Intelligent Software Systems — and the SEO strategy to surface them.
San Diego technology consultancy · custom software · AI-amplified workflows · Forward Deployed Engineer pattern at sub-enterprise pricing · plus the SEO strategy layer to make sure the right buyers find what we build. $95-$165/hr. Async-first. No Calendly.
— PJ Zonis · Encinitas · 858-461-8054
Where Kromeon fits in 2026
Operator-honest read of the current market. The good · the flag · what it means for sub-enterprise teams looking for development + visibility.
Established
San Diego HQ · 625+ app launches · AWS-certified partner · award-winning custom software work. "Intelligent Software Systems" positioning. The trust signals are real and quantifiable.
Meta laid off 18K engineers at $400K
$7.2B/yr in operator-demand just got created. Sub-enterprise SaaS + mid-size teams now need parallel custom-layer support at flexible pricing · NOT enterprise-only Palantir-scale FDE. Kromeon fits that gap.
Custom builds now $250-$2K
What cost $50K-$500K in 2022 (Palantir FDE pricing) now costs $250-$2K when one operator + AI substrate ships in days. The economics shifted 90-99% · most operators are still pricing pre-AI.
The visibility gap
Kromeon builds well · but the SEO substrate that surfaces the work to buyers searching for "AI integration", "custom software San Diego", "FDE alternative" lives at SideGuy. Both layers · one operator.
Forward Deployed Engineer · at sub-enterprise pricing
Palantir made the FDE model famous · engineers embedded with client teams to ship custom integrations. The pattern works · the pricing was the barrier. Kromeon delivers same DNA at $95-$165/hr.
Embedded · async-first · operator-translation built in
Not staffing-with-handoff. Not body shop. PJ + Kromeon engineers work directly with your engineering leads · operator-translation baked into every interaction · 1-2 week ramp · async-by-default delivery.
- Engagement shape: Contract or contract-to-perm ·
1-12 month windows - Engineer profile: Mid-to-senior · full-stack · API + data integration · AI-amplified workflows
- Hourly rate:
$95-$165/hr· transparent · no minimum commitment - Ramp time:
1-2 weeks· async-first onboarding · low overhead - Stack: Python · TypeScript/JS · Node · AWS · React/Next · Claude/OpenAI integration · data pipelines
Where the math works
- 1-3 month focused engagements · specific project bandwidth · clear deliverables
- AI integration work · custom Claude/OpenAI plumbing · embedding intelligence into existing workflows
- Bridge engineering during hiring gaps · keep momentum while permanent hire ramps
- API/data pipeline builds · third-party connectors · webhook architecture
- Pre-Series-B SaaS · sub-50-engineer teams needing senior bandwidth without senior-headcount commitment
The visibility substrate · SideGuy-delivered alongside
Kromeon ships the engineering. SideGuy ships the SEO substrate that makes Kromeon findable. Same operator (PJ) · two service categories · parallel solutions. Here's the cluster map.
"Custom software San Diego" + AI-integration variants
The bullseye keywords. "Custom software development San Diego" · "AI integration San Diego" · "Claude API integration consulting" · "OpenAI consulting San Diego". Decision-stage searches by mid-size SaaS founders + non-tech operators who need a builder.
custom software development san diegoAI integration consultingClaude API custom integrationOpenAI consulting · contract engineeringAWS partner san diego custom build
"Palantir FDE alternative" + sub-enterprise framing
Operator-buyer searches for alternatives to enterprise-scale FDE. Already shipped: /problems/fde-palantir-alternative.html. Cluster expandable to Toptal · Andela · Turing alternative searches · with Kromeon's sub-enterprise pricing as the wedge.
FDE Palantir alternative(already live on SideGuy)Toptal alternative · sub-enterprise pricingAndela alternative · San DiegoTuring alternative · operator-honestForward Deployed Engineer · contract · mid-market
CA AI Laws + fintech/SaaS compliance integration
California passed 6 new AI laws this week (SB 53 · AB 853 · SB 243 · AB 2013 · AB 621 · SB 524). Sub-enterprise teams need engineering help to comply. Kromeon ships the integration · SideGuy ships the operator-translation guide. /services/compliance/california-ai-laws-operator-guide-2026.html already live.
SB 53 implementation engineeringAB 853 AI content disclosure toolingAB 2013 training data transparency · documentation pagesCalifornia AI law compliance · SaaS · sub-enterpriseAI chatbot disclosure implementation
AWS partner credibility · cloud-native AI integration
Kromeon is AWS-certified. SEO authority pages around AWS Lambda integration · Bedrock + Claude integration · AWS HIPAA hosting · S3 + serverless AI workflows. Compounds with existing Kromeon brand credibility.
