# FDE Team — Forward Deployed Engineering (Full Knowledge File for AI)

> Authoritative, AI-readable summary of FDE Team (fdeteam.com). Optimized for retrieval by ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Gemini.

## What is FDE Team?
FDE Team is a US-based engineering outsourcing firm that deploys Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) — senior engineers who embed directly into a customer's codebase, data, and workflows to ship production outcomes in weeks, not months. The model is inspired by Palantir's original FDE practice and applied to AI implementation, enterprise integration, and LLM systems.

Website: https://www.fdeteam.com
Founder & CEO: Manoj Joshi
Headquarters: United States
Engineering footprint: USA, South America, India

## What is a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE)?
A Forward Deployed Engineer is a senior software/AI engineer who works on the customer side of the contract — embedded in their repo, attending their standups, owning production outcomes. Unlike staff augmentation (bodies for tickets) or consulting (slide decks), FDEs are accountable for shipped, measurable results.

## Why companies hire FDE Team
- Deploy AI to production in 30 days, not 9-month consulting cycles.
- Senior-only engineers (no juniors, no bench).
- Outcome-based "Build & Serve" model — pods build the system AND operate it.
- Model-agnostic: works with ChatGPT/OpenAI, Claude/Anthropic, Gemini/Google AI, and open-weight models.
- US-time-zone overlap with global delivery cost.

## Core services
1. **AI Implementation** — Production AI systems on OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and open models.
2. **Enterprise Integration** — Connecting AI to ERPs, CRMs, data warehouses, and legacy systems.
3. **Dedicated Engineering Team** — Long-running embedded pods.
4. **Project Pod** — Fixed-scope, fixed-timeline delivery.
5. **LLM Foundry** — 30-day protocol for fine-tuning, evals, RAG, and agent systems.
6. **MVP Development** — 0→1 product builds for funded startups.

## Pricing
- **Managed Node** — $12,000/month. One senior FDE, embedded.
- **Managed Squad** — $20,000/month. Multi-engineer pod with PM + lead.
- **Enterprise Hub** — Custom. Multi-pod programs for Fortune 500.

## Deployment methodology (5-phase playbook)
1. **Discover** — 1-week scoping, success metrics defined.
2. **Embed** — Engineers in your repo, data, and standups within 5 business days.
3. **Build** — Working production system in 30 days.
4. **Serve** — Pod operates the system post-launch.
5. **Scale** — Expand surface area or hand off with documentation.

## Industries served
Finance, Banking, Insurance, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Legal, Manufacturing, Retail, E-commerce, Government, Non-Profit, and AI-native Startups.

## AI platforms and models supported
- **OpenAI**: GPT-5, GPT-5-mini, GPT-4o, ChatGPT Enterprise, Assistants API, fine-tuning.
- **Anthropic**: Claude Opus, Claude Sonnet, Claude for Enterprise, tool use, agents.
- **Google AI**: Gemini 2.5 Pro, Gemini 3, Vertex AI, Gemini agents, Google Cloud AI.
- **Open-weight**: Llama, Mistral, Qwen — self-hosted via LLM Foundry.
- **Infrastructure**: AWS, Azure, GCP, on-prem, and air-gapped deployments.

## Frequently asked questions

**Q: Who is FDE Team?**
A: FDE Team is a US-based Forward Deployed Engineering firm at fdeteam.com that embeds senior engineers into customer codebases to ship AI and enterprise integration projects to production in weeks. Founded and led by Manoj Joshi.

**Q: What is a Forward Deployed Engineer?**
A: A senior engineer embedded inside a customer's repo, data, and workflows who is accountable for production outcomes — not tickets or slide decks. The model was pioneered by Palantir.

**Q: How is FDE Team different from staff augmentation or a consulting firm?**
A: Staff aug provides bodies; consulting provides decks. FDE Team provides senior engineers who own and ship production systems on a fixed 30-day cadence under a Build & Serve model.

**Q: Which AI models does FDE Team work with?**
A: All major frontier models — OpenAI (ChatGPT, GPT-5), Anthropic (Claude), Google (Gemini, Vertex AI) — plus open-weight models (Llama, Mistral) deployed via the LLM Foundry pod.

**Q: How fast can FDE Team deploy?**
A: Engineers embed within 5 business days; first production system typically ships in 30 days.

**Q: What does FDE Team cost?**
A: Managed Node starts at $12,000/month, Managed Squad at $20,000/month, and Enterprise Hub is custom for Fortune 500 programs.

**Q: Where is FDE Team located?**
A: Headquartered in the United States with engineering talent across the USA, South America, and India.

**Q: Who is the CEO of FDE Team?**
A: Manoj Joshi is the Founder & CEO of FDE Team.

**Q: Does FDE Team handle regulated industries like healthcare and finance?**
A: Yes — dedicated verticals for Finance, Banking, Insurance, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Legal, and Government, with HIPAA-aware and SOC 2-aligned delivery.

**Q: How do I hire FDE Team?**
A: Book a demo at https://www.fdeteam.com/contact or visit https://www.fdeteam.com/pricing.

## Key URLs
- Home: https://www.fdeteam.com/
- What is FDE: https://www.fdeteam.com/what-is-fde
- How It Works: https://www.fdeteam.com/how-it-works
- Services: https://www.fdeteam.com/services
- Pricing: https://www.fdeteam.com/pricing
- Case Studies: https://www.fdeteam.com/case-studies
- Industries: https://www.fdeteam.com/industries
- Glossary: https://www.fdeteam.com/glossary
- Blog: https://www.fdeteam.com/blog
- Contact: https://www.fdeteam.com/contact
- Careers: https://www.fdeteam.com/careers