Prototype & Integration Engineering
Prototype and integration engineering builds the smallest working version that settles a technical or commercial question. It is for fintech teams deciding between providers, exposing product capability through an API or MCP server, or carrying a roadmap item nobody can scope because nobody has built against the API yet. It produces running code, a reference integration, and a build-or-buy recommendation with evidence.
- Project format
- Focused technical spike, or a build inside a broader commercialization project
- Typical timeline
- 2 to 3 weeks for a spike, longer where provider onboarding or credentials gate the work
- Connects with
- Founders, CTOs, heads of product, and engineering teams who take the code back
The business problem
Provider selection, API commercialization, and agent access all get decided in slide decks by people who have never made a call against the sandbox. The result is a six-month integration nobody scoped correctly, a pricing model that ignores what the API actually does under load, or an agent surface that exposes more than anyone intended. The fastest way to end an unfalsifiable argument is to build the smallest version and read what happens.
Who this is for
- Product and engineering leaders choosing between payment, banking, or stablecoin providers
- Teams that want an MCP server or agent-facing API surface and have no internal capacity to spike it
- Founders who need a working demo for a partner, an investor, or a design partner conversation
- Commercial teams whose roadmap keeps stalling on questions only code can answer
When you need it
- A provider decision is stuck in comparison spreadsheets and nobody has touched the sandbox
- Partners or customers want to reach your product through an assistant and the scope is undefined
- A roadmap item cannot be estimated because the integration surface is unknown
- A demo is needed for a specific conversation and internal engineering is committed elsewhere
Decisions it resolves
- 01Which provider survives contact with its own sandbox, measured rather than argued
- 02What the integration actually costs in engineering time, not what the sales engineer estimated
- 03Which capabilities are exposed to agents, under what scopes, limits, and audit logging
- 04What is built in-house, what is bought, and what is deliberately not built at all
- 05Whether the prototype proves the thesis or kills it, decided against criteria set before the build
Outcomes
What changes when this capability moves from concept to application.
Running code, not a recommendation memo
A prototype or reference integration that runs, with a README, environment configuration, and a commit history your engineers can read. It is handed over, not demonstrated and withdrawn.
An answer with evidence behind it
What the API does under real conditions, where the documentation is wrong, which failure modes appear, and what the integration will cost to finish properly.
An agent surface with a defined boundary
Where the work covers MCP or agent access, tools are scoped explicitly, authentication and rate limits are defined, and every call is logged. Nothing is exposed by default.
Representative outputs
The exact mix depends on the product, system, and question being tested.
- 01Working prototype or reference integration against provider sandboxes
- 02MCP server or agent-facing API surface with scoped tools, auth, and logging
- 03Provider evaluation with measured results rather than feature-matrix comparison
- 04Evaluation harness and test cases where output quality has to be judged
- 05Technical findings memo covering failure modes, gaps, and undocumented behavior
- 06Build-or-buy recommendation with the engineering cost to finish
- 07Repository handover with README, configuration, and known limitations documented
How the work runs
Write the question down first. A spike that starts without a falsifiable question produces a demo and no decision. The project opens by stating what would count as a pass and what would count as a fail, in writing, before any credentials are requested.
Build against the real sandbox. Provider documentation describes the intended path. The sandbox describes the actual one. The gap between them is usually where the integration estimate lives: undocumented required fields, error codes that do not match the spec, rate limits that appear under concurrency, webhooks that arrive out of order or twice.
Scope the surface explicitly. Where the work exposes capability to agents through MCP or a public API, every tool is declared with its input schema, its permission scope, and its limits. Read and write are separated. Anything with a financial or irreversible effect requires an explicit approval step rather than a trusting default.
Hand it over. The repository, the configuration, the findings, and the limitations. If the honest conclusion is that the integration is harder than the roadmap assumed, the memo says so with the evidence that supports it.
Where this pays in fintech specifically
Choosing between payment, banking, or stablecoin infrastructure providers before signing a contract. Standing up an agent-facing surface over an existing API. Testing whether a settlement, payout, or onboarding flow works the way the provider describes. Producing a working demo for a design-partner conversation where a slide would not survive the first technical question.
What you get
A repository you own, a reference integration or MCP server that runs, measured findings from the provider sandbox, an evaluation harness where output quality matters, and a build-or-buy recommendation with the cost to finish.
Related project format
Technical Spike & Reference Build
Typically 2 to 3 weeks, depending on provider onboarding and credentials
Turn a stuck technical question into a running prototype, measured findings, and a decision your engineering team can act on.
Explore all projectsThis is prototype and integration work, not production platform delivery. The code is written to be read, extended, and hardened by your engineering team. Security review, compliance sign-off, production operation, and anything touching live customer funds stay with your team and qualified specialists.
Related services
- Agentic Workflow ImplementationFind the workflows where AI-enabled execution pays, then build one with human approval gates, evaluation, and an audit trail.
- Stablecoin & Payments CommercializationTurn settlement capability into a proposition someone will buy, and a launch plan the team can run.
- ContactQuestions about products, infrastructure, partnerships, speaking, or the studio are welcome.
Connect
Explore prototypes & integrations.
Use the contact page to discuss a product concept, technical question, partnership, event, or adjacent idea.