About First Epic

First Epic provides dedicated, AI-enabled embedded talent - AI Software Engineers, Creative Technologists, AI Filmmakers, and Production Designers - who work exclusively for you, from our managed 24/7 physical studio.

We handle recruiting, vetting, HR, workspace, IT, and cross-border compliance. You provision the software seats to retain 100% IP ownership, and you manage the day-to-day work, just like any embedded team member.

Our team members train on Cursor, Copilot, Claude, and more - because AI multiplies the output of people with deep product context. But the tools are commoditized. Everyone has access to them. The difference is the person behind them: their judgment, their process, and their ability to ship under real constraints. That's what we vet for.

I've been building tech companies for over 20 years. Started my first company in college (UC Santa Barbara, Computer Engineering). Since then: SaaS, Web3, consumer apps, mobile gaming, and more.

Along the way, I hired hundreds of freelancers across every platform. Some were great. Most relationships didn't last. I spent a lot of money learning what doesn't work:

The talent usually wasn't the problem - it was the model. Fragmented freelance marketplaces and unreliable nearshore middlemen incentivize short-term behavior. I needed people who went deep on one product, with secure infrastructure supporting them.

Then AI changed the math. One developer with the right AI tools started covering ground that used to require three. But a new problem appeared: everyone's portfolio suddenly looked incredible. The tools democratized the output. They didn't democratize the judgment, the process, or the ability to ship under constraints. Vetting became the bottleneck.

Then my colleagues wanted it. Now it's a company.

There are hundreds of outsourcing companies. Most position the same way: "Top 1-3% talent," "vetted developers," "cost savings."

That's noise. Everyone says that.

What makes First Epic different is we own the infrastructure and we solve the vetting problem. We're not an unreliable marketplace or a nearshore middleman. We run the 24/7 physical studio, employ the people, ensure zero "Shadow AI" IP leaks, and handle everything that isn't your day-to-day work management.

AI tools made every candidate's output look professional. So we stopped evaluating portfolios first. We test for process - how candidates handle revisions, manage version control across dozens of assets, recover when tools break mid-project, and ship under real deadlines. The portfolio is the tool's work. The process is the person's work.

The result: Embedded AI talent that sticks around, builds unbroken institutional memory on your brand, and performs like in-house hires. No platform fees, and no retainers to access our network. You simply pay a flat monthly rate per embedded team member, with zero hidden overhead.