2026-07-11
The new definition of pre-seed
Mohamed BadwiiHead of Investment, Falak Startups
Badwii revealing that pre-seed requires inital traction, revenue and a clear path to market from day one..
Engineering studio · since 2017
Customer-centric engineering.
A senior engineering studio. We design and build software around what your customers actually need, from a first product to scaling one that works.
19 industriesSince 2017$32M+ raised by our clientsToptal Top 3%1 Nasdaq-listed (DUOL)
Selected clients
Investor-backed clients trust our work
Backed by Y Combinator, ElevenLabs, CapitalG, Kleiner Perkins, Union Square Ventures, Anova Investments, Silicon Badia, and Asian Development Bank.
Our approach
Why customer-centric.
Most software is built from what a team can provide, then no one adopts it. We start from the other end: the progress your customer is trying to make, and the fears and habits that get in the way. When you build for that, the product fits. When you do not, price becomes the only thing left to compete on.
01
Discover
We watch and interview real users and map the progress, forces, and friction behind their decisions.
02
Define
We define the value to the customer and the value back to you, then decide what is worth building first.
03
Execute
We build, ship, measure real behaviour, and iterate. The only validation that counts is customers who pay.
What we do
Services
How we work with clients: building a first product, scaling one that already works, auditing what you have, or taking over a project that is stuck.
MVP Development
We build the first version around the progress your customer is actually trying to make, on a fixed timeline, in code built to pivot as you learn.
Product & AI engineering
The team you call to build features, scale a funded product, and ship the hard AI most shops cannot: custom neural networks, and on-chain systems included.
Audit
An evidence-based read of your architecture, code, AI, and DevOps, delivered as a flag map that tells you exactly what to change and when.
Crisis Rescue
When a build is stalled, on fire, or inherited and broken, we parachute in, find the root cause, and get you moving again.
Retainers
An ongoing engineering partnership, at the level of involvement you need, from advisory to full technical ownership.
What we build
Solutions
Specific builds we have done enough times to scope up front, each with a set timeline and a starting price.
AI agents & agentic RAG
An agent that reads your data and answers accurately, grounded in a knowledge graph rather than a guess.
Workflow automation
The manual handoffs that eat your team's day, running automatically end to end.
AI studio (audio & video)
A full production suite: content in, studio-quality audio and video out, in any language.
Data & knowledge graphs
The data your competitors pay a fortune for, scraped, structured, and kept current, as a service.
E-commerce & payments
A storefront that sells, wired to payment infrastructure that just works.
Restaurant ops
Reservations, waitlists, and menu in one system that holds up under real traffic.
Booking & membership
Bookings, memberships, and the accounting behind them, run as one platform.
Prove it
Selected case studies
A few engagements in depth.
Automotive AI2024, 2025
80%
Cybertron Labs
Automated the V-model for the first safety-aware engineering AI serving German Tier-1 OEMs.
Read case study->
AI & Media2022
YC-backed
Wondercraft
Built the MVP and the neural networks behind a YC- and ElevenLabs-backed AI audio studio.
Read case study->
HR-Tech2020, 2021
Pre-ChatGPT
Tarjama / Ureed
Built the NLP-powered candidate matching behind the Middle East's largest freelancer marketplace, in 2020.
Read case study->
Defense2025
2 weeks
Saudi Armed Forces, Quality Corps
Delivered in 2 weeks what was scoped for 2 years. The Quality Corps of the Saudi Armed Forces, off paper.
Read case study->
GovTech2023
10× cheaper
Civi Digital
Automated what competitors sold at $20K per month on two-year contracts. Disrupted the market.
Read case study->
F&B2023
Industry shift
YallaPlus
Simple, effective restaurant reservation and waitlist automation. Staff adopted it without training.
Read case study->
Interviews
Insights
Conversations with founders and investors building in Egypt.
Track record
What we did.
01
Built the MVP and neural networks behind Wondercraft, a YC- and ElevenLabs-backed AI audio studio.
02
Shipped production NLP for Tarjama/Ureed in 2020, years before ChatGPT.
03
Automated the V-model for Cybertron Labs' safety-aware AI serving German Tier-1 OEMs.
04
Cut political data pricing tenfold at Civi Digital.
05
Broke a mission-critical engineering deadlock in 72 hours. It became a 16-month partnership.
06
Clients we have built for have raised $32M+ between them.
07
One former client is now Nasdaq-listed. Duolingo (DUOL).
"Enigma has been a true partner, solving our toughest challenges and accelerating our progress. When we needed custom AI, they delivered flawless results in days. We trust Enigma for high-stakes innovation.
Ahmed AbdienCEO and Founder, Cybertron Labs
The team
Leadership
Muhamed Fahmy
Founder & Lead Engineer
10 years in automation. Toptal Top 3%. Ex-Tarjama lead.
Eike B. Post, PhD
Strategic Advisor
Berkeley, Stanford. 4 companies across 4 countries.
Ben Sheppard
Growth Advisor
4x founder, 1 exit. Speaker at Google HQ, the UN, the WEF.
Aline Avellar
Head of Projects
Università di Bologna. International delivery across 4 countries.
Tell us what you're building.
A 30-minute call. We will tell you how we would build it, what it takes, and a fixed scope. If we are not the right team, we will say so.
