A Cultivated Mindset

Name

A Cultivated Mindset

Legal name

A Cultivated Mindset, LLC

Website

https://acultivatedmindset.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Software Development Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHDAEANAJ

AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs)

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Enterprise Platforms & Databases/Artificial Intelligence Platforms for Enterprise

SECONDARYHDAEANAD

LLMOps & Generative AI Platforms (Prompt/Agent Orchestration, RAG)

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Enterprise Platforms & Databases/Artificial Intelligence Platforms for Enterprise

Keywords

• Fractional product team
• Custom software development
• AI-accelerated development
• Microsoft platform consulting
• Mobile application development

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. AI-Accelerated Sprint (Fixed-Fee Project): Fixed-fee, time-boxed sprints (4-12 weeks) that deliver a working product, MVP, or release-ready feature. Senior engineer + designer paired with AI tools. 50% deposit at kickoff, 50% on delivery. Range $25k-$100k.
2. Fractional Product Team Retainer: Monthly retainer engagement providing a dedicated senior PM, engineer, and designer who operate as an embedded team. 2-week sprints, weekly Friday demos. 60-day minimum, 30-day exit notice. Billed monthly in advance at $20k-$50k/mo.
3. Discovery Sprint: 2-week fixed-fee engagement delivering a scoped product roadmap, technical spike (working prototype), and fixed-fee proposal for next phase. $7,500 fixed. Credited toward a Pilot Sprint if engaged within 90 days.
4. Hourly Consulting: Hourly consulting available to existing clients or warm introductions. $90/hour, billed monthly NET 15. Used for one-off advisory, bug fixes, or small tasks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

A Cultivated Mindset is a fractional product team that ships custom software for businesses through three structured engagement models: a 2-week Discovery Sprint ($7,500 fixed) that produces a scoped roadmap and technical spike; a 4–12 week AI-Accelerated Sprint ($25k–$100k fixed) that delivers a working product or feature; and a monthly Fractional Product Team retainer ($20k–$50k/mo) that embeds a senior PM, engineer, and designer. Senior engineers and designers are paired with AI tooling (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot), with deep expertise on the Microsoft platform (Azure, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Power Platform, Entra ID) and modern frontend stacks (Next.js, React Native).

Product overview

ACM is a fractional product team that delivers custom software through three structured engagement models: Discovery Sprint (2-week fixed-fee scoping at $7,500), AI-Accelerated Sprint (4–12 week fixed-fee builds at $25k–$100k), and Fractional Product Team (monthly retainer at $20k–$50k/mo). The company pairs senior engineers and designers with AI tooling to accelerate delivery. ACM is Microsoft-platform-first on the infrastructure side and uses Claude Code, Cursor, and Copilot for AI-accelerated development workflows. The team is small by design (seven people across two continents), with senior staff handling all client-facing work and code ownership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cultivated Pixels: A monthly tech and design networking event held in Charlotte, third Wednesday of every month at Town Brewing Co.

Products and services

• Discovery Sprint A 2-week fixed-fee engagement that turns a fuzzy idea into a scoped product roadmap, a working technical spike of the riskiest assumption, and a fixed-fee proposal for the next phase. Senior PM-led, AI-accelerated. Discovery fee is credited toward a Pilot Sprint if the client engages within 90 days.
• AI-Accelerated Sprint A fixed-fee, time-boxed sprint (4–12 weeks) that ships working software — typically an MVP, a modernization, or an internal tool. Senior engineer plus designer paired with AI tooling, with weekly Friday demos, fixed scope/price/timeline, and 50% deposit / 50% on delivery billing.
• Fractional Product Team A monthly retainer engagement providing an embedded senior PM, engineer, and designer who ship alongside the client in 2-week sprints with weekly Friday demos and a quarterly strategic review. Includes design, workflow automation, M365/SharePoint, Azure/cloud, and compliance advisory. 60-day minimum, 30-day exit notice, billed monthly in advance.
• Design & Workflow Automation UX design and workflow automation services, included in Fractional Product Team retainers and available standalone. Real design systems rather than screenshots, with workflow automation built on platforms such as Microsoft Power Platform.
• Hourly Consulting Hourly consulting at $90/hour, billed monthly NET 15, available only to existing clients or warm introductions for one-off advisory, bug fixes, or small tasks.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2-3x faster shipping with senior engineer + AI pairing vs. unassisted senior engineer
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Funded Partner. ACM is a Microsoft shop that builds on M365, SharePoint Online, Power Platform, Azure, and Entra ID. AJ Wiley brings 18+ years of Microsoft platform expertise. The partnership is central to ACM's service offerings for enterprise clients.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Magenium Solutions: Magenium is a Microsoft Gold partner consultancy focused on SharePoint, Power Platform, and Azure implementations for mid-market US companies. Comparable technology wedge and target customer size, but more Microsoft-certification-driven than AI-acceleration-driven.

Broad incumbents

• Avanade: Avanade is a global Microsoft-focused consultancy (joint Accenture/Microsoft), delivering Azure, M365, and Power Platform implementations. Overlaps with ACM's Microsoft integration work but at enterprise scale and much larger team.
• Rightpoint: Rightpoint is a Microsoft-aligned digital experience consultancy focused on M365, Power Platform, and Azure modernization. Comparable technology wedge but much larger scope and headcount than ACM.
• Slalom Consulting: Slalom is a large Microsoft-partner consultancy offering cloud, data, and application modernization across mid-market and enterprise. Operates broadly in the same Microsoft-stack space but at significantly higher price points and scale than ACM.

Direct peers

• Rootstrap: Rootstrap is a custom software development firm offering web, mobile, and AI-enabled development for startups and enterprises. Similar service tiers (fixed-fee project work and dedicated teams) make them a comparable peer to ACM.
• BairesDev: BairesDev is a custom software development firm providing dedicated engineering teams and fixed-scope projects to enterprises and growth-stage companies. Comparable fractional-team model but primarily Latin America-based, contrasting ACM's US-senior positioning.
• Thoughtbot: Thoughtbot is a custom software consultancy that ships product work via small senior teams, with a published playbook, fixed-fee engagements, and an emphasis on design + engineering craft. Closely comparable to ACM's fractional product team model and similar size.
• Hatchworks (Hatch): Hatchworks is a US-based custom software consultancy that builds digital products via nearshoring-augmented senior teams, with published pricing and discovery-to-sprint engagement models. Direct peer on AI-accelerated development and mid-market focus.
• DockYard (part of DHI Group): DockYard is a custom product development consultancy with embedded senior teams, an emphasis on modern web and mobile stacks, and retainer-style engagements. Direct peer on fractional team delivery for growth-stage and mid-market clients.

Emerging players

• Toptal: Toptal is a global talent marketplace that connects companies with senior freelance engineers and designers. Same senior-talent / fractional-engagement buyer overlap as ACM but operates as a marketplace rather than a managed delivery firm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a-cultivated-mindset
• Xx.com/cultivatedminds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about A Cultivated Mindset