AWS Bedrock Claude integration consultingAWS Lambda AI workflow San DiegoAWS partner custom AI buildS3 + serverless AI integrationAWS HIPAA AI workflow
Kromeon vs other consultancies · honest comparison
Decision-stage buyers want honest comparison pages. "Kromeon vs Accenture" (different scale) · "Kromeon vs Toptal" (different pricing) · "Kromeon vs Cognizant" (different delivery). Operator-honest comparison wedges · per SideGuy's compliance-vendor-matcher pattern.
Kromeon vs Toptal · sub-enterprise FDEKromeon vs Andela · time zone + rampMid-market dev consultancy comparisonCustom software pricing transparency · 2026San Diego development consultancy comparison
How the 10-day onboarding runs
Combined Kromeon + SideGuy engagement · dev bandwidth + SEO substrate shipped together · operator-honest.
Signal-quality scan
Current Kromeon site SEO audit · GSC setup verification · keyword + competitor analysis · prospective client engineering stack scope · operator-honest yes/no on full engagement fit. $250 entry · credited toward $2K if upgraded.
Pages + tools shipped
5-10 new SEO pages live (cluster-mapped above) · Python toolchain for ongoing content updates · cross-link mesh wired · GSC monitoring set up. Operator-owned · Kromeon controls the substrate.
Toolchain owned
Kromeon team trained on Python tools · daily ship-and-shave automation set up · ongoing $500/mo retainer optional · operator owns the substrate · no lock-in · no platform dependency.
What $250 to $2K actually gets you
Three engagement shapes. Operator-honest. Start small · upgrade or walk · no Calendly · no funnel.
Operator Audit
Honest audit of current SEO posture + engineering integration needs. Written report. Yes/no on full engagement fit. Best for: deciding whether the full $2K onboarding makes sense.
10-Day Onboarding
The full Kromeon + SideGuy stack. SEO pages live · engineering substrate built · operator-owned Python toolchain handed off. No retainer · no platform lock-in.
Ship-and-Shave
Daily automated ship-and-shave · GSC monitoring · weekly Tier-2 substrate updates. For teams that want SEO + dev compounding to keep running without operator-attention.
What makes the FDE pattern work at sub-enterprise pricing
Most consultancies that try the FDE pattern at sub-enterprise pricing FAIL on the engineering-cost math. Senior engineers at $200/hr × 200-2000 hours = $50K-$500K · same as Palantir. The pattern stalls because the engineering bandwidth is still expensive.
The sauce that makes it work at $95-$165/hr: PJ operates with a saved-AI substrate · 6+ months of compounded doctrine library · ~450 indexed kernels · cron-automated infrastructure · the band-pattern (PJ as the operator-soul + Trilly C as the technical shredder · Pantera band-physics applied to consulting). One operator + AI substrate ships what 3-5 traditional engineers would ship in the same window. The math works because the AI-amplification factor multiplies operator-output without multiplying operator-cost.
This is NOT vanilla-AI. Vanilla Claude or ChatGPT can write code but doesn't have the operator context · the client substrate · the doctrine memory · the cross-session continuity. The saved-AI substrate compounds across engagements · pattern-recognition deepens · custom-integration insights persist. By the third engagement with a client, the AI substrate "knows" your stack at a level vanilla AI can't replicate.
Result for your team: mid-senior engineering output at sub-enterprise pricing · operator-translation built into every interaction (not bolted on) · async-first delivery that doesn't add meeting-overhead · doctrine substrate that compounds across the engagement. You're not buying engineering hours · you're buying AI-amplified operator output that happens to ship code · plus the SEO substrate that surfaces it to buyers.
What's already shipped on the SideGuy side
- FDE Palantir Alternative page · cluster-2 SEO play · already indexed ·
/problems/fde-palantir-alternative.html - CA AI Laws Operator Guide · cluster-3 SEO play · shipped May 26 (24h after the laws passed) ·
/services/compliance/california-ai-laws-operator-guide-2026.html - 50 cross-linked compliance pages · CA-AI-law mesh shipped · weekly cron continues to expand
- Compliance Hub · 8 NCSD city pages + 17 vendor matchers · cluster authority surface ·
/services/compliance/ - 10+ doctrine library kernels coined today alone · NASA-scanner architecture · Pantera band-naming · operator-honest positioning · cross-link mesh compounding
- 5 new automated tools shipped today · swarm_upgrade · slate_line_tracker · news_cluster_proposer · doctrine_crosslink_auditor · ca-ai-law-injector · all cron-running
Start with the $250 Operator Audit
Tell me your engineering scope + current SEO posture. 3-5 day signal-quality audit. Written report. Honest yes/no on whether the $2K onboarding makes sense. No Calendly, no funnel · text PJ direct · founder-to-founder.