What we do
Strategy and delivery, in one place.
Most clients need both — someone to work out the right direction, and someone to build it. At Altitude, the same person does both: no layers, no handoffs, no re-briefing halfway through.
Work ranges from startup advisory and go-to-market strategy through to full-stack application development, AI implementation, and ongoing technology programme support. Most engagements involve more than one of these — and most relationships continue well past the first project.
The approach is the same regardless of industry: start with the problem, define it properly, build the right thing, stay involved after.
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The thinking work
Strategy & Go-to-Market
For founders and operators who need a concrete direction — not a list of options — before the work starts. The decisions made here determine whether everything that follows succeeds or struggles.
This covers go-to-market strategy, positioning, pricing, competitive framing, and operating models — as well as the earlier-stage work that founders often need but find hard to source in one place: business planning, pitch deck development, investor readiness, and the strategic foundation that gives a new business something to execute against rather than a set of good intentions.
The brief usually starts broad. The job is to narrow it to the decisions that actually move the needle, and the sequencing that makes them stick. The output is a plan the team can execute — not a framework that requires a consultant in the room to interpret.
Who this is for
Early-stage founders who need the foundation right before they build momentum on it. Teams with a product that's working but without a clear plan for scaling it. Operators entering a new market or segment. Founders preparing to raise who need the strategy and the narrative to match.
In practice
- A property software startup needed to move from founder-led sales to a repeatable GTM motion. We defined the ICP, rewrote the positioning, built the sales playbook, and ran the first three pipeline reviews.
- A professional services firm launching a new product line needed a launch strategy and a pricing model. We built both, then ran the stakeholder alignment sessions to get it signed off.
The thinking work
Technology Consultancy
For organisations facing a major technology decision — platform selection, a rebuild, a vendor change — who need clarity before budget is committed to the wrong direction.
This covers requirements definition, platform evaluation, build-versus-buy analysis, architecture review, and programme governance. Experience across full-stack development, database design, enterprise platforms, and integration layers means the evaluation is grounded in what things actually cost to build and maintain — not just what vendors say they do.
Most useful where the technical and commercial decisions are tangled together: where the platform choice changes the operating model, where the brief was written by someone with assumptions that haven't been examined, or where stakeholders with different incentives need to be aligned before anything is built.
Who this is for
Organisations facing a major technology decision — platform selection, a rebuild, a vendor change — and needing clarity before money is committed. Teams where the technical and commercial decisions are tangled together.
In practice
- A property development business needed to choose between building a custom platform and adopting an enterprise system. We defined the requirements, ran the vendor evaluation, and made the recommendation with a full cost and risk model.
- An insurance business needed to align a board-level technology investment with the operating model it would create. We built the business case and ran the sessions.
Most engagements involve both. The thinking work and the delivery work are not separate tracks — the same person moves between them, which means the strategy stays grounded in what is actually buildable, and the delivery stays anchored to what it is trying to achieve. Most relationships that start with a project continue well past it.
The delivery work
Web & App Development
Full-stack design and build, personally led from scoping through delivery and into the ongoing relationship that usually follows.
Work ranges across SaaS platforms, internal tools, client portals, marketing sites, backend APIs, and complex integrations — including integrations with legacy systems, enterprise data sources, and third-party platforms. Built across the full stack in TypeScript, Python, and SQL: frontend and backend, relational and document databases, APIs, and the infrastructure underneath.
The stack is chosen to fit the problem, not the other way around. What doesn't change is the standard: code that's clean, maintainable, and built to be extended or handed over — not just shipped and forgotten. Most clients who start a project continue with a retainer. That only works if what was built is worth maintaining.
Who this is for
Founders who need a production-grade system, not just a prototype. Businesses that have outgrown generic software and need something built to fit their workflow. Teams wanting ongoing support — someone who built the system and stays involved as it grows.
In practice
- A risk intelligence startup needed their platform rebuilt from a prototype into a production-grade system. We redesigned the architecture, rewrote the backend, and shipped to a live client base.
- A small construction business needed a job management and invoicing tool built to fit their exact workflow. We scoped it in a week, built it in six, and trained the team.
The delivery work
AI & Automation
AI is genuinely useful in specific places. The work is finding those places, building the right solution, and implementing it in a way the team will actually use — not commissioning a proof of concept that never leaves the demo.
This covers identifying the highest-value use cases, building the business case, and implementing with Claude, OpenAI, and RelevanceAI — with RelevanceAI as the preferred platform for enterprise-grade client-facing deployments. The technical build is one part of it. The enablement work — helping the people affected actually change how they work — is equally important, because a tool nobody uses hasn't solved anything.
