We build technology for public good. That is easy to say and cheap to put on a homepage, so here is the specific version: the work we turn down, regardless of what it pays.
The no-go list
We will not build these, at any budget
- Gambling and betting apps
- Projects that promote discriminationRacism, sexism, casteism, or any form of hate.
- Alcohol or drugs businesses
- Porn or adult content and services
- Predatory lending and financial exploitationInterest-based models designed to trap people in debt.
- Illegal activitiesMoney laundering, fraud, cyber crime.
- Data harvesting for manipulation
- Anything that harms the worldEnvironmental damage, or harm to people.
This is not a marketing position we adopted because it tested well. It is the reason the studio exists, and it has cost us real enquiries. We think that is the point. A list that never costs you anything is not a standard, it is a slogan.
The practical limits, which are different
Separately from the ethical list, there are things a fourteen-day sprint genuinely cannot do well. We would rather say so now than three days into your build.
Out of scope for a sprint
- GamesA different craft with a different production pipeline. Two weeks would not do it justice.
- Heavy real-time systemsLive trading engines, video conferencing, multiplayer infrastructure. These need months of work on latency and scale.
- Certified clinical or regulated financial productsNHS clinical systems, medical devices, and FCA-regulated products need certification we do not hold.
If your project is in one of those categories, we will tell you on the first call rather than after you have paid.
Who we do work with
Most of our work is for people running something real: a restaurant losing a third of every order to a delivery platform, a haulage firm whose customers keep phoning to ask where the van is, a charity trying to coordinate volunteers on a spreadsheet.
We have built for community organisations and for government teams. One of those, a civic reporting app called Ente Ward, was described by a sitting minister as the start of something in the civic space. That work matters to us more than the invoice did.
Ente Ward is a unique achievement. You might have begun a revolution of tech in the civic space. I'd personally love to see how it grows.
K KrishnankuttyMinister, Govt of KeralaIf you are a charity, a community group, or a faith organisation, our price is likely within reach of a single small grant. That is unusual in this market, and it is deliberate.
Case studyBuilding for a community movementWhat a small organisation gets for the price of a modest grant.Why publish this at all
Because the alternative is asking you to take our word for it.
Every agency says they care about their clients. Very few will write down the money they refuse. If you are choosing between suppliers and one of them has published a list like this, you know something concrete about how they make decisions when nobody is watching.
Common questions
Do you really turn down work over this?
Yes. The list below has cost us paid enquiries. We publish it because a supplier who will not tell you what they refuse has not told you anything about their standards.
What if my business is adjacent to something on the list?
Ask. Plenty of things sit near a line without crossing it, and we would rather have a straight five-minute conversation than turn away work that was fine all along.
Do you offer reduced rates for charities?
Our price is the same for everyone, and it is already low enough that a small grant covers it. What we do offer charities is honesty about whether an app is the right use of restricted funding at all.