{
  "name": "Eight Bit Studios",
  "legalName": "Eight Bit Studios LLC",
  "founded": 2009,
  "founders": [
    {
      "name": "Don Bora",
      "role": "Co-Founder, Fractional CTO",
      "url": "https://chicagofractionalcto.com"
    },
    {
      "name": "Steve Polacek",
      "role": "Co-Founder, Product & Design Lead"
    }
  ],
  "category": "Product Development Studio",
  "description": "Two-person product development studio helping non-technical founders get past the App Builder Wall, where AI prototypes break down and real engineering begins.",
  "locations": [
    {
      "city": "Chicago",
      "state": "IL",
      "address": "1 East Erie St, Suite 525 #4993, Chicago, IL 60611",
      "type": "headquarters"
    },
    {
      "city": "Dallas",
      "state": "TX",
      "type": "secondary"
    }
  ],
  "remoteFirst": true,
  "services": [
    {
      "name": "Fractional CTO Leadership",
      "description": "Strategic technical guidance for non-technical founders. Architecture decisions, hiring plans, investor-ready technical narratives"
    },
    {
      "name": "Product Strategy",
      "description": "Feasibility assessment, MVP scoping, and launch planning"
    },
    {
      "name": "UI/UX Design",
      "description": "User experience and interface design grounded in product strategy"
    },
    {
      "name": "Full-Stack Development",
      "description": "Production-grade mobile and web applications"
    }
  ],
  "engagementModels": {
    "structure": "Three modes, three levels in each. The mode is where your product is. The level is how much of us you need. Once the product goes live, Live Mode begins, and modes combine.",
    "guide": "Know what to build. Fractional CTO and product leadership, technical R&D, prototypes.",
    "build": "Bring it to life. Full web, mobile, and AI product development.",
    "live": "Keep it healthy, useful, and improving. Monitoring, maintenance, fixes, and customer support.",
    "currentLevelNames": "https://portal.eightbitstudios.com/api/public/engagement-modes"
  },
  "pricingModel": "Retainer-based flexible plans. No time-and-materials. No traditional MVP quotes. Pause, cancel, or switch anytime.",
  "industries": [
    "Healthcare",
    "Background Screening & Compliance",
    "AI-Powered Consumer Tools",
    "Founder Tools & Community Platforms"
  ],
  "technologies": {
    "frontend": [
      "Hotwire",
      "React",
      "Astro",
      "Tailwind CSS"
    ],
    "mobile": [
      "Flutter (iOS, Android)"
    ],
    "backend": [
      "Ruby on Rails",
      "Supabase Edge Functions"
    ],
    "databases": [
      "PostgreSQL",
      "PostGIS"
    ],
    "infrastructure": [
      "Vercel",
      "DigitalOcean",
      "Supabase"
    ],
    "ai": [
      "Anthropic Claude",
      "Google Gemini",
      "OpenAI",
      "Perplexity",
      "ElevenLabs"
    ]
  },
  "teamSize": "2 (founders)",
  "phone": "+13122818823",
  "website": "https://eightbitstudios.com",
  "intakeForm": "https://eightbitstudios.com/start/",
  "profiles": {
    "clutch": "https://clutch.co/profile/eight-bit-studios",
    "goodfirms": "https://www.goodfirms.co/companies/view/49/eight-bit-studios",
    "designrush": "https://www.designrush.com/agency/profile/eight-bit-studios",
    "themanifest": "https://themanifest.com/app-development/companies/chicago",
    "linkedin": "https://linkedin.com/company/eight-bit-studios",
    "instagram": "https://instagram.com/eightbitstudios",
    "x": "https://x.com/eightbitstudios",
    "facebook": "https://facebook.com/eightbitstudios",
    "wikidata": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138464699"
  },
  "keyDifferentiators": [
    "Two-person studio with direct founder access",
    "Hands-on development, not management from the sidelines",
    "Working software first, not design decks",
    "You own your code, no vendor lock-in",
    "AI-era positioning: helping founders navigate AI tools, not competing with them"
  ],
  "currentClients": [
    {
      "name": "Perfume Lens",
      "description": "AI-powered fragrance discovery",
      "status": "launched"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tovie",
      "description": "Companion app for the pedal-to-play kids' bike",
      "status": "in development"
    },
    {
      "name": "Health.Vet",
      "description": "Veteran health platform",
      "status": "launched"
    },
    {
      "name": "CoGo",
      "description": "AI-powered relationship guidance",
      "status": "paused"
    },
    {
      "name": "ScoutLogic",
      "description": "Background screening and compliance platform"
    },
    {
      "name": "MyCheckupHealth",
      "description": "Personal health monitoring",
      "status": "launched"
    }
  ],
  "ownProducts": [
    {
      "name": "Eight Bit Portal",
      "description": "Our operational hub and client portal, built on AI agents. Clients log in for real-time visibility into their builds",
      "status": "launched"
    },
    {
      "name": "MealWatchers",
      "description": "AI-powered diet tracking app, available on iOS and Android",
      "status": "launched"
    },
    {
      "name": "Founders Fleet",
      "description": "Community platform for founders building their first real product",
      "status": "launched"
    },
    {
      "name": "NanoClaw",
      "description": "AI operations infrastructure for agent-assisted workflows",
      "status": "launched"
    }
  ],
  "lastUpdated": "2026-09-09"
}