Too big for spreadsheets. Too small for Oracle.
We build the automation, agentic AI, and connected hardware that take repetitive work off your team's plate, so you can get back to growing the business. Take the software, the hardware, or both. Software can go live in weeks, not quarters.
We'll tell you where to start. Free. No deck, no scoping doc, no pressure.
- A spreadsheet that runs the business
- 12+ hours a week of manual reporting
- A workflow only one person knows
- Errors that surface a week too late
- A system that updates itself overnight
- Reports in your inbox every Monday
- A documented process that survives turnover
- Anomalies flagged before they cost you
Software, hardware, or both.
Need intelligent systems? Just physical product built? Or a device and the software it runs on, designed as one? Take a single lane or use both.
The intelligent side
Agentic automation, dashboards, and AI systems that take the repetitive work off your team, running quietly in the background. Take it on its own, no hardware required.
The physical side
Circuit boards, sensors, wireless comms, designed, prototyped, and manufactured in-house, with 10+ years of manufacturing experience keeping costs sane across the US, Mexico, and China. A standalone build, no software strings attached.
Most clients start with one. When you need both, we build the device and the software it runs on together, so nothing gets bolted on later.
What it looks like when it works.
The kind of result our clients see in the first quarter. Not someday, not theoretical. Measurable.
Why we exist.
Small businesses keep getting quoted enterprise solutions for non-enterprise problems. We built HLT Lab to be the answer.
Most growing businesses eventually hit the same wall.
The systems they need are too custom for simple apps, but the enterprise platforms are too expensive, too slow, and too heavy for where they are right now.
We build practical automation, agentic AI, dashboards, software, and connected hardware for real operations. The kind that helps your tools talk to each other, reduces manual work, and gives your team better visibility.
Software built in weeks, not quarters.
Without the enterprise overhead or the quote that makes you close the tab.
Who this is built for
From “we should probably do something” to “it's running on its own.”
Three steps. No deck. No sixty-page scoping doc. No selling you something you don't need.
Send us your worst workflow.
The spreadsheet you dread. The report someone hand-builds every Monday. The process held together by memory. We'll tell you where to start, what the right tool is, and what it would save you. Free.
We design the right system.
Sometimes it's a five-line automation. Sometimes it's an agent that runs a whole process on its own. Sometimes it's a sensor or device feeding the system that acts on it, hardware and software designed as one pipeline. We pick the smallest, most reliable approach that actually solves the problem, and build it.
It runs. Quietly. Reliably.
Software can go live in about four weeks. Monitored, documented, yours. We stay on call for the bits that need a human eye, you stop being the system.
Technology should remove friction.
Most operations don't fail because the team's lazy. They fail because the systems never caught up. Fragmented tools, manual workarounds, processes that depend on the person who's been there longest.
We map those gaps and build what's missing. So your team stops being the workaround.
How we work
The questions everyone asks first.
The honest answers, not the brochure version.
How long does the workflow teardown take?
About 20 to 30 minutes on a call, then we send a one-page write-up within two business days. No deck. No follow-up scoping doc.
What if our workflow isn't actually automatable?
We'll tell you. Roughly one in five workflows isn't a good fit yet. Sometimes the process needs to settle first, sometimes the right tool doesn't exist yet. New automation and AI tools ship every day, so if yours is the second case, we keep a list and we'll flag you the moment it becomes solvable. You leave with that clarity either way. No charge.
Do you use AI for everything?
No. About half the systems we build are simple automation, not AI. We pick the smallest, most reliable approach that solves the problem. AI is a tool, not the religion.
What happens after it's built?
We stay on call. Every system ships with monitoring and a clear support arrangement, so when something needs attention you don't have to figure it out alone.
How quickly can we start?
First teardown call usually happens within two business days of you reaching out. First working system can be live in about four weeks.
Do you actually manufacture hardware, or just design it?
We do the whole path, design, prototyping, sourcing, and manufacturing, with 10+ years of experience and lean production across the US, Mexico, and China. And because the same team builds the software your device talks to, the hardware and software can be designed as one.
How long does a hardware build take?
Longer than software, and it depends on the product. A manufactured device runs on a real production timeline, not the few-week window software lives in. After a first call we'll give you an honest read on the path from sketch to units, and where the time and cost actually sit.
Can you help if we already have a design?
Yes. You don't have to hand us the whole project. If you already have a design and just need prototyping, sourcing, or manufacturing, we can pick up from wherever you are.
Send us your worst workflow.
The spreadsheet you dread. The process nobody's written down. The report someone hand-builds every Monday. Tell us about it and we'll respond within two business days with where to start, what it would take, and what it would save you. Free. No deck, no scoping doc, no pressure.