Approach

Most product failures happen at the seams.

The mechanical team designed for one set of constraints. The electrical team designed for another. The firmware team got the spec late. The cloud team is building against an API that's still in flux. The cracks in the product line up exactly with the cracks between the teams.

This is the failure mode Conifer was built to eliminate. Four engineering disciplines under one roof, working from the same brief, accountable to the same outcome. No vendor coordination, no specification translation losses, no escalations between contractors.

When one team owns the whole product, you stop debating whose fault it is and start shipping.

It is a harder business to build than a single-discipline shop, which is why most firms don't.

Led by founders who've built, scaled, and exited the products they now help others build.

Ryan Kelley

Co-founder

Ryan co-founded VitalFlo, a medical technology company that was acquired in 2025. After VitalFlo, he led an IoT sensing division at Lunar Outpost overseeing a fleet of over 3,000 remote sensors deployed from the Australian Outback to the Arctic.

He has spent his career bringing new products to market and has a deep understanding of the operational pain of running companies that design and maintain custom systems.

2025VitalFlo, acquired

3,000+Remote sensors deployed across extreme environments

$8M Led IoT sensing division at Lunar Outpost

Zach Fearnside

Co-founder

Zach co-founded Aeva Labs, a manufacturing IoT company serving the food & beverage industry, which was acquired in 2023. He holds six patents ranging from IoT products to process improvements to computer vision devices.

After Aeva Labs, Zach scaled the hardware organization at Spiffy into a robust multidisciplinary team supporting over $13M of revenue.

2023Aeva Labs, acquired

6 patentsIoT, process automation, computer vision

$13M+Hardware org scaled at Spiffy

What you can expect from us.

One team, one outcome

Every discipline you need is in the same conversation, working from the same brief, accountable to the same delivery. There is no "their team" to escalate to.

Honesty, even when it's hard to hear

We provide direct feedback on ideas, direction, and company vision, including when it changes what we get paid to build. We'd rather lose a project than ship the wrong product.

Senior operators, hands on every project

The founders are involved in every engagement. You are not handed off to a junior team after the sales call.

We build it, we help you ship it

Our work doesn't end at handoff. Internal manufacturing, production support, and field updates mean we stay engaged through the moments that matter most.

The companies where we do our best work.

Funded product companies

You have a real product, real customers (or a clear path to them), and the financial runway to do this right.

Existing engineering pain

You've already invested in this problem. Maybe your team hit a wall. Maybe a vendor failed.

Hardware-adjacent products

Sensors, IoT, medical devices, industrial equipment, connected consumer or B2B products. We focus on work where the disciplines have to converge.

Owners who want a partner, not a vendor

The best engagements are with Founders, C-suite or true product owners who want a thinking partner, not a body shop.