FAQ
The questions we get most often, answered plainly.
If yours isn't here, a 30-minute discovery call will cover it.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about the product and billing.
- We're a team, not a directory. We manage the engineering, the process, and the accountability, you don't manage individuals. And when we believe in what you're building, we take equity in it. No freelance platform does that.
- The Unicorn Program is Sparkling's equity-for-services model, we negotiate equity in exchange for free CTO advisory and reduced development rates, for startups we genuinely believe in. Qualifying criteria: pre-seed to Series A stage, validated demand, committed team, real path to market. Apply via the intake call and we'll give you honest feedback within a week.
- Yes, in fact, most of our best long-term partnerships start with founders who needed help deciding what to build, not just how to build it. Our Analysis services and CTO advisory are designed specifically for this. You don't need to know the stack to be a great client.
- No. Analysis is a standalone engagement. Many of our clients start there and move into development naturally, but there's no obligation. Some clients do the analysis and build elsewhere. We'd rather be the partner who tells you the truth than the one who locks you in.
- After the discovery call, we can turn around a scoping proposal within 1 week and have a team onboarded within 2–3 weeks. For Unicorn Program applications, the evaluation takes 1–2 weeks.
- Our engineers embed in your existing workflow, your standups, your tickets, your tools. We match the pace you set. The only disruption you'll notice is velocity going up.
- We partner with top European technical universities to identify high-potential engineers before they enter the market. This gives our clients access to talent that isn't circulating on job boards, highly motivated, technically sharp, and shaped by our internal standards from day one.
- For development and staff augmentation, the practical minimum is one engineer for three months. CTO advisory starts at a monthly retainer. Analysis engagements are scoped project-by-project. If you're not sure what fits, the discovery call is the right first step.
- We're headquartered in London, with teams in Lugano and Tunis. For most clients, location doesn't matter, we work async-first across time zones. When proximity matters (onsite workshops, UK compliance requirements), our London base covers it.
- We use AI throughout delivery, not to cut corners, but to move faster without losing quality. That means AI-assisted code review, automated testing pipelines, and LLM-powered prototyping where it fits. Every output is reviewed by a senior engineer before it ships.
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