I build the AI tools and software you wish existed for your business — one client at a time. Veteran-owned. Tennessee-based.
These are the three things I commit to on every project — the way I think before I build, while I build, and after I deliver.
Your business shouldn't depend on me being available, on one person remembering how it works, or on a single piece never failing. I build it so the work keeps going if any one piece — including me — goes down.
Security and reliability aren't features I add at the end if there's time. They're how I build from the first line of code — so your data, your customers, and your business name are protected by the design itself.
Before I write the plan, I write down what could break it: what could fail, who could attack it, what mistake could cost you money. Every risk I name in writing gets a written answer — designed into the system before the build begins.
I take on a small number of clients at a time. That way you get the founder's full attention from the first call to the final handoff — not a sales rep, then a project manager, then a junior engineer.
AI agents configured with your business context. Autonomous systems for document review and deep-dive research. Tailored directly to your operational workflows, running securely on your servers or the cloud — your choice.
The forms, reports, follow-ups, and data shuffling that take hours every week — automated, reliable, and built to keep working when something unusual happens.
When the products you can buy don't quite fit, I build what does. Web applications, internal systems, data tools — designed for your business, owned by you, documented so anyone you hire later can pick it up.
Not sure if something is possible? Or whether it's worth the cost? I'll build the smallest working version that answers the question, and write up what I learned — so you can decide what to do next based on evidence, not a sales pitch.
Every project follows the same four steps. Each step has a clear deliverable, so you always know where we are and what comes next.
A short paid project to put your idea in writing: what we're building, what "done" looks like, what's not included, and what it costs. Flat fee. You keep the written plan whether or not we work together after.
I do the actual work — the founder, not a subcontractor. You see a working demo each week and a running log of what got done, so there are no surprises and no invisible time spent "ramping up."
Software needs care after launch. I watch it, fix what breaks, harden it where it gets attacked, and keep it healthy. Month by month — you renew when it's earning its keep.
When we're done, you get the source code, written instructions for running it, and a clear plan for what to do if something goes wrong. You can keep me on to operate it, or take it to your own team — we agree which on day one, not in an awkward conversation at the end.
Hive Bastion is run by David Burton — a retired U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) veteran turned software engineer. Twenty years of working under pressure, applied to building AI and software you can rely on.
When you hire Hive Bastion, you work with David directly. He writes the plan. He writes the code. He answers the email. There are no account managers, no junior engineers introduced after the contract is signed, and no handoffs to a team you've never met.
Send me an email. I read every one myself and reply within one business day. There's no obligation — just tell me what you're trying to solve, and I'll tell you honestly whether I can help.
david@hivebastion.com