doesn't fail silently.

Handoff with ownership

Documentation, access, and training so your team sustains the system without depending on us.

Toolstack

Tools of the Forward Deployed Engineer

We pick the stack for the problem — not for this month's quota.

Claude

Agents, long-document analysis, and judgmental chat. Vendor-neutral.

OpenAI

Extraction, code, and APIs when the job calls for it.

Gemini

Multimodality and Google-tool integration.

TypeScript

Typed integrations and APIs in the language your team already uses.

Python

Automation, data, and agent orchestration.

Webflow

Editable product surfaces ready for marketing handoff.

Astro

Fast sites optimized for SEO and GEO.

Framer

Prototypes and motion-led sites when design leads.

Zapier

Fast operational flows without a custom backend.

Make

Conditional automation for more complex operations.

HubSpot

Lead routing, sync, and commercial automation.

Figma

Product design and specs so engineering and brand move in parallel.

Drag to explore

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Book your call

What is a Forward Deployed Engineer?

A senior engineer who works from inside your business, not from a generic ticket queue. They turn real needs into code, integrations, and interfaces: auth, data, CRM, AI agents, and the workflows your team already uses. The model started at Palantir and spread to labs like OpenAI and Anthropic for enterprise accounts; Flow™ sizes it for ventures and mid-market teams in Costa Rica.

How is this different from an agency or a fractional CTO?

A fractional CTO advises. An agency ships remote projects. A Forward Deployed Engineer writes production code, decides with your team, and is measured on outcomes inside your stack. At Flow™ we also add design, messaging, and launch — the layer a lab FDE usually leaves out.

Who is this service for?

Teams of roughly 10–500 people who need to integrate AI or digital product now — without waiting 8–12 months to hire a lab-grade profile. Ideal if your data is scattered, your workflows are half-built, and the product must look and sell — not just ‘work’.

Do you sell a specific AI model?

No. We're vendor-neutral: we pick Claude, GPT, Gemini, or open source based on the job. We don't sell tokens, so there's no incentive to push the wrong model. If a workflow shouldn't be AI at all, we say so.

How long does a typical engagement last?

Three to six months, with a small pod (embedded engineer plus design/product as needed). Under three months is usually a delivery sprint; past six months we plan an internal handoff. We set week-4 and week-8 exit criteria up front.

Do you work remote or on-site?

Async-first, with presence when it matters: workshops, kickoffs, and intensive weeks. We don't travel two days a week for show — we schedule physical or virtual co-presence based on security, geography, and project moments.

How do we get started?

Book a 30-minute call. Bring one paragraph with the problem, the user, and why now. If it's a fit, we lock the brief, pod shape, and start date. Book with Flow™.

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