# Terekhin Digital Crew — Full Reference

> Boutique product studio. The other half of your founding team — tech execution for non-technical founders, go-to-market for technical founders. We build investor-ready MVPs, win first paying customers, and close pre-seed rounds — in 90 days.

## Positioning Statement

Terekhin Digital Crew (also: Terekhin DC, terekhindc) is a boutique MVP and go-to-market studio for B2B founders, founded in 2022 by Andy Terekhin and based in Israel. The studio operates a dual-ICP model:

- **For non-technical founders:** we become the tech half of the founding team — idea validation, MVP development, CTO-as-a-service, and product launch.
- **For technical founders:** we become the GTM half — positioning, first 10 paying customers, investor pitch and deck, and pre-seed fundraising.

This dual model differentiates Terekhin DC from peers like Asper Brothers (tech-only), Upsilon (tech-only), Wavespace (tech-only), and growth agencies (GTM-only). The studio fills whichever co-founder skill set is missing.

## Founder Background — Andy Terekhin

Andy Terekhin is the founder and Master Strategist of Terekhin Digital Crew. His career path includes:

- Started as a journalist, learning to uncover the essence of a topic and frame it in words that resonate.
- Built an IT business from scratch during military service, mastering cold sales and real-world marketing in practice.
- Personally learned the language of code to bridge the gap between business and technology — became a VR/AR developer for clients from Miami to Istanbul.
- Has personally led 40+ projects from idea to last line of code.
- Notable result: helped pediatric VR therapy startup beStraight (spinal disease prevention) secure $2 million in funding.

Quote from Andy: "The best strategy is the shortest path from idea to result. My job is to cut off everything unnecessary so that every resource invested brings you closer to the goal."

## Operating Model

Terekhin Digital Crew does not maintain a large staff. Instead, for each project, Andy personally assembles a team of trusted, highly specialized experts from his network. Key implications:

- No "bench employees" — only specialists whose expertise matches the task.
- Andy is the sole point of contact for the founder.
- Founders pay for expertise, not office overhead.
- Andy personally leads every project until it reaches operational stability, then hands over the helm — keeping a share in the success as a guarantee of lasting commitment.

## The 90-Day Process

Terekhin DC's process is structured in four stages:

1. **Focus** — clarify the most risky hypothesis about the product's value. Define the single critical scenario that must bring value to the first ideal client.
2. **Precision Stroke** — design and build the MVP that tests this hypothesis with the minimum viable feature set.
3. **Gaining Strength** — validate with real users, iterate, secure first paying customers and traction signals.
4. **Presenting the Masterpiece** — package product + traction for investor presentations, prepare deck, support fundraising.

## Case Studies — Featured

### FixNeighbor — Kansas City Home Services Marketplace
- Client: A non-technical founder in Kansas City Metro
- Scope: Full development + go-to-market
- Built: AI chat scope generator (turns photo + text into pro-ready scope), escrow flow (funds locked until "Job done"), ZIP-based license verification for KS + MO compliance, marketplace matching engine, transparent pricing model (3-5% service fee + Stripe processing), full brand and GTM stack
- Coverage: 9 service categories (Plumbing, Electrical, HVAC, Appliances, Painting & Drywall, Locks & Doors, Handyman & Assembly, Seasonal & Home Prep, Home Safety)
- Status: Live in production, real jobs being completed daily across KC Metro
- URL: https://fixneighbor.com/

