• For US CTOs & VPs of Engineering

Elastic Engineering,
No Headcount Risk

Ship faster with embedded, AI-equipped engineers who work in your time zone, learn your systems, and scale with demand.

Book a 30-min Fit Call
See Cost Comparison
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Trusted by 250+ companies at the forefront of innovation

You Know the Math; The Question Is Whether It Actually Works.

Hiring senior engineers in the US takes 4-6 months
You’ve probably tried freelancers or offshore contractors before. The savings looked great on a spreadsheet – until you spent half your week managing communication gaps, context-switching, and rework.

AST pods are different. We don’t drop individuals into your org chart. We deploy fully formed teams that operate as an extension of your engineering organization. Same sprint cadence, same tools, same definition of done.

See How a Pod Actually Works

Anatomy of an AST Pod

Meet Our Active Team

Driven by Passion, United in Purpose – Meet the Talented Minds Behind Our Mission. Each member of our team brings unique skills and unwavering commitment, collaborating to create innovative solutions and deliver exceptional results

What You Actually Get: A Complete Engineering Pod

  • Adam Belman

    Adam Belman

    Software Engineer | Availability: Immediate | Experience: 3+ years | Expert in AWS, Python, Django, TypeScript, JavaScript

  • Abdullah Saleem

    Abdullah Saleem

    DevOps Engineer | Availability: Immediate | Experience: 3+ years | Expert in CI/CD Pipelines, Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, Cloud Infrastructure

  • Amina El-Sayed

    Amina El-Sayed

    SQA Engineer | Availability: Immediate | Experience: 5+ years | Expert in Test Automation, Selenium, Quality Assurance, API Testing, Jira

  • Mustafa Aslam

    Mustafa Aslam

    UI/UX Designer | Availability: Immediate | Experience: 6+ years | Expert in Figma, Adobe XD, User Research, Prototyping, Interaction Design

  • Ayesha Al-Mansoor

    Ayesha Al-Mansoor

    Full Stack Developer | Availability: Immediate | Experience: 5+ years | Expert in AWS, Python, Django, TypeScript, JavaScript

AST Pod Cost Calculator

What an Engineering Pod Replaces

A 4-person senior engineering pod can replace a $600K+ internal hiring cycle — without adding fixed headcount.

One Pod Includes (5 Roles)

2x Devs
1x QA
1x PM
1x BA

Adjust Assumptions

Weighted average for Eng, QA, PM, BA roles.

AST Rate fixed at $3,500/mo per member. Includes full orchestration.

Cost Comparison (12 Months)

Traditional In-House (5 Roles) $900k

Includes salaries + benefits + upfront recruiting fees + vacancy loss

AST Specialized Pod $210k

Flat rate: 5 Members × $3,500 × Months

Monthly Saving

$48k

Cost Reduction

65%

Total Savings (12 Mo)

$584,230

Calculated based on selected duration. Recruiting & vacancy are upfront sunk costs.

Secure your specialized pod

All calculations are illustrative. AST Pod includes 2 Engineers, 1 QA, 1 PM, 1 BA.

  • Omar Al-Farsi

    Omar Al-Farsi

    Software Engineer | Availability: Immediate | Experience: 3+ years | Expert in AWS, Python, Django, TypeScript, JavaScript

  • Kiran Wang

    Kiran Wang

    DevOps Engineer | Availability: Immediate | Experience: 3+ years | Expert in CI/CD Pipelines, Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, Cloud Infrastructure

  • Amina El-Sayed

    Amina El-Sayed

    SQA Engineer | Availability: Immediate | Experience: 5+ years | Expert in Test Automation, Selenium, Quality Assurance, API Testing, Jira

  • Mustafa Aslam

    Mustafa Aslam

    UI/UX Designer | Availability: Immediate | Experience: 6+ years | Expert in Figma, Adobe XD, User Research, Prototyping, Interaction Design

  • Ayesha Al-Mansoor

    Ayesha Al-Mansoor

    Full Stack Developer | Availability: Immediate | Experience: 5+ years | Expert in AWS, Python, Django, TypeScript, JavaScript

AST Tech Stack Component

Capabilities & Tech Stack

We Build With What Your Team Already Uses

Core Engineering

  • React, Next.js, Vue
  • Node.js, Python, Java
  • iOS, Android, Flutter

Cloud & Data

  • AWS, Azure, GCP
  • ETL, Analytics, ML
  • Serverless Arch

DevOps & QA

  • CI/CD, IaC
  • Auto Regression
  • Security Scanning
Included Standard

Standard AI Tooling Suite

We don't just code; we accelerate. AI-assisted pair programming, automated code reviews, and self-healing test generation are included in every engagement.

