Question 1

What does The Portland Company do?

Accepted Answer

The Portland Company is a software development agency that builds web apps, native iOS and Android apps, AI and LLM integrations, and blockchain applications. We work with founders, product teams, and enterprises to ship production software fast — handling architecture, design, engineering, deployment, and ongoing iteration. With two decades of experience across consumer and enterprise products, we specialize in turning ambitious ideas into shipped software using modern stacks like Next.js, Swift, Kotlin, and the latest AI tooling.

Question 2

Who is Spencer Hill?

Accepted Answer

Spencer Hill is the founder of The Portland Company. He has spent two decades building software across web, mobile, AI, and blockchain, working with everyone from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies. Spencer leads engagements personally — clients work directly with him on architecture, technical strategy, and execution rather than being passed off to junior staff. He is hands-on with code and product, and he is the primary point of contact for every project the firm takes on.

Question 3

Do you work with startups?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A significant share of our work is with early-stage startups, from pre-seed founders building a first prototype to Series A and B companies scaling their engineering capacity. We help founders move from idea to shipped MVP quickly, then continue as a long-term engineering partner as the company grows. We are comfortable working with non-technical founders, technical co-founders who need extra hands, and venture-backed teams who need senior engineering leadership without the time and cost of hiring full-time.

Question 4

Do you build AI agents?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We build custom AI agents, LLM-powered features, and retrieval-augmented generation systems using the OpenAI API, Anthropic API, LangChain, and the Model Context Protocol. Our work includes tool-using agents, document understanding pipelines, voice interfaces, and agentic workflows wired into existing products. We focus heavily on evaluations, guardrails, observability, and cost control so AI features actually make it to production instead of getting stuck in proof-of-concept purgatory. Engagements range from focused prototypes to long-running AI product partnerships.

Question 5

Do you build blockchain apps?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We build smart contracts and decentralized applications on Ethereum and EVM-compatible chains, written in Solidity and tested with Foundry and Hardhat. Our blockchain work includes DeFi protocols, token systems, NFT mechanics, on-chain governance, and wallet-integrated front-ends using wagmi and viem. We treat security as non-negotiable: every contract is unit-tested, fuzz-tested, and prepared for third-party audit before launch. We work with both crypto-native founders and traditional companies bringing existing products on-chain.

Question 6

Where are you located?

Accepted Answer

The Portland Company is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, United States. We work remotely with clients worldwide and have shipped projects for teams across North America, Europe, and Asia. Time zone overlap is rarely an issue — we adapt our working hours to match client needs and use asynchronous communication for everything that does not strictly require a live conversation. When projects warrant it, we travel to client sites for kickoffs, workshops, or critical milestones, but the vast majority of engagements run end-to-end remotely.

Question 7

Do you work with enterprises?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We work with enterprise teams that need senior engineering capacity without the overhead of expanding headcount, or that need specialized expertise in AI, blockchain, or mobile that is hard to hire for. We are comfortable with procurement processes, SOC 2 requirements, NDAs, and security reviews. Past enterprise work has spanned financial services, healthcare, retail, and media. Engagements typically run as multi-month or multi-year partnerships where we embed alongside internal teams, ship production code, and transfer knowledge as we go.

Question 8

What sets The Portland Company apart?

Accepted Answer

Three things. First, you work directly with Spencer and a small senior team — there is no layer of account managers or junior engineers between you and the people writing code. Second, we have genuine breadth across web, mobile, AI, and blockchain, so we can build complete products rather than handing off pieces to other vendors. Third, we ship. We have spent twenty years optimizing the path from idea to production software, and our engagements are measured in shipped features and live users, not slide decks and roadmaps.