AI and software consulting from Croatia — for product teams across the EU and US that want faster technical decisions and reliable delivery.
HOTFIX d.o.o. helps EU and US teams adopt AI in real workflows, modernize codebases, and ship software without losing control of quality, security, or ownership. Claude Code enablement, architecture, and senior engineering.
API layer
99.98%
Mobile release
1.4s
Web vitals
A
HOTFIX d.o.o. is a Croatian boutique AI and software consulting firm founded in 2022 by Josip Budalić, headquartered in Zagreb and working with product teams across the EU and the US. We help teams adopt AI in real workflows, modernize legacy codebases, and deliver software reliably — bilingual delivery in Croatian and English, Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00 CET, with strong overlap with US East Coast business hours.
Senior engineering, not slide decks.
We don't sell generic AI transformation narratives. Every engagement has senior ownership, never junior offshore subcontracting, and ships with code, runbooks, and decision docs the internal team owns.
Founder-led engagements
Every engagement is led by founder Josip Budalić — no body-shop subcontracting, no junior offshore, no black boxes that need us forever.
Hands-on across the stack
Active expertise in .NET, TypeScript, React, Next.js, Go, Python, Kotlin/KMM, and Swift — plus Claude Code, Codex, MCP, and RAG.
Bilingual, async-friendly, GDPR-aware
Bilingual delivery (HR/EN), CET working hours, async-friendly across timezones — EU-based with GDPR-aligned data handling by default.
AI consulting, architecture, and reliable software delivery.
Four entry points covering AI adoption, software architecture, engineering productivity, and GDPR-aligned production readiness. Every engagement scoped to your problem after a discovery call.
Project-based or retainer. Scoped after a discovery call.
Invoiced from Croatia in EUR, VAT applied per EU rules where required. No public price list — scope, depth, and timeline vary by team and problem, so every proposal is written, specific, and signed before work starts.
Discovery & assessment
1–3 weeks. Written assessment of risks, options, and the recommended next step.
Project engagement
4–12 weeks. Scoped build, AI adoption, or modernization work in parallel with delivery.
Advisory retainer
Monthly retainer. Architecture decisions, reviews, and escalation contact for the internal team.
Notes from practical AI-assisted engineering.
Common questions about working with HOTFIX d.o.o.
What does HOTFIX d.o.o. actually do?
HOTFIX is a Croatian AI and software consulting firm founded in 2022. We help product teams across the EU and the US adopt AI in real workflows, modernize legacy codebases, and deliver software more reliably. Engagements are project-based or retainer, scoped after a discovery call.
How do you introduce Claude Code or Codex into a team without losing code quality?
We set explicit rules for review, security, and ownership, then add skills, subagents, and evaluations that fit the team's existing process. The goal is measurable adoption with code review and tests still binding — AI accelerates work, but does not bypass discipline.
Can you modernize a legacy codebase without stopping feature delivery?
Yes. We work in parallel with the existing team, modernizing in slices — tests, CI/CD, observability, and architecture boundaries first — so delivery keeps moving. A full rewrite is almost never the right answer; staged modernization with documented decisions is.
Are you GDPR-aware? Do you replace legal advice?
We cover the technical side of GDPR: privacy by design, data minimization, access control, audit trails, threat modeling, and release checklists. We do not replace legal counsel — but we make sure the software supports what the lawyers ask for.
Where are you based and who do you work with?
HOTFIX d.o.o. is headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, and works with clients across the EU and the US. Typical clients are CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and founders at small-to-mid product companies and scale-ups who need a senior partner who can both decide and build. Working hours Mon–Fri, 09:00–17:00 CET, with strong overlap with US East Coast mornings.
How does a project start and what does it cost?
Send context — what you're building, where delivery stalls, what you want to achieve. We respond with a short discovery call, then a written proposal with scope, deliverables, timeline, and pricing in EUR. There is no public price list because every engagement is scoped to the problem.
Have a codebase, process, or AI idea that needs grounding?
Send the context. We'll respond with a clear first step — discovery, advisory, or implementation — and a written proposal if there's fit.