What is AI integration in software architecture?

AI integration in software architecture involves designing systems that can seamlessly incorporate artificial intelligence components like RAG pipelines, machine learning models, and intelligent automation. This requires modular architecture, clean data flows, and scalable infrastructure.

How long does a software architecture project take?

Software architecture projects typically take 2-12 weeks depending on complexity. Simple systems can be architected in 2-4 weeks, while enterprise-scale AI-integrated systems may require 8-12 weeks for complete design and implementation planning.

Do you offer free consultations?

Yes, we offer free initial consultations to assess your project requirements and determine if our expertise aligns with your needs. Contact us to schedule your consultation with our senior architect André.

What makes Polyxmedia different from other consultants?

Unlike theoretical consultants, we have real production experience with billion-event systems. André has 20+ years of enterprise-scale development experience and has built systems handling billions of transactions. We focus on practical solutions that work.

Can we meet in person?

Yes, we can organize meetings as required in a mutual location in London or Guildford. If you need me to travel I need notice but get in touch and we can accommodate. We tend to find most things can be done over Google Meet saving everyone time and money which is what we're all after. We believe in being lean and whilst no issue with meeting, we encourage remote first approach because it's the most cost effective for serious operators.

How much does a Fractional CTO cost?

Polyxmedia offers Fractional CTO services at £185/hour or monthly packages: Strategic Advisory at £1,850/month (~10 hours), Growth Partner at £7,400/month (~40 hours), or Platform Leadership at £14,800/month (~80 hours). No long-term contracts required.

What is RAG and how does it work?

RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) combines a retrieval system with a language model. Your documents are converted to embeddings stored in a vector database. When users ask questions, relevant documents are retrieved and provided as context to the LLM, enabling accurate answers based on your specific data.

Why do 80% of AI projects fail?

Most AI projects fail due to: unclear business objectives, poor data quality, treating AI as magic rather than engineering, lack of production expertise, and unrealistic expectations. Success requires clear use cases, quality data, and engineers who have shipped AI to production before.

Private Clients

Ventures built end to end

For investors, founders, and private clients who want a product or company built properly by one accountable principal. You bring the idea and the capital. I deliver the working product, the infrastructure behind it, and a clean handover of everything you own.

Request a Private Briefing See Engagements

By introduction or inquiry

Engagements are confidential by default. NDA before anything substantive, no logos, no case studies, no announcements unless you want them. Most of this work never appears on this site, by design.

Three ways private clients work with me

Engagements

Venture Builds

A complete product or company delivered end to end. Product, engineering, infrastructure, brand, and launch, with one principal accountable for the whole thing from first conversation to handover.

From £250k

Technical Due Diligence

Principal-led diligence on companies and technology you're considering backing. Architecture, team, security, and honest findings you can defend in an investment committee, delivered in weeks.

From £35k

III

Principal Partnership

Ongoing access for your ventures, portfolio, or family office. Architecture decisions, vendor evaluation, technical hiring, and straight counsel from someone who builds rather than advises from a distance.

Scoped privately

Four steps, no theatre

How It Works

01
Private Briefing
A direct conversation, under NDA if you prefer. What you want to exist, why, and what it's worth to you. I'll tell you honestly whether it's worth building and what it actually takes.
Result:A clear view on feasibility, cost, and timeline before you commit anything
02
Proposal
Fixed scope and fixed price for the first phase. No discovery theatre, no padded estimates, no surprises arriving by invoice.
Result:One document, one number, one timeline
03
Delivery
Principal-led build, with senior engineers from my network where the work needs more hands. Weekly reporting in plain English, working software you can see and use throughout.
Result:Visible progress every week, not a reveal at the end
04
Handover
You own everything. The IP, the code, the infrastructure, the accounts. I hand over properly with documentation, or stay on as your technical principal.
Result:An asset that's yours, documented and transferable

The case for a single accountable builder over an agency

Why One Principal

Twenty years in production

Systems I've architected currently process over 7 billion events a year for major retailers, at 99.99% uptime. This is the discipline your venture gets.

I ship my own products

Cue, my Mac app, went from idea to paying customers. The same judgment that ships my products goes into yours, and I know what the road from zero to revenue actually looks like.

One person accountable

No agency diffusion, no junior staffing, no telephone game between you and the people building. You deal with the principal, and the principal writes the code.

Questions

Before you reach out

Who do you work with as a private client?

Investors, founders, and family offices who want a product or company built properly by one accountable principal. You bring the idea and the capital, I deliver the working product, the infrastructure behind it, and a clean handover of everything you own.

What does an engagement cost?

Private ventures start from £250k and are scoped privately against the work. Technical due diligence and shorter advisory pieces are priced per engagement. Numbers are discussed on a first call, not posted publicly.

How confidential is this?

Confidential by default. Names, ideas, and the fact that we are working together stay private unless you choose otherwise. NDAs are standard and signed before anything sensitive is shared.

Do I work with you or a team?

You work with me directly as the accountable principal. Where a build needs more hands I bring in trusted senior people, but the architecture, the key decisions, and the responsibility stay with one person.

Can you assess a company or codebase before I invest?

Yes. Technical due diligence is one of the core engagements: a clear read on the architecture, the team, the risks, and what it would actually take to scale, written so a non-technical investor can act on it.