Choosing a Web3 Development Company for Your Startup: What to Look For

Choosing the wrong Web3 development company can cost your startup 6-12 months and $100K+. Here's what to evaluate before signing, based on our experience delivering 50+ projects.

Technical Expertise Checklist

• Smart contract portfolio — ask for deployed, verified contracts on Etherscan/BscScan
• Audit history — have their contracts been professionally audited?
• Multi-chain experience — building on one chain is different from building cross-chain
• Frontend Web3 integration — wallet connections, transaction signing, chain switching
• Backend infrastructure — node management, indexing (The Graph), event processing

Red Flags to Watch For

• No deployed contracts to show (only "private" or "NDA" projects)
• Using copy-paste contracts without customization
• No mention of security auditing in their process
• Fixed-price quotes without detailed scope documents
• Promising unrealistic timelines

Pricing Models

• Fixed price: Best for well-defined projects. Range: $20K-100K
• Time & materials: Best for complex/evolving projects. Rate: $80-200/hour
• Retainer: Best for ongoing development. Range: $10K-30K/month

Why Startups Choose TelGates

We've been building since 2016, delivered 50+ projects across 16+ chains, and facilitated $200M+ in TVL. Our team includes Solidity experts with 8+ years of experience, AI engineers with production LLM deployments, and full-stack developers who build investor-ready frontends.

Our Engagement Process

• Week 1: Free discovery call + technical architecture proposal
• Week 2: Detailed scope document with milestones and pricing
• Week 3: Contract signing + sprint planning
• Weeks 4+: Bi-weekly demos, continuous deployment, open Slack channel