AI, software & cloud engineering
Software built by the people you talk to.
Random Otter is an engineering studio in Des Moines. We build AI and machine learning systems, plus the applications and cloud infrastructure they run on. When the work is done, the code and the accounts are yours.
What we do
Machine learning, and the software it runs in.
LLM applications
Retrieval, agents, and the systems around them, built on your own content and your own tools.
machine learningCustom ML models
Forecasting, classification, ranking, and anomaly detection, trained and deployed on your data.
machine learningTuning and evaluation
Fine-tuning, retrieval and prompt tuning, and test suites that measure whether a change actually helped.
productWeb and mobile applications
Full-stack product work: requirements, interface, backend, and launch.
infrastructureCloud and infrastructure
AWS architecture, migrations, and cost reduction.
advisoryFractional CTO
Technical strategy, architecture review, and hiring help for founders who need a senior voice before a senior salary.
How the work goes
Four steps, and you can stop after any of them.
- 01
A call
Tell us what is in the way. No charge, and we will say so if we are not the right people for it.
- 02
A written scope
What we will build, what it costs, and when it lands. Fixed price where the work is knowable, and an honest range where it is not.
- 03
The build
You get working software every week instead of a status report. Changing your mind early costs almost nothing.
- 04
The handover
Code, documentation, and infrastructure in your accounts, under your name. You own all of it whether or not you keep working with us.
Who you would be working with
Whoever answers your email is the one writing the code.
No account managers, and no handoff to a delivery team you have not met. The engineer who scopes your project is the one who builds it, so there is no gap between what you asked for and what gets made.
Tell us what you are trying to build.
Send one email describing the problem. You will hear back from an engineer, usually the same day.