Every vendor in your stack is shipping AI features. Almost nobody is making them work.
You don't have an AI problem. You have an execution problem.
We're the team that ships when others stall. Custom platforms, mobile and web apps, workflow automation, AI agents — whatever your business actually needs built. From Fortune 10 operations to mid-market platforms to small-business apps. We build it, we run it, and we train your team to own it.
Free playbook · No email required to read · 10 min · PDF + template available
Why Your AI Initiative Is Stuck
Everyone is selling AI.
Almost nobody is implementing it.
Your CEO wants an AI story. Your team is stretched. Your stack is full of tools you already paid for that aren't pulling their weight. The gap isn't the technology — it's the operational discipline to actually ship it.
Leadership wants AI yesterday
Your board is asking what your AI strategy is. Your team is asking when they'll have time to figure it out. Pressure on both ends.
You can't hire $300K AI engineers
Specialist talent is out of reach for mid-market budgets. And honestly, you don't need a team — you need one workflow shipped.
Your existing software is underused
ServiceNow, Salesforce, M365, your CRM, your custom stack — tools you paid for that aren't pulling their weight. Or workflows that should exist but don't yet.
POCs keep dying after demos
Pilot built. Demo dazzles. Then production reality hits — integration, governance, adoption — and the project quietly stalls.
What we build
Operational software.
Chosen by the problem, not by the menu.
We don't sell a tool. We don't sell a deck. We ship the software your business needs — a workflow that should already be automated, an app your team is missing, an internal platform that lets you finally scale, an AI agent that does the work nobody has time for. With your team trained to own it.
See the work we shipDelivery modes
Custom Platforms
Multi-location ops, specialty business management, internal tooling — end-to-end.
Mobile & Web Apps
Customer-facing or internal. Real engineering discipline, ship-ready.
Workflow Automation
Reporting, document, operational — the work eating your team's hours.
AI Agents & Assistants
Production-grade. Evals, guardrails, observability. Not a chatbot wrapper.
Our Process
From Zero to Production AI in Weeks
Discover
We audit your workflows and identify the highest-impact AI opportunities. No generic playbooks — specific to your business.
Build
We build the custom AI software — model selection, retrieval, evals, integrations with your existing stack. Hardened before it ever touches production.
Deliver
Your first production AI workflow goes live with your real data. Not a demo — a working system your team uses.
Optimize
Continuous tuning, new workflows, cost optimization, and support. We're your AI team, not a one-time vendor.
Who We Serve
Built for businesses ready to grow.
From a Fortune 10 operations team to a regional multi-location operator to a small business owner with a clear idea — if your engineering bench can't ship what your business needs, we can.
Multi-location service businesses outgrowing the SaaS-and-spreadsheets stack they started with.
Stretched IT or engineering teams. Can't hire fast enough. Can't absorb another half-finished platform.
Operators with a clear build in mind — a platform, an app, an automation — but no team to ship it.
Mid-market and enterprise teams sitting on underused software where the operational AI value is hiding.
Chosen by the problem
A recent engagement
A Fortune 10 enterprise had the platform. We built the operational layer around it.
Enterprise observability was deployed and telemetry was flowing — but nobody was using it. We shipped the operational layer in one week.
Alert noise reduced
Manual toil eliminated
To first results
Cost recovered
The methodology that made it work
- Specialist AI models — not generalists — for the operational domain
- Feedback loops and verification baked in before any production deploy
- Enterprise software discipline, not research-lab improvisation
The Team
Two managing partners. A full bench behind them.
Founder-led on every engagement — backed by 10+ NVIDIA- and Anthropic-certified architects and engineers, plus a vetted contractor bench in every U.S. metro. We have the manpower for any engagement size.
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Jason Rice
Technology and growth operator. 20+ years bridging engineering and business outcomes. Wharton-educated strategist who turns software and AI investment into ROI — not slides.
View on LinkedInCo-Founder & Managing Partner
Stephen Ternes
Hands-on builder and enterprise infrastructure operator. Architects the systems that turn AI and custom software into measurable business outcomes — with delivery discipline baked in from day one.
View on LinkedInPartner ecosystem
Plus Microsoft, Cloudflare, Stripe, Twilio, ServiceNow, Salesforce — and many others.
Three ways to get started
Tell us about one workflow
that's broken.
Pick the entry point that matches where you are. Each one ends with a founder reading your note — not a BDR queueing a follow-up.
Browse
Read the Eval Playbook
How to prove your AI workflow works before you ship it. ~10 minute read. No email required — see how we build before you commit anything.
Read the playbookEngaged
The Build Brief
One actionable teardown a month — from custom platforms to AI agents to operational workflows. Drawn from real engagements. From our managing partners. Unsubscribe with one click.
Read issue #1 first →Ready
Talk to a founder
25 minutes with Stephen. Tell us one workflow eating your team's time — we'll tell you whether AI is the right move.
Book 25 minutesOr just email info@opengate-ai.com — replies come from a founder, usually within 4 business hours.