For founders and CEOs with a growing operation

We automate
processes with AI
to save time
and gain margin.

AI agents and automations tailored to your operation, built to last in production — not an experiment that works sometimes.

20 min
Diagnostic, free
Weeks
To first delivery, not months
50+
Projects delivered
We build withAnthropic — Claude
We build withOpenAI — GPT
We build withGoogle — Gemini
We build withCursor for Teams
PartnerMicrosoft Partner
CertificationISO 27001 · GDPR-ready
02 / Cases

Named cases with numbers — not promises.

Established companies that put automation and AI to work with us, in production. Relationships that continue and grow.

B2B Distribution · Brazil

Lead screening: from days to hours.

1,200 files/month processed autonomously

An AI agent scores the projects and delivers the best ones, ready, in the CRM — the sales team focuses on closing.

OpenAI GPTSQL ServerGoogle Sheets
See the full case
Industry

Leads verified every 15 minutes, 24/7.

0 leads lost to manual routing

Two autonomous agents connected to CRM, email and WhatsApp — the operation no longer depends on one person's availability.

n8nMakeAnthropicHubSpotMeta AdsSQL ServerGoogle Sheets
See the full case
Real estate

Automation and AI in the real-estate operation.

End-to-end automated commercial processes — faster replies to clients, less manual work for the team.

n8nClickUpAirtableSlackGoogle Sheets
Training · HR

A custom platform, in production.

−70% reliance on external suppliers

From discovery to delivery with senior engineering — and the partnership continues past the 12-month mark.

Next.jsNode.jsTanStackOpenAI
See the full case
03 / Solutions

We solve real problems.

When hiring more people stopped solving it, the problem is systems. If you recognise any of these challenges, you're in the right place.

Repetitive tasks

Solution: Back-office process automation (invoicing, onboarding, data entry).

Impact: Your team stops losing hours and focuses on what grows the business.

This sounds familiar

Slow back-office

Solution: AI agents that handle documents and emails autonomously.

Impact: Faster responses and fewer manual errors.

This sounds familiar

Inconsistent sales follow-up

Solution: A sales copilot that drafts emails and schedules follow-ups.

Impact: A consistent cadence and more personalised communication.

This sounds familiar

Scattered knowledge

Solution: A centralised, AI-searchable knowledge base.

Impact: Instant answers for customers and team — no more digging.

This sounds familiar

Manual reporting

Solution: Dashboards that gather and cross data from multiple sources, automatically.

Impact: Real-time, data-driven decisions with no manual work.

This sounds familiar

Limited customer support

Solution: An AI assistant that resolves frequent questions, any time.

Impact: Happier customers and a team free for the hard cases.

This sounds familiar
04 / Services

What we offer.

Clear, packaged solutions for every stage of your AI journey.

Audit & Roadmap

We map your operation and prioritise the 3–5 biggest AI opportunities — you leave with an action plan and estimated ROI.

For those who want clarity before investing.

Your AI department — without the hire

The founder as department head and senior engineers embedded in your operation: we maintain, optimise and build new automations, month after month. We work with 5 clients at a time.

For those looking for a long-term partner.

Miguel Marques, founder and engineer
Miguel Marques
Founder & Engineer
Lisbon
05 / Who we are

Who's behind Unlocking Tech.

Unlocking Tech is founded and led by Miguel Marques, an engineer with 18 years of experience designing and shipping software to production.

Today, UT delivers digital and AI transformation for founders and CEOs who want a partner who thinks for the business, not one who just executes tasks. In practice, the head of your AI department — without having to hire one.

  • Master's from IST
    Electrical & Computer Engineering
  • Career
    Portuguese software houses
  • Former technical director
    CRMs, SaaS platforms, teams from scratch
  • Current focus
    Digital + AI transformation in established companies (PT & Brazil)
18+
Years of experience
50+
Projects delivered
2
Core markets
Portugal and Brazil
1
Mission
Giving ambitious companies more time and profit
06 / Process

From conversation to product, without risky shortcuts.

We don't start building before understanding what can go wrong. Every step exists to reduce risk — not to create a feeling of progress.

01
Discovery→ next step

Technical diagnostic.

20 minutes. We identify the three biggest technical risks and the main blocker. You leave with a written action plan.

Free
02
Roadmap→ next step

AI roadmap.

Analysis of your operation, an ROI-prioritised roadmap and an architected solution. You leave with a clear plan of what to do next.

Actionable plan
03
Build→ next step

Trial or AI Agent.

First fixed-scope project or automation and AI implementation. Defined scope, controlled risk, validated delivery.

Fixed-scope project
04
Scale∞ ongoing

Your AI department.

We become your AI department, without the hire: the founder as department head and senior engineers embedded in your operation, shipping month after month.

Ongoing retainer
07 / Comparison

We’re not an agency. We’re the technical partner you haven’t found yet.

Tried agencies or freelancers that promised a lot and shipped something nobody can maintain? That’s exactly what this process avoids.

Criterion Generic agency Hiring in-house Unlocking Tech
Ownership of the outcome Ships code, not outcomes Depends on 1 person Full accountability
AI-specialised team Generic One person, learning alone Senior engineers building with AI every day
Mandatory technical discovery Start without understanding the risk Rarely We never proceed without discovery
Guarantee No guarantees No guarantees Roadmap refund if the output falls short
Time until someone’s executing Weeks to months Months — recruit and onboard Start in days, first delivery in weeks
Honest technical pushback Always say yes Depends on the profile It's part of the service
Money-back guarantee
1,000
Full refund
if the output doesn't meet the scope
Fixed cost. No surprises.
Know exactly what you'll invest before starting.
08 / Guarantee

Shared risk on the AI roadmap.

The AI roadmap has a fixed cost of €1,000 and delivers an analysis of your operation, an ROI-prioritised roadmap and a documented solution architecture. If we move forward together, that amount is credited in the first month.

If the output doesn't match the agreed scope, the full amount is refunded in full. That's what lets us turn down roadmaps that don't make sense — and lets you engage with controlled risk.

Focus on what matters

Roadmap prioritised by ROI and impact.

Everything documented

Detailed analysis and solution architecture.

Risk on our side

Full money-back guarantee if we don't deliver.

09 / FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

How much does it cost?

It depends on scope. We always start with the free 20-min diagnostic; if you move forward, the roadmap has a fixed cost (money-back guarantee) and projects or the retainer are sized to what you need. No surprises.

We tried AI and it stayed a prototype. Why now?

That's the most common problem we solve. The difference is real engineering: we take AI from "works sometimes" to a reliable system in production, accountable for the outcome — not a demo.

We have no technical team and don't understand AI. Can we still do this?

Yes — most of our clients are exactly like this. We speak the language of the business and the founder acts as your head of AI. You bring the problem, we handle the rest.

How long until we see results?

The diagnostic is 20 minutes. From there, the first delivery lands in weeks, not months — and work starts in days, not hiring cycles.

Do we own what you build?

Yes. The code and solutions are yours, with no vendor lock-in.

Do you work with our tools and data?

Yes. We integrate with your stack (CRM, ERP, spreadsheets, internal tools) and use the right models for each case (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google).

Is our data safe?

Yes. We are ISO 27001 certified and GDPR-compliant: your data stays under your control, is never used to train models, and every access is auditable. It's the same standard we apply with healthcare and industrial clients.

10 / Contact

Let's talk. A 20-min diagnostic, no strings attached.

No pitch, no forced proposal. Leave the context and a senior engineer replies the same day.

We work with 5 clients at a time · Same business-day reply

Book a free diagnostic