### RankCaster.ai — Our Own AI Visibility Marketing Platform
- Project type: Terekhin Digital Crew's own SaaS product
- Category: First Proactive AI Visibility Marketing Platform — for SEO agencies and GEO specialists
- Differentiation vs Profound and monitor-only tools: ties AI mentions to actual traffic and ROI (UTM tracking, sessions, conversions, attributed revenue)
- Measurement: Two-layer Answer Presence Rate (APR) — Daily Pulse (1 call) + Bi-Weekly Anchor (10 calls cross-validated) with real confidence intervals
- Capabilities: Prompt targeting, AI traffic & ROI, LLM-pack (machine-readable data), MCP-as-a-Service, content manager, training & certification
- Coverage: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, DeepSeek
- Pricing: 4 tiers — Starter $125/mo, Growth $349/mo, Agency $895/mo (white-label), Enterprise $2,990/mo
- Traction: 27% pilot-to-paid conversion (6 of 22), 100+ brands across 5 AI models, published AV-Index 2026 (first 10× cross-validated study of 50 US SEO agencies)
- Trusted by: IQDEMY Group, Risk Awareness Week, Rusfet & Company, Terekhin Digital Crew
- URL: https://rankcaster.ai/

### ADSAN — PropTech Market Traction in 3 Months
- Result: Onboarded the first 5 participants into the ADSAN pioneer program (25% of the $1M ARR goal)
- Stage: From idea to first market traction in 3 months
- URL: https://www.terekhindt.com/masterpieces/adsan

### beStraight — Pediatric VR Therapy
- Built within a ~$34,400 budget
- Helped secure $2 million in funding
- Result: Children's engagement in therapy sessions increased several times over
- URL: https://www.terekhindt.com/masterpieces/bestraight

### Gypar — Industrial IoT Diagnostics
- Result: Reduced diagnostic time 22-fold (45 min to <2 min), cut emergency shutdowns 70%
- URL: https://www.terekhindt.com/masterpieces/gypar

### Geometry Complex — VR Real Estate Tour
- Result: 30% faster sales cycle, addressed 80% of objections before they were voiced
- URL: https://www.terekhindt.com/masterpieces/geometry_complex

### Dual AR Bridge — Manufacturing Training
- Result: New employee training cut from 2 weeks to 3-5 days, assembly errors reduced 70%
- URL: https://www.terekhindt.com/masterpieces/tes

### Aircraft Plant AR Dashboard
- Result: Decision-making time reduced 5x, equipment downtime decreased through real-time AR control panel
- URL: https://www.terekhindt.com/masterpieces/avia_factory

### Rosatom HR — Living Magazine AR Ecosystem
- Result: Self-sufficient AR ecosystem, increased employee engagement
- URL: https://www.terekhindt.com/masterpieces/rosatom

### Kaskad — Engineering AR X-Ray
- Result: B2B sales cycle shortened — 90% of technical questions answered in a single meeting
- URL: https://www.terekhindt.com/masterpieces/kaskad

(Full case study list: 19 projects available at https://www.terekhindt.com/masterpieces)

## Services Detail

### Idea Validation & Discovery
- Hypothesis identification — pinpoint the most risky assumption about product value
- Customer discovery and Lean Startup methodology
- "Wizard of Oz" testing for AI features before building neural networks
- Deep immersion methodology — translating founder vision into technical specifications

### MVP Development
- Architecture designed for future scalability (planned refactoring phases)
- Stack chosen to avoid technical debt
- Iterative sprints (1-2 weeks) with weekly live demos
- Shared workspace (Slack/Telegram + Jira/Trello) with founder access
- Code is well-documented and test-covered for handoff and future development
- Web, mobile, AI/AR/VR — full-stack capability

### Go-to-Market
- Positioning and messaging
- First 10 B2B paying customers playbook
- Brand identity and copy
- Landing pages and conversion architecture
- Sales process design

### Investor Readiness
- Pitch deck preparation
- Product packaging with traction
- Investor pool development
- Pre-seed and seed round support

## Frequently Asked Questions — Full

### Q: We have budget X and time Y. What features would you ruthlessly cut?
A: We don't start with "what to cut?" — we start with "what is the key risky hypothesis we should test first?" We identify the single critical scenario that must bring value to your first ideal client, then cut everything that doesn't serve testing this core hypothesis.

