Building software is difficult.

If you’re here, you already know that. You have a unique problem that can’t be solved with off-the-shelf tools, or by run-of-the-mill consultants.

Solving problems like this is why we started Lithic. It’s why we left our cushy venture capital backed tech jobs — building software may be difficult, but it’s important. The world would be a bit better if we solve the right problems with technology in the right way.

We’re a team of accomplished software engineers and problem solvers focused on building high-quality custom software, and we’d love to learn about your business.

Choosing a development partner is a scary decision. You are having to pick between companies you know little about, and in many cases you are not an expert in the domain.

Rest assured that starting a relationship with a client is also a big decision for us! We pick clients carefully and treat each one as an investment. We usually only take on long term engagements, so for us to succeed, you need to be exceptionally happy. We don’t just build things that work okay.

We build apps that rock.

Lithic primarily works with three types of businesses. If you don’t fit these criteria, we’re still happy to talk. If we can’t help you, we probably know someone who is right for the job.

Early Startups with Complex Tech

We know how hard it is to be a founder. It’s especially difficult when you don’t have the expertise to solve your technical problems yourself. Startups like this are our happy place.

We’ll work to make sure we all understand the problems you need solved, and then decide on a solution that fits your needs in terms of feature set, technology, and scalability. We’ll also make sure we’re working towards your long-term plans, depending on the type of business and team growth you expect.

We think about what we build as a Minimum Lovable Product, rather than merely “minimally viable.” Our work should be delightful and do a stellar job running your business, whether you’re looking for hockeystick growth or aiming for something steady and hands-off.

Our special sauce comes down to our unique and effective methods. They are the key to getting things done with both speed and quality. This Shangri-La does’t come from nowhere — it’s been earned through years of training and discipline.



Companies with Backend Programming Needs

We’re skilled in all parts of the stack, but our real expertise and passion is around backend programming. Many of our clients are agencies or consultancies themselves, but they lack some deep technical expertise because it’s outside of their core competency.

We love working with clients like this, both because our expertise is a great fit, but also because we get to learn something new about your market and business.

Some examples of what we’ve built for clients like this are:

  • Machine Learning and OCR-based service for rapid classification of faxes.
  • High-performance import pipeline of millions of rows of CSV data into a transaction database.
  • Cloud cost analysis tooling capable of interactive projections over big data.
  • Cutting edge content management system prototype development.
  • Behavioral health intake and patient management software.
  • Massively parallelizable and resilient data ingest of micromobility feeds.

The reason we’re able to execute whatever we take on is that our founding team has seen a lot in their career, and our methods haven proven to be the key for high-performing softare development. We apply this career of learning to your projects to make sure they’re done right.



DevOps, Golang, Ruby, Python, and Postgres Expertise

Finally, Lithic has expertise in certain technologies that make us a good fit for project or retainer-based setups where you need a team or individual who truly and deeply knows a technical domain.

This may be building a new Continuous Integration and Deployment pipeline, debugging and removing performance bottlenecks, performing a general cleanup and overhaul of a codebase, consulting on application architecture, or really anything that leverages some of our deep technical expertise.

Usually these engagements are shorter, but we take them on because they can have an enormous impact on your success. And at the end of the day, we’re in this to build successful and happy businesses — both our own, and yours.



After “is Lithic a good fit for my business?”, the next question is often “and how much do you cost?” We aim to be transparent and direct in all things, so we have a page where you can read all about our fees and pricing model.

We’re proud to count some fantastic companies in Portland Oregon and around the United States among our current and previous clients. We only take on a few clients at a time, so we can give them the focus and attention they deserve.

Duckbill Group
MilkRun
Boom
Ampla
Hearth Display
Suma
Ride Report
October Swimmer
OMBU
JENIE
RentRoom

Lithic Tech was founded in Portland, Oregon by experienced software engineers with a track record of high-quality software, happy customers, and successful businesses. We believe this success is a result of our unique processes, patterns, and convictions.

We are now offering that expertise to the wider community to build better software and software teams. You can learn more about us, and we’d love if you got in touch.

Email us at hello@lithic.tech or use this form: