A development studio can accelerate a launch — or set it back months and leave insecure code behind. Because the work is specialised and hard to evaluate from the outside, a structured vetting process matters more here than in most procurement.
Key takeaways
- Ask to see shipped, on-chain work you can inspect — not just mockups.
- Security practices and testing culture are non-negotiable.
- Clarify IP ownership, handover and post-launch support up front.
- Match their chain and stack experience to your actual needs.
Proof of shipped work
Ask for live contracts and products you can examine on-chain and in repositories. Real teams can point to deployed code; portfolio-only pitches are a warning sign.
Security and testing
Ask how they test — unit and integration coverage, fuzzing, testnet process — and how they handle audits. A team that treats security as an afterthought will cost you later.
Commercials and IP
Nail down who owns the code, how handover works, documentation standards, and what post-launch support looks like before you sign.
Fit
Experience on your target chain and with your architecture (L1, L2, app-chain, cross-chain) beats general reputation. Ask specifically.
Trial the relationship with a small, well-defined scope before committing to the full build.