Pricing
No subscriptions. No large retainers. Each phase is scoped, executed, and priced on measurable progress — phase fees are negotiable.
Agree deliverables, metrics, and fee upfront.
Ship work and track outcomes against baseline.
Review results. Approve next scope and fee — or pause.
What drives your phase fee
MRR growth potential
Revenue impact the phase targets.
User growth impact
Acquisition, activation, retention.
Engineering complexity
AI systems and infrastructure depth.
Product execution scope
Discovery, validation, MVP work.
Marketing & growth scope
GTM, channels, lifecycle systems.
Illustrative fees — every phase fee is negotiable before work starts.
Compare
Outcomes over activity billing.
| Model | Typical downside | ScaleKernel |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly agency retainer | Pays for activity regardless of outcomes | Pays for phased results you approve |
| Fixed SOW | Rigid scope; change orders are painful | Flexible phases scoped from real progress |
| Hourly consulting | Rewards time, not impact | Priced on impact, complexity, and outcomes |
Scenarios
Production AI hardening first — then Innovation-as-a-Service and Growth Execution phases.
Related service →Ideation and discovery for your next big bet, then validation across Innovation-as-a-Service and AI Engineering.
Related service →RAG, evals, and infrastructure first — then GTM once the product holds up.
Related service →FAQ
Early phases are scoped against learning and infrastructure milestones — eval baselines, validated workflows, or technical readiness — not revenue you do not have yet.
You can pause after any phase gate. We document state so you can resume without re-discovery.
No standing minimum. You commit one phase at a time.
Yes, when the scope is coherent and measurable. We avoid kitchen-sink phases that cannot be evaluated at close.
Defined per phase — e.g. eval pass rate, interview synthesis, activation lift, or pipeline velocity. We agree upfront and report at close.
Retainers optimize for time spent. We optimize for outcomes you can see and approve before funding the next phase.
Yes. Sample fees on our roadmap are illustrative. We scope each phase with you and agree on a fee based on deliverables, complexity, and outcomes — nothing is fixed until you approve it.
Yes. We use an initial call to understand fit, then scope Phase 1 with explicit deliverables and a negotiable fee — no surprise invoices.
Absolutely. Many engagements begin with AI Engineering or Innovation-as-a-Service only, then expand via approved phases.
We'll propose deliverables, metrics, and a negotiable phase fee before any work begins.
AI Engineering
Innovation-as-a-Service
Growth Execution
MRR growth
User growth
Phase fee
$1,850
Week 1–4 · negotiable, agreed before execution