Excelling at multiple roles as product, software, and site reliability engineer, John gained a 360° view. Now he manages his own team of hand-selected professionals. BY ENGINEERS, FOR BUSINESSES Meet your strategic advantage in technology. Work at BearPeak → Meet Our Founder & CEO John Eckhardt has been part of 4 startups, all of them successful. Excelling at multiple roles as product, software, and site reliability engineer, John gained a 360° view of the development process. Now, he manages a team of hand-selected professionals with one goal in mind: creating amazing experiences. Talk with John Partnerships Professional Associations Sponsorships Careers Want to Join the Team? Join our mission to help startups start up! - Work remotely - Choose your hours - Connect with excellent software developers, dedicated and supportive teammates, and leaders with top-tier resources and guidance. We're a team that likes to get outdoors, sport BearPeak merch, and solve problems with purpose and drive. If you think you'd be a good fit, let's talk! Check Open Positions

TURNING IDEAS INTO ACTION Great People + Great Process = Amazing Product A preview of our work with: Client: NDTCO A Secure & Unified Investment App BearPeak became NDTCO's outsourced product and engineering team, and also embedded a Fractional CTO with their leadership. In less than 18 months, we reimagined their engineering team and brought their first mobile app to market. Client: NDTCO Legacy CRM -> HubSpot Migration BearPeak became NDTCO's outsourced product and engineering team, and also embeeded a Fractional CTO with their leadership. In less than 18 months, we reimagined their engineering team and brought their first mobile app to market. Client: Ad Fontes Media Scaling Without Compromise When Ad Fontes Media set out to grow their software capabilities, they needed more than extra developers: they needed a strong, solid foundation for long-term growth. Client: TrainingPeaks Beating the Clock We identified risk, optimized schemas, and migrated an athletic platform's database to AWS RDS with zero downtime. Best part? We doubled their delivery velocity. 😎

It's all about the people. Will your business be next? See a preview of our work with New Direction Trust Company and Ad Fontes Media. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE Will your business be next? A preview of our work with: New Direction Trust Company Deeply Embedded BearPeak became the outsourced product and eng. team, and dedicated a Fractional CTO to embed with NDTCO's leadership. The boundary between where NDTCO ends and BearPeak begins isn't even that clear. We're a natural extension of their team physically present to them on a regular basis. In less than 18 months, we've reimagined their engineering team and brought their first mobile app to market. Check out some of our accomplisments: App Build CRM Migration Ad Fontes Media The Natural Extension BearPeak brought in hand-picked specialists to reinforce the Ad Fontes Media engineering team. We helped build front- and back-end apps, move systems from legacy hosting to GCP, and drove the development of the Media Bias Chart 2.0! As they work with more predictive tools based on human-truthed datasets, we're also helping advance their AI story.

Scaling Without Compromise How we built cloud infrastructure for a mission-driven platform Rebuilding the Backbone of Media Transparency When Ad Fontes Media set out to grow their software capabilities, they needed more than extra developers: they needed a strong, solid foundation for long-term growth. That meant upgrading infrastructure, moving to the cloud, and building systems that could ship fast and reliably. BearPeak jumped in — delivering production-ready features within a week and instantly picking up speed. Ad Fontes Media Foundation Built for Speed & Stability Built for Speed & Stability Built for Speed & Stability Built for Speed & Stability Building for a Secure Future AWS RDS Migration Beyond writing code, BearPeak provided structure — implementing cloud migration strategies, development pipelines, testing practices, and CI/CD processes that enabled faster releases with minimal downtime and fewer errors. Just as importantly, BearPeak delivered clarity. Clear communication, defined expectations, and strong project leadership ensured alignment across stakeholders. Precision Talent, Real Partnership Human-Centered Engineering The combination of technical expertise and interpersonal awareness allowed teams to collaborate efficiently — something Vanessa noted is rare in software development partnerships. With expertise in sourcing precisely the right engineering talent and implementing scalable cloud infrastructure, BearPeak enabled Ad Fontes Media to expand its capabilities without compromising stability or speed. I am a repeat customer of BearPeak. It's really nice to have a company that you can rely on. Lots of folks have the skills to do software development. But you can't just throw [them] into a room and expect really efficient results, or that everyone's going to get along, unless you have somebody who really understands interpersonal dynamics and has the technical knowledge. I always had really clear expectations of what was going to happen and when, and who was going to do what. You can't find that everywhere. - Vanessa Otero, Founder & CEO of Ad Fontes Media Ready to scale with confidence? Let's build infrastructure that supports your next stage of growth — and the one after that. Talk with us

