Case Studies
Modernizing systems that couldn't afford to break
These are examples of modernizing revenue-critical, regulated, or operationally sensitive systems — where failure would have meant outages, audit findings, or lost trust.
High-risk systems we modernized without disruption
Financial Services
Modernizing a Live Derivatives Trading System at Citi
Citi needed faster pricing models in a live trading environment where downtime or calculation errors could halt trading. We modernized the platform incrementally, delivering real-time accuracy without disrupting active trades.
Financial Services
Modernizing a Regulated Compliance System at Paxos
Paxos needed to evolve compliance workflows in a regulated crypto environment where mistakes could trigger audit findings or violations. We modernized the system incrementally, keeping operations safe throughout.
Fintech
Modernizing Revenue-Critical Data Infrastructure at Orum
Orum needed to evolve its data systems without disrupting a payments-adjacent product relied on by customers. We modernized the infrastructure while maintaining system reliability and trust.
Government & Public Services
Building a Flood Insurance Calculator for NYC Residents
NYC residents needed accurate flood insurance estimates to protect their homes and finances — where calculation errors could leave families underinsured against climate disasters. We built a system that transforms complex FEMA requirements into reliable, accessible guidance.
Other systems we've modernized
Information Technology
Decoupling a Customer Portal from Fragile Salesforce Dependencies
UPSTACK's customer portal broke every time Salesforce schemas changed, causing downtime and lost data. We built a bi-directional sync that eliminated the fragility while cutting report generation from an hour to under a minute.
Sports & Media
Extracting Real-Time Insights from Century-Old Data Systems at Elias
Elias needed to expose their historical sports data to a consumer app without compromising the legacy systems that serve broadcasters and newspapers. We built data pipelines that transform complex statistics into user-friendly insights while preserving data integrity.
Sports & Media
Modernizing a Live Broadcast Graphics System for NBA and NHL
Def Method rebuilt the system powering on-screen graphics during live NBA and NHL broadcasts — where failures would be immediately visible to millions of viewers. We delivered real-time accuracy without disrupting active broadcasts.
IT Services
Validating Product Direction Before Committing to Costly Development
UPSTACK needed to improve retention but couldn't afford to build the wrong solution. We ran a rigorous discovery process that validated a path forward — reducing the risk of costly software that customers wouldn't use.
Social Media
Sunsetting Legacy Design Tools Without Disrupting 1,000 Designers
A major social media company needed to deprecate legacy design infrastructure that 1,000 designers still depended on — without disrupting their work or the company's product velocity. We managed the transition while keeping the old systems running safely.
E-commerce
Launching E-commerce Under Pressure for a Luxury Retail Brand
A luxury retailer needed to launch private e-commerce during COVID-19 without compromising brand experience or rushing a buggy product to market. We delivered ahead of schedule while improving their development practices.
Different industries. Different systems. Same constraint: these were all environments where getting it wrong had real consequences. That's the work we specialize in.