A product engineering studio built to turn ideas into software that ships.
Kinetic Helix LLC is a product engineering studio founded by Derek Gallardo. The portfolio is the proof — products designed, engineered, and launched end to end across AI, security, mobile, and commerce — and we take on a select few client engagements as the full product and growth team.
The mission
Most software never ships. Kinetic Helix exists to close that gap — to take an idea all the way to a real, running product that people rely on.
The name is the philosophy: kinetic energy in constant motion, twisting forward like a helix. Momentum, applied to building.
Software that moves ideas forward — that's the whole thing.
Founder
Derek Gallardo
Founder & CEO
Derek founded Kinetic Helix to build software that stands on its own. He leads product and engineering across the portfolio — from ad-fraud detection and AI music generation to mobile apps and deepfake-voice defense — shipping across web, iOS, Android, and the edge.
He's also the studio's client team: recent engagements include Zova Yachts, a charter brand's marketing site and acquisition system that attributes paid spend through to booked enquiries.
How we work
Principles, not slogans.
One accountable party
The person who designs a product, engineers it, and answers for it in production is the same party — no handoffs where scope, quality, or timeline go missing.
Specialists when it counts
For motion, copy, or compliance, the studio brings in trusted collaborators — a build gets the depth it needs without losing a single point of accountability.
One client build at a time
Client work is never run in parallel, so the timeline you're quoted is the timeline you get.
Production is the deliverable
Nothing is finished at handoff. It's finished when the product is live and monitored.
Fixed scope, fixed price
Client builds are quoted per milestone before work starts — no hourly surprises, no change orders for work that was always required.
You own everything
On client builds — code, accounts, infrastructure, and design files are yours from day one, with a runbook to operate them.