NDTCO + BearPeak How we built a unified, secure, and user-friendly investment app. Overview We partnered with New Direction Trust Company to design and build a new investment app, with the long-term goal of replacing their customer portal. What began as an onboarding flow grew into a full account creation platform. NDTCO's process previously relied on manual reviews. Our mobile-first design improved efficiency and engagement, giving users access to their investments from anywhere. We reduced fraud risk, strengthened compliance, and streamlined operations, positioning NDTCO to scale with confidence and deliver the service they envisioned. Opportunities The final product streamlines the process into three clear steps (onboarding, funding, and investing) with a real-time “pizza tracker” to keep clients informed about where they are in each process. In addition to core flows, we designed supporting features like a secure communications portal, portfolio dashboards, and compliance-ready data handling. Design Challenge & Process Methods: User flows, wireframes, high-fidelity prototypes Our key challenge was balancing strict security and compliance with a simple, approachable experience. We broke complex onboarding into clear, step-by-step flows. We added two-factor authentication and upfront legal disclosures to enhance security and protect NDTCO and its clients. Then we redesigned the funding process, replacing manual workflows. Integrations with Plaid, check parsing, and document validation make processing faster, safer, and more compliant. Finally, we transformed dashboards from numbers-only views into rich displays with personality and story. By collaborating with asset managers, we built detail screens that tie real-world data (like property values and business growth) to client investments. This product being successful is more than just designing and coding something: it's about interacting with the people inside the company so their voices feel heard, and so the solution reflects their processes as well as their vision. This product being successful is more than just designing and coding something: it's about interacting with the people inside the company so their voices feel heard, and so the solution reflects their processes as well as their vision. This product being successful is more than just designing and coding something: it's about interacting with the people inside the company so their voices feel heard, and so the solution reflects their processes as well as their vision. This product being successful is more than just designing and coding something: it's about interacting with the people inside the company so their voices feel heard, and so the solution reflects their processes as well as their vision. - Trevor McCleary, BearPeak Product Lead - Trevor McCleary, BearPeak Product Lead - Trevor McCleary, BearPeak Product Lead - Trevor McCleary, BearPeak Product Lead Trevor's product management process Our Tech Stack By integrating these tools, our app for NDTCO provides guardrails that not only enhance user confidence but also strengthen internal risk management. React Native We ensured a consistent cross-platform experience by building for web, iOS, and Android from a single codebase. This streamlined development, reduced maintenance overhead, and established long-term stability. Learn More Typescript We prevented the wild-west chaos of JavaScript with type safety. This strengthened both developer confidence and internal risk management. Learn More Node.js The backend was powered with reliability and speed, providing a secure, scalable foundation that reinforced user trust and operations. Learn More Google M3 UI Framework Learn More LexisNexis Identity Verification Learn More Plaid Transactions Learn More Amazon Bedrock Doc Parsing / AI Learn More We turn complexity into clarity. Ready to help your team scale with confidence? Start the Conversation

New Direction Trust Company's teams were struggling to work with outdated legacy CRMs.​​​​ The CEO's data-driven vision was being held back, so it was time to move.​ We helped define internal procedures, not only to align the tech with the teams, but unlock insights from their data. Oh, and we saved them $600K. 😎 HubSpot Migration How we helped a financial service business build a stronger, smarter foundation. Building a Stronger & Smarter Foundation Overview The Problem Opportunities Game Plan Overview New Direction Trust Company's teams were struggling to work with outdated legacy CRMs. The CEO's data-driven vision was being held back, so it was time to move. We helped define internal procedures, not only to align the tech with the teams, but unlock insights from their data. Oh, and we saved them $600K. 😎 Game Plan: Simplify We aimed to separate financial vs support data, clean up legacy issues, and design migration scripts that would map into HubSpot's intuitive structure. This would require clear communication with our client's teams to ensure accuracy, adoption, and continuous momentum. Opportunities With HubSpot, we unlocked a world of possibilities: Marketing, sales, and support all under one roof Access on desktop, mobile, & multiple accounts Consider the C in CRM: It's about reestablishing and nourishing the relationship with our customer. The Problem The existing CRM didn’t fit how the organization actually did business: Information didn't line up, the quality was unreliable, and integrations between tools were unstable. How could they trust reports or automate workflows? Plus, the client was about to owe a large renewal payment for software that wasn’t working for them. HubSpot Migration The Design Process & Challenges The Design Process & Challenges The Design Process & Challenges The Design Process & Challenges Building a Stronger & Smarter Foundation Process Modeling We realized the problem was the process under the data: It couldn't handle unique workflows, so the team was forced to "hack" their way through inconsistent statuses, with personalized one-off workarounds. The tech didn't support how real work actually got done. So we rolled up our sleeves and mapped the full investment lifecycle. After validating the risks, we aligned leadership with our plan for a full CRM migration. Building a Stronger & Smarter Foundation Data Modeling One point of confusion was that the old CRM lumped requests and transactions into the same bucket. We split the data into two clear types inside HubSpot. We wrangled around 850,000 activity records, then categorized each as a call, task, note, ticket, etc. It was messy work, but the end result worth it: Clean, structured data that actually made sense. Building a Stronger & Smarter Foundation Systems Integration We made sure everything functioned the way real users need it to. QA and UAT sessions helped us catch issues early and confirm that features felt right in practice. We took advantage of HubSpot's new feature in renaming native objects: their "Deals" became NDTCO's "Transactions." Now, the CRM speaks the client's language. By launch, everything clicked together like it was born to work this way. Building a Stronger & Smarter Foundation Project Management "Project management didn't need to be a heavy-handed approach," BearPeaker Mik Nielsen explained. "Especially since it is a small company." So she focused on the basics: A project plan A light-weight schedule R.A.C.I. to identify team members and approvers Monthly executive updates ... and a weekly meeting with the core team. Instead of reinventing what the client already had, we built on their existing roadmap to fit how they worked naturally. "Best. Collaboration. Ever." "Best. Collaboration. Ever." "Best. Collaboration. Ever." "Best. Collaboration. Ever." - Kevin Dodson, CEO of New Direction Trust Company - Kevin Dodson, CEO of New Direction Trust Company - Kevin Dodson, CEO of New Direction Trust Company - Kevin Dodson, CEO of New Direction Trust Company HubSpot Migration The Results After months of fine-tuning, data wrangling, and teamwork, here’s where we landed: 5 Million Data records migrated $600k Saved for the client 86% Cleaner, more actionable data 1 Solid foundation 🎉 We turn complexity into clarity. Will you be our next success story? Start the Conversation

Beating the Clock How we transformed an end-of-life database into a modern cloud system. From expiring infrastructure to future-ready performance. TrainingPeaks , a powerful platform that helps athletes track and improve their performance, was being held back by outdated technology. Their on-premesis SQL server was reaching end-of-life, making it harder to grow and keep up with the increasing demands of their data-driven platform. TrainingPeaks Migration Our Solution Our Solution Our Solution Our Solution Building for a Secure Future AWS RDS Migration We identified risk, optimized schemas, and migrated their database to AWS RDS with zero downtime . The result: a modern, cloud-ready foundation that lets their product team ship faster than competitors. Best part? We doubled their delivery velocity. 😎 I can not say enough great things about the people and quality of work at BearPeak. [They] demonstrated their technical expertise, attention to detail, and ability to execute and deliver in tackling the re-platforming of our central data store and conducting a thorough analysis of our storage platforms. These projects took deep technical analysis and collaboration, and BearPeak surpassed our expectations. - Lee Gerakos, President & CTO of TrainingPeaks Will you be our next success story? We’ll kick off with a maturity assessment, legacy risk heat map, free AI code audit, and DevOps pipeline upgrade. Ready to get started?

Our four-week design-and-build sprint for companies ready to move fast. You bring the idea. We bring the PM, Designer, Engineer, and tools to make it real. We're Building the Future We're Building the Future We're Building the Future We're Building the Future All In On AI All In On AI All In On AI All In On AI Our design-and-build sprint for companies ready to move fast . You bring the idea. We bring the PM, Designer, Engineer, and tools to make it real. Apply Now Book an Intro Call Four weeks. One product. Zero regrets. So what do you get? A complete, working MVP — designed, built, and deployed on the platform of your choice. Dedicated Team 1 Engineer + 1 Designer + 1 PM working directly on your product. AI-Accelerated Workflow Generative design, automated build, and instant iteration loops. Deployed Prototype Live, documented, tested, and ready to show to customers or investors. Full Ownership You own the code, credentials, assets, all of it. Manage it yourself, or keep us for future sprints. It's time to demo your product — not your plan. Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 The 4-Phase Sprint Each phase takes about a week. Discovery & Definition We'll research customer needs, market trends, and validate assumptions to understand the problem space. Architecture & Design Then we'll create blueprints, prototypes, and detailed specifications for the product based on what we find in the discovery phase. Build This includes the actual process of building and coding the product according to the design specifications. Launch & Own It Time to release the finished product to market. Then we'll a nalyze the product's performance by collecting customer feedback, usage data, and metrics to inform the next cycle of product improvements. 1-Week Confidence Guarantee 1-Week Confidence Guarantee 1-Week Confidence Guarantee 1-Week Confidence Guarantee After the first week, we review your project's progress. If you don’t feel we’re on track to deliver a meaningful outcome, you may exit the program for a full refund. Investment: $29,500 USD This is a 4 phase all-inclusive program. Comparable custom builds often exceed $75k and 3 months. Instead, ours is compressed, focused, and AI-powered. Apply Now Scope & Fit Each project begins with a Scope Review to ensure success within the 4-week window. Core Focus We focus on a single, high-impact feature; the beating heart of your project. The Real Deal This is a true MVP — a clean foundation you can extend, not a half-baked prototype. Codex Claude Code Clean, thoughtful AI-assisted coding Claude helps us write and review complex code with clarity and precision. It supports better decisions, safer logic, and faster iteration throughout our builds. Learn More Development acceleration OpenAI Codex helps us turn ideas into real, working code faster. It supports our team with architecture and implementation so we can move from concept to clean software without slowing down. Learn More Designed & built by engineers using modern AI tools . . . Low-Code Conventional Launch quickly & flexibly We can deploy to low-code AI platforms like Base 44, Replit, & Loveable — or wherever fits best. Once it’s built, we ship it where you want. Enterprise-grade cloud delivery Depending on your regulatory compliance, you may need traditional hosting. We design and ship with reliability and enterprise needs in mind. . . . delivered & hosted on the platform of your choice. This isn't actually all about AI... This isn’t just an AI accelerated product development sprint: It’s you committing to the idea you’ve been sitting on. You're finally ready to build. This program will move you from concept to reality with real, deployed results. AI accelerates the process, but the real power comes from you. If you’re here, you’re done waiting. You're ready to go All In On You. ...it's about you. ...it's about you. ...it's about you. ...it's about you. Who is this Sprint for? Founders with a concept that needs to be validated Executives who want to prototype a new idea Product teams tired of waiting six months for initial proof of value Dreamers who are finally ready to commit You’ll Own It. Literally. When we’re done, you walk away with: Your code + documentation Design system and assets Deployed product (with live URL) Opt. handoff to your internal team, or continued engagement with BearPeak No lock-in. No black box. Just your product, accelerated. Add-Ons Growth Sprints 2-week extensions to add whatever you want: Analytics, automations, content, etc. Preferred pricing available for 'All In on AI' alumni. Road Mapping Turn your 4-phase build into a launch plan. We’ll map your next releases, estimate costs and timelines, and clarify where AI fits (and where it doesn’t). BearPeak Builder Network (Free) Lifetime access to a private Slack for alumni. Let's Talk Dream Features Tired of saying, "I'll build that next month"? It's time to take your shot. Apply Now Book an Intro Call *The Fine Print* All projects are subject to a Scope Review before acceptance. BearPeak reserves the right to accept projects based on fit, feasibility, and alignment with the program framework. Payment terms: 50% on acceptance, 50% at project start.

Turning ideas into action. Here's how it works: 1. Tell us what you're looking for. You may not really know, and that's okay. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE Will your business be next? However you build, we fit. Flexible engagement with serious impact Need to ship something critical? Need to reshape your entire product team? We’re built for both. With NDTCO (pictured), BearPeak became their outsourced product and engineering function — including a Fractional CTO embedded directly with leadership. We’re now a seamless extension of their team, physically present on a regular basis. Other partners need focused firepower. A defined sprint. Clear outcomes. We bring the same senior minds and ownership scoped to your mission. Five weeks or five years, our model stays the same: We embed. We align. We deliver. Check out our projects Here's how it works: Step 1. Start a Conversation Tell us what you're looking for. This could be 15 minute video call, or it could be several beers over the course of a month; we're not on the clock. Step 2. Initial Engagement Once we've brought the objectives into focus, we'll put on our nerd spectacles for a closer look. This step is customized to you; it could be a surface-level review of your present circumstances or a deep-dive into your teams, processes, code, deployments, etc - whatever you feel is needed. Step 3. Proposals We'll bring a roadmap, actually multiple roadmaps, to the table. They'll be strategies to get you from where you are today to where you want to be. Step 4. The Choice is Yours You may wish to follow the roadmap on your own, or we can help you get there. The choice is up to you. If you decide to work with us, we'll be excited to dive right in. Our Pinky Promise Every service comes stamped with a quality guarantee. If any issues arise within the first 30 days, you can walk away at no cost. We offer this because we're positive you'll have an amazing experience. Let's Talk