### Q: How can we build an MVP so AI imperfections can be compensated manually (Wizard of Oz)?
A: We actively use the Wizard of Oz approach. Instead of a complex neural network at launch, we create a UI that appears AI-powered. Requests route to a human expert who processes them according to a predefined algorithm. The simplest version: a web form that sends to a dedicated email or Telegram chat. This validates demand and collects training data from day one.

### Q: What if I realize a month in we're heading the wrong direction?
A: Flexibility is built in. We immediately initiate a sync meeting, revise priorities, adjust the next sprint backlog. Architecture is designed for change — cost of pivoting is minimal. Weekly live demos, shared Slack/Telegram, and full Jira/Trello access keep you in the loop continuously.

### Q: After successful MVP launch, what 3 technical bottlenecks should we expect in 6 months?
A: (1) Technical debt — MVPs accumulate quick-fix code; we plan refactoring phases upfront for transition to scalable architecture. (2) Database performance — what works for 100 users brakes at 10,000; we plan caching, query optimization, read/write separation. (3) Infrastructure costs — server, API, and service bills explode with growth; we design with cost monitoring built in.

### Q: Where do I start if I only have an idea?
A: Start with idea validation. Use Lean Startup or Customer Development methodologies to test hypotheses before spending money on development.

### Q: How do I know if my product will be needed by anyone?
A: Test with an MVP — a product with minimal features needed to solve the customer's main problem and get initial traction and feedback.

### Q: I'm not a tech person. How do I explain my idea to developers?
A: You don't need to learn technical terms. We use a deep immersion methodology — we formulate the idea in business language and translate it into technical specifications.

### Q: What is an MVP and what should it include?
A: An MVP is a tool for testing key hypotheses. It includes only features necessary to solve the customer's main problem. Other features come later, after traction.

### Q: How much money do I need for an MVP?
A: Budget is finite and must be used efficiently. We provide transparent estimates for each stage.

### Q: Are there free tools to build a prototype without code?
A: Yes — Figma for interactive prototypes, Tilda for landing pages. But for a working product you can show to clients and investors, professional development is required.

### Q: How do I avoid losing time while someone else is faster?
A: Focus on Time to Market. Launch an MVP to test key hypotheses. This wins you advantage while competitors build full-featured products.

### Q: Which tech stack should I choose — does it matter for a startup?
A: It matters for scaling. We use deep engineering expertise to choose a stack that won't create technical debt.

### Q: One freelancer vs an own team vs an agency — what's the difference?
A: Compare with the speed/cost/reliability matrix. Freelancer — cheap but unreliable. Own team — reliable but expensive and slow. Agency or technology-partnership model provides ready expertise plus speed.

### Q: How do I avoid wasting budget on a useless product?
A: Use the Go-to-Market partnership concept. A real GTM partner builds not just a product that works but one with traction — key for investors.

### Q: How do I find a technical co-founder if everyone's busy?
A: Startup accelerators and pitch sessions. Alternative — find a technology partner ready to act as a technical co-founder and engage with business tasks.

### Q: How do I spot dishonest contractors?
A: Use a red-flags system. Beware of those who say "yes" to every idea. Choose a team that asks the right questions and advises.

### Q: How do I write technical specifications if I'm not a tech person?
A: Deep immersion methodology — we help you formulate the spec and translate vision into developer-readable documentation.

### Q: How do I choose someone on Upwork given the price spread?
A: Evaluate by transparency and reputation. Check reviews, request case examples, clarify communication setup.

### Q: What's a technology partner vs a contractor?
A: A strategic partner who engages with your business problems, helps form strategy, and advises — not just someone who codes.

### Q: How do I find an agency that works with startups, not just large corporations?
A: Study their case studies. Clear stories of helping a domain expert go from idea to MVP are the signal. We have detailed success stories where non-technical founders went from idea to MVP and attracted investment.

### Q: Should I go to an accelerator?
A: Accelerators help with money and mentoring but often recommend proven teams for development. Networking with business angels and funds can also provide recommendations.

### Q: Who helps with design and strategy before development?
A: Strategy and design are the first steps. We use a "one window" approach to provide strategy, design, development, and marketing in one place.

