8

I build AI automation and software that grows revenue and takes manual work off your team. Then I keep it running.

I scope, build and maintain software and AI automation for your business. It starts with a free 20-minute call.

Get my options

Free 20-min call: whether I can help, a typical price range, no pressure.

Already have a quote, a plan or an idea, and just want an expert's read on it?

A Software Second Opinion is 90 minutes with a senior engineer and a written summary. $500.

Book a second opinion

Where do you want to start?

Published prices, fixed quotes, and a free options call first.

Scoping Sprint

The first paid build step, after a free options call.

Five business days to find what's worth automating or building, what it's worth, and exactly what it costs. Fixed price, credited in full if we keep going.

$2,500 founding-client price, regular price $5,0005 of 5 founding spots leftIn exchange for the founding rate: a 30-minute feedback call and permission to publish an anonymized case study of the work.

Learn more →

AI Automation

Best if your team spends hours a week on repetitive work.

Turn manual, error-prone work into software that runs itself, connected to the tools you already use, with people reviewing the decisions that matter.

First system typically $25,000–$50,000

Learn more →

MVP Build

Best if you are launching a new product.

A production-ready first version of your product, not a prototype. AI-assisted delivery means it costs less and lands sooner.

Typically $30,000–$75,000

Learn more →

Fractional CTO

Best if you need a technical leader, not a full-time hire.

Senior technical leadership, part-time: strategy, architecture, hiring and vendor decisions, from someone who still ships code.

Advisory from $8,000/month

Learn more →

Rescue & Turnaround

Best if your software is stuck or breaking.

Inherited a mess? I stabilize it, document it and get releases flowing again.

From $15,000

Learn more →

Who you'd work with

Mischa Serlin

Mischa Serlin

Fractional CTO · zCube8

I build AI automation and software that grows revenue and takes manual work off your team. Then I keep it running.

More about me → LinkedIn ↗

FAQ

What does it cost?
Prices are published. The Scoping Sprint is a fixed $2,500 (founding-client price, regular $5,000), and a 90-minute Software Second Opinion is $500. A first AI automation system typically runs $25,000–$50,000, MVP builds typically $30,000–$75,000, rescues start at $15,000, and fractional CTO retainers at $8,000 a month ($18,000 a month with an engineer). Every build is fixed price, set in the sprint, and the sprint fee is credited in full if you go ahead within 30 days. See pricing
Why start with a Scoping Sprint?
Because a quote without scoping is a guess. It's how I've always started engagements: a short discovery phase before any build. The sprint packages that step with a fixed price and fixed deliverables, so you know exactly what you're buying.
Do you work with AI?
Yes, it's most of what I build. For a home health agency, I built an AI referral intake system that signs into their referral portal unattended, reads each referral and routes it to the right intake team. It goes live in October 2026. I also built the AI delivery system I use on client work: staged agents with a human review gate at every step, which is why my builds cost less and land sooner. I pick the right model for the job, not the trending one.
Do I need to be technical?
No. I explain everything in plain language and in terms of time and money. You bring the business problem; I bring the technical judgment.
What does fractional CTO mean?
It's how I work with startups that need senior technical leadership but not a full-time hire. I embed part-time, typically one to three days a week, own technical strategy, unblock your engineers and make architecture decisions. No fluff title; I ship code too.

Not sure where to start?

Tell me what's eating your team's time, or what you want to build. I'll tell you honestly whether I can help.

Get my options

Free 20-min call: whether I can help, a typical price range, no pressure.

Not ready to talk? Rate my workflow (2 min)