The future isn't something we wait for. It's something we build. We see AI as a collaborator. It helps us move faster, think bigger, and reach further. We're all in on AI, but with intention. The future isn’t something we wait for. The future isn’t something we wait for. The future isn’t something we wait for. The future isn’t something we wait for. It’s something we build. It’s something we build. It’s something we build. It’s something we build. BearPeak is always excited for what's next. We aren't just watching the AI Renaissance unfold, we're in it. We see AI as a collaborator. It helps us move faster, think bigger, and reach further. We’re all in on AI, but with intention . We help our clients figure out where AI can truly make a difference, and where the human touch still matters most. A New Partnership: Humans + AI A New Partnership: Humans + AI A New Partnership: Humans + AI A New Partnership: Humans + AI When you combine human experience with the power of technology, great things happen. Ideas move faster. Insights go deeper. We're making AI a meaningful partner in every workflow. This means helping staff and clients make thoughtful choices about when AI adds real value. Think of AI as the middle of the project sandwich: People start the process with vision and creativity. AI accelerates research, surfaces insights, and clears away the busywork. Then people step back in to refine and deliver the final product with context and intention. This partnership is greater than the sum of its parts: humans lead with ideas, AI amplifies what’s possible, and the people bring it home. Prompt Engineering, Data, & Validation Prompt Engineering, Data, & Validation Prompt Engineering, Data, & Validation Prompt Engineering, Data, & Validation Garbage in still makes garbage out. In this case: AI is only as good as the prompts its given. As the human in the loop, we prepare articulate inputs, then we validate, check, and extend outputs. AI is non-deterministic; the same prompt produces a different answer every time. That means validation isn’t just a one-time check, but an ongoing process. We test consistency, compare variations, and ensure results align with our expectations. The People Still Make the Project. The People Still Make the Project. The People Still Make the Project. The People Still Make the Project. We're keeping humans in the loop. People bring software to life and know what delights their customers. Collaborating, listening carefully, and designing with intention will never go out of style. We use AI with purpose: To spark creativity, solve tough problems, iterate faster, and prototype better tools for the people who use them. Proud sponsor of the Rocky Mountain AI Interest Group. Think ahead. Think ahead. Think ahead. Think ahead. Design with intention. Design with intention. Design with intention. Design with intention. Build with heart. Build with heart. Build with heart. Build with heart. We aren't just adapting to change, we're shaping what comes next. This is how we grow. How has BearPeak evolved? How has BearPeak evolved? How has BearPeak evolved? How has BearPeak evolved? Here are some of the tools we're using: These help us build better code faster... For high fidelity rapid prototyping, we use... And these are our favorite LLMs, depending on the project. AI is full of potential, but only when it's applied with purpose. Wondering what AI could do for your team? We're here to help. Let's Have That Conversation

Let's build something amazing. We create digital experiences, engineering teams, and partnerships that last. Let's Build Something Amazing. Let's Build Something Amazing. Let's Build Something Amazing. Let's Build Something Amazing. It's go time Unleash Trusted by Companies Big & Small Read Our AI Statement Embracing the Human + AI Partnership We’re all in, with intention. Ready to go all in on AI? We're taking 20 applicants from idea to true MVP in our inaugural acceleration program: All In on AI. Are you ready to go all in on your concept? 2026 AI Acceleration Program Apply Now WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING As your friendly neighborhood software devs, we meet amazing people all over the world. It's an honor to create projects that match the incredible work these small businesses already do. “ I'm a repeat customer of BearPeak. I've always been impressed by how quickly [John's] team gets new features up and running while implementing best practices . It’s really nice to be able to have a company you can rely on." Vanessa Otero Founder & CEO of Ad Fontes Media Up Up Based in beautiful Boulder, Colorado Serving clients everywhere. About Us Schedule a free chat— no strings, no stress, just insights. LET'S HIT THE TRAIL!

Let's make your customer experience unforgettable. Our design services include brand identity, web & logo design, social media, merch, and e-commerce. WHERE VISION BECOMES VISUAL Let's make your customer experience unforgettable. A preview of our work with: Our Design Services Brand Identity Web Design Social Media Merch Logo Design E-Commerce Zach came to us with a brand name, a vision for the logo, and his exceptional talent in jewelry-making. We crafted a distinctive brand identity, designed logo variations, and built a seamless Shopify website. Daniel needed a brand identity and site that reflect the hard work of Social Security Informed. We designed the logo, website banners, button icons, and more. Sometimes a client already has a website and logo they love. But Lucy was facing a frustrating challenge: her WordPress site had become uneditable, with some blocks updating while others expired. We recreated her site on Wix, preserving every detail. Now, she can effortlessly make updates in a secure and reliable space. Jarrett and his team had a vision, brand name, and a draft site. We brought it to life with a brand identity, logo, and website. Will your business be next? Your brand should reflect the great work that you do. A fresh design could turn visitors into customers—let’s make it happen. Time For a Refresh