Are You Searching?
Start with Certified Developers

How AST Pods Compare to Alternatives

Embedded Delivery

We operate inside your sprint process (Jira, Linear, Azure DevOps)

Architectural Alignment

We follow your system design, code standards, and PR review flows

Security First

SOC2-aligned practices, secure code review workflows

Team Continuity

Pods stay intact. No rotating freelancers

Recognized by Industry Leaders

We collaborate with industry-leading partners to bring you the most advanced and reliable technology solutions. Together, we ensure your business stays ahead with innovation, security, and performance at the forefront

Google

Google Partner Certified

Clutch

Top Developer 2023 – Clutch

ISO 9001

ISO Certified (for Quality Assurance)

Top-Rated

Top-Rated in IT Staffing by SoftwareWorld

We brought on an AST pod to help us hit a compliance deadline we thought was impossible. Within 3 weeks they were shipping production code alongside our NYC team. That was 2 years ago - they're still with us.
Amanda ParksNetwork Manager, Healthcare Organization
Amanda Parks
The thing that surprised me most was how little management overhead there was. Their pod lead runs their own standups, owns their own sprint board, and flags blockers before I even notice them
John LabkinsPartner & CEO, Telecommunication Company
John Labkins
I’ve been a customer for more than a decade. AST is an example of the way Managed Services should be done. They do their very best to make sure you succeed. If there’s an issue, they step in immediately. We will continue to be a customer for years to come.
Daniel LegranteCIO, Restaurant Product Supplier
Daniel Legrante
Reviewed on
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5 Stars
4.9
4.5/5
Customer Reviews

Why 40+ US Companies Keep Their AST Pods Year After Year

  • 8+ Year Average Client Relationship Our longest client has been with us since 2016. We don’t do project-based churn – we build teams that grow with your product.

    < 5% Annual Engineer Turnover Our engineers stay because we invest in their growth. Your pod isn’t going to disappear after 6 months.

    100% IP Protection Every engagement includes NDAs, code ownership agreements, and ISO 27001 compliance. Your code lives in your repos, period.

Ready to Get Started?
Get Free Consultation
AST Comparison Table
Make an Informed Decision

How CTOs Actually Build Engineering Capacity

Every option has trade-offs. Here's an honest look at what each model costs you — in dollars, time, and management overhead.

Hire In-House Full-time US employees Traditional Outsourcing Project-based vendors Freelancer Platforms Toptal, Upwork, etc. AST Integrated Pod Your dedicated engineering team
Time to Productivity From signed contract to shipping code 4–6 months 4–8 weeks 1–3 weeks 2 weeks
Team Continuity Same people on your project long-term High if they stay Low — rotation common Very low Dedicated — no rotation
Management Overhead Your time spent coordinating Low High Very high Low — pod is self-managed
Timezone Alignment Real-time collaboration with your team Full overlap Often misaligned Varies widely 6+ hrs US overlap daily
Integration Depth Works in your repos, tools, standups Native Separate workflows Partial — varies Your GitHub, Jira, Slack
IP & Security Code ownership and data protection Full control Contractual — varies High risk NDAs + ISO 27001
Scalability Ability to scale up or down quickly Slow — hiring cycles Moderate Fast but unreliable Add roles in days
Annual Cost 3-person team, fully loaded $750K+ salary + benefits + recruiting $350–500K project fees + change orders $200–400K hourly rates + platform fees $250–350K all-inclusive, no hidden fees
Not sure which model fits? We'll walk through your team structure and recommend the right approach — even if it's not us. Book a Strategy Call

Estimates based on US market averages for mid-to-senior engineers. Actual costs vary by location, seniority, and team composition.

Scale with your needs

Flexible, on-demand staffing solutions tailored to your project requirements. Hire certified developers with no long-term commitments – scale up or down as your business evolves

Kick Off Your Project

Staff Augmentation

Quickly scale your development team with certified professionals. No long-term commitments, hire as needed.
Scale Up Today

Dedicated Development Teams

Full-time, dedicated developers working exclusively on your projects. Tailored to fit your exact business needs.
Meet Your Team

Project-Based Development

End-to-end project delivery, from planning to execution. Get expert resources for specific short-term projects.

Managed IT Services

Complete oversight of your IT infrastructure with dedicated management. Focus on your business while we handle the tech.
Let’s Manage IT

UI/UX Design Services

Create engaging, user-centered designs for your web and mobile apps. Our designers bring your vision to life.
Design with Us

QA and Testing Services

Ensure your software is bug-free with rigorous manual and automated testing. Fast turnaround times and detailed reports.
Ensure Quality
Talk to Industry Experts

Let's See If a Pod Makes Sense for Your Team

30-minute call, no pitch deck. We’ll walk through your current team structure, where you’re bottlenecked, and whether an integrated pod is the right solve – or if it isn’t.

Ready to Scale Your Team Without the Risk?

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