Who are these services for?
Financial AI companies, agent developers, research teams, data providers, brokers, execution technology companies, independent builders and trading teams. The focus is a clear product or workflow problem and a bounded, reviewable delivery.
How do professional services differ from the research workspace?
Professional services are scoped projects with USD fees and a statement of work. The research workspace is a separate product experience with its own availability, usage and Credits rules. A service inquiry does not require a trading account or a wallet.
Are the listed fees and dates guaranteed?
Indicative fees in USD for the defined scope. Final scope, timing and commercial terms are confirmed in a statement of work. Estimated delivery periods begin after scope, usable inputs, authorized access and the kickoff payment are ready. The guide is not evidence of completed sales or an unconditional delivery commitment.
Must I buy a Blueprint before a prototype?
No. A qualified existing specification can support a direct prototype engagement. The fit discussion checks the scope, inputs and acceptance criteria rather than requiring another package.
What counts as a scenario, configuration or interface?
A scenario is one documented situation with inputs, expected behavior and judgment criteria. A configuration is a frozen model and prompt or agent setup. Each evaluation cycle covers the agreed scenarios and configurations. One interface means one named API version or client data format with up to five agreed operations.
What should I send in an initial inquiry?
Share the intended user, current product stage, hardest workflow problem and, if known, available data or interfaces, budget and timing. Please share a non-confidential brief. Do not include account credentials, trading secrets or personal financial information.
Does an evaluation guarantee a better model or profitable trading?
No. A low score can be a useful finding. Acceptance concerns the completeness and quality of the agreed evaluation and its traceable evidence. Model improvement and trading profitability are not guaranteed.
Does execution design include live broker integration?
No. The design service produces operating requirements and specifications. Connector implementation, broker or venue certification, live routing and production operations require separate scope and permissions. Experience does not imply a partnership, endorsement or current API access.
What is included in a prototype engagement?
The agreed workflow in one environment, one foundation-model provider, one lightweight web or command-line interface and the tier's data, interface and evaluation scope. Two consolidated review rounds and a 10-business-day in-scope defect-report window are included. A prototype is not a production-readiness certification.
Are market data, model usage and hosting included?
No. Third-party fees, market-data licenses, model and API usage, cloud services, travel and taxes are excluded. Providers and spending caps are agreed before work begins. Extensive labeling, additional data acquisition and production operations need separate scope.
How are client materials and deliverable rights handled?
Deliverable rights and any reusable component licenses are defined in the statement of work. CatalystDesk retains its pre-existing tools and general methods. CatalystDesk's pre-existing proprietary source code, private trading systems and internal architecture are not included in client deliverables. Client data, strategies, code and identifiable results are not used for model training, cross-client reuse or productization without written permission. Confidentiality, access and retention are agreed before sensitive materials are shared.
What is CatalystDesk building toward?
We are building toward an AI-native Market Microstructure Intelligence & Institutional Execution OS. Expert-led engagements help identify recurring needs; reusable decision knowledge, evaluation tools and workflow software are the longer-term product direction. Expert-led work can identify recurring needs; separately developed methods and properly licensed assets may support future knowledge modules, evaluation tools, workflow software, subscriptions, APIs or platform products. These are future directions, not claims of current capability or revenue.