How to choose your first automation.
A practical scorecard for identifying a workflow worth improving, before investing in a build.
Read the field noteTern & Loom · AI-native development studioSoftware that fits.
Software that fits.
AI that works.
Stop bending your business around off-the-shelf tools. We design and build the software, AI agents and integrations your organization actually needs, and you own every line.
Founder-led studioFixed price after scopingProposal within 48 hoursFirst release in about 4 weeks
Our promise
Fewer slide decks. More working software.
Tern & Loom is an AI-native development studio. We build AI agents, custom software and connected systems for organizations putting AI into production. Our aim is a working first release in about four weeks at a fixed price agreed after scoping. Every project is led by the founder, who brings in specialist designers and engineers when the work needs them.
- Custom-built
- AI-native
- You own the code
- First release in about 4 weeks
Last updated: 27 October 2026
Industry workflowsEight industries.
Eight industries.
One pattern: input, AI, output.
What an AI workflow can look like in your sector: what comes in, what the AI takes on and what comes out for a person to approve.
(01) Example(02) Example(03) Example(04) Example(05) Example(06) Example(07) Example(08) Example
Healthcare
Patient requests, feedback and claims, sorted before staff touch them.
- Patient messages
- Claim files
- Classify
- Check
A clean queue for staff to approve
Insurance
Claims and medical bills checked against the policy before a person decides.
- Claim documents
- Policy rules
- Extract
- Validate
Vetter-ready claim files
Banking & financial services
Complaints and loan files tracked against the regulator’s clock.
- Complaints
- Loan documents
- Categorize
- Check completeness
On-time regulatory reports
Logistics & mobility
Delivery exceptions owned, not lost.
- Carrier events
- Customer messages
- Match
- Prioritize
An exception queue with next actions
Hospitality & events
Enquiries turned into priced proposals.
- WhatsApp and email enquiries
- Venue fact sheet
- Qualify
- Draft
Proposals ready for sales approval
Manufacturing & agri-food
Supplier deliveries and payments reconciled.
- Delivery records
- Payment data
- Reconcile
- Flag
Statements finance can approve
Retail & e-commerce
Orders, returns and stock questions handled consistently.
- Orders
- Customer chats
- Classify
- Draft reply
Faster resolutions, with human sign-off
Professional services
From client brief to first draft.
- Client brief
- Documents
- Extract
- Draft
Consultant-ready first drafts
ServicesStrategy, build, operate.
Strategy, build, operate.
One studio, start to finish.
Consulting, development and automation combined into systems that work in everyday operations.
- (01)
AI strategy
Use cases, architecture, roadmap
GoalsRanked use cases90-day plan
Decide which AI projects deserve a budget, how they should be built and in what order, before anyone writes code.
- Opportunity review
- Use-case ranking
- Architecture options
- Delivery roadmap
- (02)
AI products
MVPs, features, integrations
IdeaPrototypeLive product
Turn an idea into software people use, with AI features that do real work rather than decorate a demo.
- LLM-powered features
- MVP Sprint
- Model and API integration
- Iteration after launch
- (03)
Automation & agents
Workflows that run themselves
Manual taskAgent with guardrailsReviewed result
Hand repetitive and multi-step work to workflows and agents, with permissions, logs and a person approving what matters.
- AI workflow automation
- Internal assistants
- CRM and tool automation
- Human approval where it matters
- (04)
Custom software
Platforms and internal tools
ProcessPlatformScale
Build the platform your process needs instead of bending the process around someone else’s product.
- Web apps and portals
- Internal tools and dashboards
- APIs and integrations
- Legacy replacement in stages
- (05)
AI visibility
Be cited in AI answers
AuditFacts layerCitations
Make sure ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google’s AI answers describe your company correctly, using verified facts rather than keyword tricks.
- AI visibility audit
- Entity facts and structured data
- llms.txt and MCP access
- Citation monitoring
Why custom-builtOff-the-shelf fits everyone.
Off-the-shelf fits everyone.
Custom fits you.
Subscriptions look cheap until you count the workarounds: the copied spreadsheets, the features you pay for and never use, and the one you need that never ships.
AspectOff-the-shelfCustom-built
(01) FitYou change your process to suit the tool.The tool follows your process.
(02) OwnershipLicences, lock-in and someone else’s roadmap.Your code, your data, your roadmap.
(03) AISold as an add-on tier, loosely connected.Designed into the core from the start.
When off-the-shelf is the right callIf your process is genuinely standard, you need it live this week and the budget is tight, buy the tool, and we will tell you so. Custom wins when the software is part of your edge: a workflow no vendor supports, data you cannot hand over, or AI that has to work inside your own systems.
