Support
Frequently asked questions
The questions we get most often, about who we work with, how engagements run, and what happens after launch.
Who does Eight Bit Studios work with?
We work primarily with non-technical founders building their first real product. If you've got a prototype from Cursor, Bolt, or Lovable and need to turn it into something people actually pay for, or you need a technical partner who can help you figure out what to build and then ship it, we're your fit.
How do Eight Bit Studios engagements work?
All engagements are monthly retainers. We work on a monthly retainer across three modes: Guide, Build, and Live. The mode is where your product is. The level is how much of us you need. Don oversees tech, Steve leads product. Guide Mode is Join, Scout, and Prove. Build Mode is Core, Plus, and Pro. Live Mode is Watch, Keep, and Grow. Pause, cancel, or switch anytime. No fixed-bid contracts, no time-and-materials billing, no long-term lock-in.
What's the difference between the three modes?
Guide Mode is when you need help deciding what to build: Fractional CTO and Fractional Product Lead leadership, technical R&D, and clickable prototypes. Build Mode is when you are ready to ship: full-stack web and mobile development, custom AI integrations, and end-to-end product delivery. Live Mode is for a product already in the wild.
What happens after my product launches?
Once the product goes live, Live Mode begins. Its levels are Watch, Keep, and Grow, and each builds on the one before it: monitoring first, then fixes, then customer support run to resolution. A Live Mode client taking a Build Mode phase for something new is the normal case.
Who else have you built for?
We focus on startups and early-stage founders. We have also built for Vivid Seats, Allstate, Cars.com, and Nielsen, and that experience is part of what you get: the calls we make for a founder are informed by having shipped at that scale. Our sweet spot is helping founders ship their first real product or rescue an AI prototype that hit the wall.
What technologies does Eight Bit Studios use?
We build with Flutter (cross-platform mobile) and Ruby on Rails (backends and web). For AI, we do custom integrations with OpenAI, Anthropic, and other providers, not just thin wrappers. We're stack-opinionated because it lets us ship faster for founders.
Where is Eight Bit Studios based?
Both, really. Don is in Chicago and Steve is in Dallas. We work remote-first with founders across the country, but we're happy to meet in person if you're local.