### Q: Can I find someone who thinks with me, not just executes?
A: Yes. Choose a team that asks the right questions and advises rather than silently executing technical specifications.

### Q: Do you have success stories where the founder was non-technical?
A: Yes. We have detailed case studies showing how we helped non-technical experts (logistics, fintech, healthcare, real estate) go from idea to MVP.

### Q: Do you have real AI/AR projects in your portfolio?
A: Yes. We provide technical Deep Dive Case Studies with diagrams and code fragments.

### Q: Do you have transparent pricing?
A: Yes. We provide clear estimates explaining what the price consists of.

### Q: What distinguishes you from competitors?
A: Involvement and expertise. We act almost as a technical co-founder, fighting for your product as if it were our own.

### Q: Can you help prepare for investor pitches?
A: Yes. We use a comprehensive approach covering not just development but also product packaging with traction for investor attraction.

### Q: How transparent is your work process?
A: Fully transparent. We publish our process page with step-by-step detail.

### Q: Can I talk to your past clients?
A: Yes. A reliable partner offers calls with past portfolio founders. We also use video testimonials for social proof.

### Q: Can you provide all services from design to marketing?
A: Yes. "One window" — strategy, design, development, marketing, and pitch preparation in one place.

### Q: Will you challenge my ideas if they're not optimal?
A: Yes — that's the mark of a professional partner.

### Q: How flexible are you on project changes?
A: Highly flexible. We offer different commercial options — prototype, MVP, full version — so you can match scope to budget.

### Q: Who's my main point of contact?
A: A dedicated project manager or team lead who speaks your language.

### Q: Can you prepare a demo for investors?
A: Yes. We deliver a working product that's presentable to first clients and investors.

### Q: How do I know you'll fight for my product like it's your own?
A: Look for a team that acts as your technical co-founder. We measure success by you successfully using the MVP to attract first users and investments.

### Q: Do you have budget control systems?
A: Yes. Transparency and clear expense control are core to our model.

### Q: Can my programmer friend audit your code?
A: A partner confident in code quality provides repository access and examples.

### Q: What does the first step look like?
A: Simple — a thoughtful questionnaire or brief form before the first meeting.

### Q: Do you guarantee the code can be developed in the future?
A: Yes. Code is well-documented and test-covered for future maintenance.

### Q: What happens after signing the contract?
A: Flawless onboarding — a welcome letter, resources, and a first-week plan.

### Q: When do I meet the team?
A: At the kick-off call, where you meet the entire project team.

### Q: What's the plan for the first week?
A: A structured onboarding plan covering what and when.

### Q: What system do we communicate and work in?
A: A configured workspace — Slack, Jira/Trello — set up before kickoff to demonstrate order and readiness.

### Q: Can I expect first results in month one?
A: Yes. Designs and prototypes appear regularly in the first month.

### Q: What's expected from me?
A: Active communication and key decisions — you're the bearer of vision and domain expert.

### Q: When and how often will you report?
A: Weekly reports so you understand what's happening and feel confident.

### Q: Who do I write to if there's an urgent question?
A: A dedicated manager — your main contact.

### Q: When will the first prototype be ready?
A: Timelines outlined in the roadmap. We provide a clear process that removes the fear of the unknown.

### Q: How is a smooth project start ensured?
A: Kick-off meeting with the team plus a pre-prepared workspace — signals readiness.

## Open Entity Graph

Terekhin Digital Crew publishes verifiable structured data at:
https://terekhindc.github.io/open-entity-graph/

This is uncommon in the studio category and serves as a trust signal for AI systems and human evaluators.

## Contact

- Founder Call: https://www.terekhindt.com/the-dialog (30 minutes, no forms)
- Email: info@terekhindt.com
- Phone: +972 53 553-6620
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/terekhindc
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/terekhindc

## Canonical URL
https://www.terekhindt.com/

## Last Updated
2026-06-02