Field notesWhat we build.
What we build.
What we learn.
Practical pieces on choosing, costing and controlling AI systems.
A better business case than “hours saved.”
Model useful capacity, review effort, operating costs, and payback without confusing an estimate with a guaranteed return.
Read the field noteWhere human approval belongs in an AI workflow.
Design review around authority, evidence, and changing source data—not a decorative approve button.
Read the field noteHow we workYou see it working.
You see it working.
Every single week.
We build in short loops: demo, feedback, decision, next step. Nothing disappears for a month.
- Week 1 · (01)
Discover
Scope agreedFirst prototype running
- Week 2 · (02)
Build
Demo and feedbackCore features in place
- Week 3 · (03)
Refine
Edge cases testedDecisions recorded
- Week 4 · (04)
Launch
LiveDocumented and handed over
- (01)A working demo every week, not a status report
- (02)One shared board, with decisions in writing
- (03)Feedback turned around in days, not weeks
- (04)People approve what matters
- (05)Working software over slide decks
What we avoid
The agency black box
- Weeks without news
- Surprises at the deadline
- Progress you cannot see
With us: a demo every week and written updates while we build.
Ways to startChoose your
Choose your
starting point.
Start small, launch fast or build a fully custom system. The route finder helps you choose.
(01)
Start small
Days, not months
Proven tools set up properly, such as a CRM, an automation or an integration, for a contained first win on a modest budget.
- Tool setup and configuration
- Process automation
- Integration between existing tools
(02)Best for MVPs
Launch fast
About 4 weeks
From idea to a working first release in about four weeks, built AI-native from the first day.
- Aim: first release in about 4 weeks
- AI-native development
- Modern, maintainable stack
- 30 days of bug fixes after delivery
(03)
Scale safely
12+ weeks, in stages
For complex requirements: an assessment first, then a staged build that fits your existing systems, controls and data rules.
- Custom platforms and integrations
- Architecture built for scale
- Security and data residency by design
- Starts with an assessment or strategy workshop
Free 30-minute call · no obligation
About the studio
One studio. One accountable lead.
- Model
- Founder-led AI-native development studio
- Contact
- hello@ternandloom.com
Tern & Loom is an AI-native development studio. We build AI agents, custom software and connected systems for organizations putting AI into production. Our aim is a working first release in about four weeks at a fixed price agreed after scoping. Every project is led by the founder, who brings in specialist designers and engineers when the work needs them.
- One point of contact
- From first call to handover
- Specialists brought in as needed
Before you startQuestions,
Questions,
answered.
The things founders, operators and IT leaders ask us first. Anything else, ask on the call.
How long does a first release take?
For a focused product or agent, our aim is a working first release in about four weeks. A setup takes one to two weeks, and larger systems are delivered in stages, each with its own fixed price.
How do we get started?
Book a free 30-minute call. We discuss your goal, answer your questions and decide together whether we are a good fit. If we are, you receive a proposal within 48 hours of scoping.
How do you price projects?
Workshops have fixed list prices. Setups, sprints and build stages get a fixed price after scoping, paid 50% at kick-off and 50% on acceptance. Third-party costs, such as hosting and model usage, are shown separately.
Who owns the code?
Once paid in full, you hold the usage rights to the code and deliverables written specifically for your project, so you can change them or have another team continue the work. General tools we built independently remain ours, with a licence for you to use them as needed. The agreement sets out the details.
Which technologies do you use?
Production-ready, widely used tools: TypeScript, React and Next.js, Node.js, PostgreSQL and Supabase, React Native for mobile, n8n where no-code fits, and models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, or open-weight models when data must stay in-house. Tool names describe our skills, not partnerships.
What does “AI-native” mean?
Two things. AI is designed into the architecture of what we build from the start, not bolted on later. And we use AI in our own engineering, which is how a small studio can ship in weeks rather than months.
What happens after launch?
You receive the code, documentation and a walkthrough. Bugs you report within 30 days of final delivery are fixed free of charge. After that, you can continue with monthly Build & Support, or run the system yourselves.
What happens when the AI gets something wrong?
We design for it. Outputs are validated against rules, uncertain cases go to a person, consequential actions need approval and every step is logged. Quality is measured on a fixed test set before launch and monitored afterwards.
Who will work on my project?
The founder leads every project and is your single point of contact. For larger work, we bring in vetted specialists, such as designers or mobile engineers, without handing you between account managers.
Next stepBring the problem.
Bring the problem.
We will bring a plan.
Book a free 30-minute call. We take on a small number of projects at a time, so each one gets full attention.
- First release in about four weeks
- Fixed price after scoping
- You own the code once paid in full
- 30 days of bug fixes after delivery