What I do

Three engagement types. One senior person throughout. Fixed or capped fees.

Dr Alec Burns presenting on robotics and AI to a university class
Services

Engagement types

Fixed or capped fees agreed before work starts

01 1–2 weeks

You need a board-ready AI plan

Strategy & advisory

Board-ready AI strategy grounded in your operations. I've delivered this for organisations with 15,000+ employees.

  • Opportunity assessments
  • Roadmaps & workshops
  • Vendor / build-buy evaluation
  • Board briefings
02 Sprint or retainer

Your pilot isn't shipping

Technical & product support

Senior technical input alongside your engineers: architecture, integration, and shipping at production scale.

  • Architecture review
  • Prototype & MVP builds
  • Integration support
  • Code review
03 3–5 days

You want to test an idea in a week

Rapid exploration

Working proofs of concept so you decide on evidence, not slides. Most complete within a week.

  • Feasibility studies
  • PoC builds
  • Landscape analysis
  • Pilot design
Domains
  • AI & agentic systems
  • LLMs & computer vision
  • Blockchain & DLT
  • Digital identity
  • IoT & robotics
Process

How it works

  1. 1

    Discovery call

    30–60 minutes. What you're trying to achieve and what's in the way.

  2. 2

    Scope & fee

    Fixed or capped fee agreed before work starts.

  3. 3

    Delivery

    You work with me throughout, same person start to finish.

  4. 4

    Handover

    Deliverables, knowledge transfer, and clear next steps.

FAQ

How are engagements priced?

Fixed or capped fee agreed before work starts. No open-ended hourly billing.

Who do you typically work with?

Leadership at listed multinationals, governments, and startups. Usually the decision-maker: CEO, CFO, CTO, or head of innovation.

Do you work remotely or on-site?

UK-based, work globally. Mostly remote, with on-site time for board briefings, workshops, and key milestones.

Will you sign an NDA?

Yes, before you share anything sensitive.

How quickly can you start?

Discovery call within days. Rapid explorations and strategy sprints are designed to start quickly.

What if you're not the right fit?

I'll say so at scoping and point you to someone better placed if I can.