AI is frequently oversold. The approach here is deliberately conservative: find the two or three applications that will create genuine, measurable value, build those properly, and expand from a foundation that works — rather than deploying a dozen integrations to look comprehensive. We know how to scope these projects realistically, connect them to outcomes the business can measure, and keep them from becoming indefinite research exercises.
Who this is for
Businesses who want to understand where AI genuinely fits their operations — not where a vendor says it fits. Teams who want something built and adopted, not a proof of concept that impresses in a demo and disappears after.
In practice
- A professional services firm wanted to reduce time spent on document review. We identified the highest-value use case, integrated with their existing systems, and built an enablement programme for the 12 people affected.
- A construction business needed to automate quoting workflows. We built an AI-assisted quoting tool that reduced turnaround time by 60% and integrated with their existing CRM.
Ongoing
Ongoing Strategic Support
For founders and business leaders who want consistent senior input without the overhead of a full-time hire.
Many engagements continue as a retainer after the first project completes. This covers business strategy and review, operating model work, technology roadmap input, workforce planning, and general strategic support — the kind of thinking that benefits from someone who already understands the business and can engage at the right level without being briefed from scratch each time.
This is different from a delivery retainer. It's not primarily about maintaining a platform (though that's often part of it) — it's about having a trusted advisor available as the business faces new decisions, new directions, and new problems. Reviewed quarterly. Flexible on mix of work.
Who this is for
Founders and CEOs who want a senior advisor available as the business grows — someone with the context to give useful input quickly, without the overhead of a large retained consultancy.
Engagement models
How engagements are structured.
Project
Fixed scope, defined deliverables, clear end date. Best for a specific thing that needs to be built or solved. Typical duration: 4–12 weeks.
Start a projectRetainer
Ongoing access to strategy, advice, and delivery. Best for teams that need consistent senior input without a full-time hire. Monthly commitment reviewed quarterly.
Discuss a retainerAdvisory
A focused relationship for founders and leadership teams. Structured calls, direct access, no project overhead. Best for organisations navigating decisions, not yet ready to build.
Book a callThe process
Five stages, every engagement.
Brief
You share what you're working on and what good looks like. We ask the questions that tighten the scope.
Scope document
We produce a written scope: what's in, what's out, timeline, and definition of done. Agreed before work starts.
Build / Deliver
The same senior team that scoped it delivers it. Regular check-ins, no surprises.
Review
We instrument what matters, watch the results, and adjust where needed.
Handover or continue
Clean handover with documentation, or we keep going if there's more to do.
Common questions
Frequently asked.
How do you handle handoffs to internal teams?
We plan for handoffs from the start — documented decisions, clear architecture records, and a formal handover session with everyone who'll support the system after. We stay available for questions post-handoff and respond promptly.
Do you work with teams that already have developers?
Yes, regularly. We work alongside existing developers — sometimes leading architecture and delivery, sometimes augmenting capability in a specific area. We agree on where responsibilities sit before the engagement starts.
What's the minimum engagement size?
There's no fixed minimum. We take on focused two-to-four week pieces of work as well as longer engagements. What matters is a clear scope and a defined outcome.
How quickly can you start?
Typically within one to two weeks from scoping. We'll tell you at the first conversation if we have a period where lead times are longer.
Do you work remotely or on-site?
Primarily remote, with on-site sessions where they add genuine value — discovery workshops, stakeholder alignment, and key delivery milestones.
What happens if the scope changes mid-engagement?
We handle it directly. We assess the impact, agree any changes in writing, and adjust the plan accordingly. Scope changes are always explicit and costed — never absorbed silently.
How we engage
No handoffs to junior teams.
The process is straightforward by design. We do not add complexity to look thorough — we add it where it prevents problems later.
Discovery first
Every engagement starts with a clear scope. We define what is needed, what success looks like, what is out of bounds, and what constraints shape the work. That document is agreed before anything is built.
Senior delivery
You work directly with the people doing the work throughout. Strategy, design, and build are led by the same team from brief to launch — no handoffs, no re-briefing.
Close to outcomes
We stay involved beyond launch. We instrument what matters, watch the results, and adjust where needed. The engagement is done when the outcome is demonstrably clear.
The same team that shapes the plan ships the work.
There is no account layer between you and the people building. The consultants who define the approach are the same ones writing the code, running the sessions, and accountable for what gets delivered.
Tell us what you're working on.
We'll work out the right scope and move with momentum from there.