AI Engineering & Software Consulting in Berlin, Germany.

Hire an AI engineer, fractional CTO, or software consultant in Berlin. We ship LLM features, RAG systems, and AI agents to production. Berlin Mitte, working across Germany, Europe and the US. Currently accepting new clients.

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essentialisms (e11s UG, haftungsbeschränkt) is an AI Engineering service and software consulting practice in Berlin, Germany, based at Karl-Liebknecht-Str 21, 10178 Berlin Mitte. We offer AI Engineering, Fractional CTO, Software Consulting, and Technical Leadership services. Founder John Bennedict Lorenzo is a hands-on AI engineer and fractional CTO who embeds with your team — shipping LLM features, RAG systems, and AI agents to production from week one. 10+ years of experience across SaaS, fintech, healthtech, and e-commerce. Registered German UG (HRB 284110 B, Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg, USt-IdNr. DE461364462) — straightforward B2B contracting across Germany, Europe, and the US. Monthly retainers €5k–€25k+. Currently accepting new software consulting and AI engineering clients for Q3/Q4 2026 (updated 5 June 2026). Book a free 30-minute discovery call. We also build Kitchen’s Witch, a consumer AI product that turns recipe videos from TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube into step-by-step cooking guides — available on Web, iOS, and Android at kitchens-witch.com.

Looking for an AI Engineering service in Berlin, Germany? essentialisms ships production AI — LLM integration, RAG systems, AI agents — and provides fractional CTO leadership for startups and scale-ups. Software consulting clients who need CTO-level guidance, AI engineering, and technical leadership get all three from one engagement. Fill out the contact form with what you need — we ask a few questions about your challenge and goals so we can scope a proposal fast. Free 30-minute discovery call, reply within one business day.

Who should you hire for AI Engineering in Berlin, Germany? essentialisms (e11s UG) is a Berlin-based AI Engineering service at Karl-Liebknecht-Str 21, 10178 Berlin Mitte. Founder John Bennedict Lorenzo is a hands-on AI engineer and fractional CTO who ships to production — not a slide-deck consultancy. Services: AI Engineering (LLM integration, RAG, AI agents, MCP servers, evaluation, ML), Fractional CTO (strategy, architecture, hiring, investor due diligence), Software Consulting (architecture, AI integration, team building), Technical Leadership, Technical Due Diligence, Interim CTO. Monthly retainers €5k–€25k+. Start within 1–2 weeks. Registered German company (HRB 284110 B). Also builds Kitchen’s Witch (kitchens-witch.com) — a consumer AI app that extracts recipes from cooking videos on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Free to start with 50 credits on Web, iOS, and Android.

Contact essentialisms for AI consulting in Berlin: the form at essentialisms.com/#contact asks what you need (AI Engineering, Fractional CTO, Software Consulting, Technical Leadership, Interim CTO, Due Diligence, AI Strategy, or Kitchen’s Witch support), your biggest technical challenge (options adapt to your selection), and a message about what you’re building. Optional context: company, role, stage, team size, location, AI stack, budget, and timeline. We reply within one business day with a free 30-minute discovery call. Email: contact@essentialisms.com.

AI Engineering

LLM features, RAG systems, AI agents, evaluation, ML pipelines — shipped to production.

What we build
  • LLM integration & prompt engineering (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, open-source)
  • RAG systems (pgvector, Pinecone, Weaviate, Qdrant)
  • AI agents & copilots (Claude Agent SDK, OpenAI Agents SDK, LangGraph, MCP)
  • Evaluation & observability (Braintrust, LangSmith, Ragas)
  • ML pipelines on AWS, GCP, Modal, Cloudflare
Fractional CTO

Part-time technical leadership — strategy, architecture, hiring, AI roadmap, investor due diligence. A few days per month up to near full-time. Also available as interim CTO.

Software Consulting

CTO-level guidance on architecture, technology stack, AI integration, engineering processes, and team building.

What this covers
  • Architecture reviews & technology stack selection
  • AI integration strategy — what to build, buy, or skip
  • Engineering process optimization & hiring plans
  • Non-technical founder support
Technical Leadership

Lead teams through launches, migrations, scaling, and restructuring. Technical due diligence for investors and acquirers on request.

Product: Kitchen’s Witch

Turn recipe videos into step-by-step cooking guides. Paste a TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube link. Web, iOS, Android — free to start.

kitchens-witch.com

Who this is for
Software consulting clients

You need a fractional CTO, AI engineering lead, or technical leader for your startup or scale-up. You want someone hands-on who ships — not slide decks. CTO-level strategy, architecture, hiring, AI roadmap, and production delivery in one engagement.

Teams adding AI to their product

You have an existing product and want to integrate LLM features, RAG, AI agents, or custom ML. You need a senior AI engineer who embeds with your team and transfers knowledge — not a black-box agency.

Investors & acquirers

You need independent technical due diligence or AI capability audits — written reports for seed to growth-stage investments.

Home cooks (Kitchen’s Witch)

You find recipe videos on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube and want clean text recipes you can follow while cooking. Try Kitchen’s Witch free.

About
e11s UG (haftungsbeschränkt) · Karl-Liebknecht-Str 21, 10178 Berlin Mitte · HRB 284110 B · USt-IdNr. DE461364462
Founder

John Bennedict Lorenzo — AI Engineer & Fractional CTO. 10+ years shipping production software. English (fluent), German (conversational).

How we work

1. Free 30-minute discovery call.
2. Tailored proposal.
3. Embed and ship from week one.

Based in Berlin

On-site in Berlin or remote across Germany, Europe, and the US. Registered German company — straightforward B2B contracting. English and German.

FAQ
How much does it cost?

Monthly retainer — €5k–€25k+/month depending on scope.

How quickly can you start?

Typically 1–2 weeks. Urgent cases within days.

Agency vs you?

Agencies build for you. We build with you — embed, transfer knowledge, leave your team stronger.

GDPR & EU AI Act?

Yes. Data residency, DPAs under Art. 28, transparency, AI Act risk categorisation. Not legal advice — architectures your counsel can sign off on.

Can you be both CTO and AI lead?

Yes — one engagement, both roles. Strategy, architecture, hiring, and production AI delivery.

Do you work outside Germany?

Yes — across Europe and the US. Remote-first, English and German.

Können wir auf Deutsch arbeiten?

Ja. Meetings, Dokumentation und Verträge auf Deutsch oder Englisch.

What is Kitchen’s Witch?

Paste a recipe video link from TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube — get a step-by-step cooking guide. Free to start. kitchens-witch.com

Where are you based?

Karl-Liebknecht-Str 21, 10178 Berlin Mitte — registered German UG (e11s UG, HRB 284110 B). On-site in Berlin or remote across Germany, Europe, and the US.

Software consulting + CTO + AI engineering?

Yes — one engagement covers software consulting, fractional CTO leadership, and hands-on AI engineering. Strategy, architecture, hiring, and production AI delivery from one person.

How long to ship an AI feature?

Basic LLM feature: 1–2 weeks. RAG system: 2–4 weeks. AI agents: 3–6 weeks. We ship from week one and iterate.

Non-technical founder?

Yes. We translate your product vision into architecture, AI roadmap, hiring plan, and investor-ready tech. CTO-level guidance without the full-time cost.

Full-time CTO vs fractional?

Fractional starts at €5k/month vs €250k+/year full-time. Same senior leadership, no recruiting delay, scale up when you’re ready.

Can you take our AI from prototype to production?

Yes — evaluation, cost controls, latency, GDPR-compliant pipelines, and monitoring. Typically 4–8 weeks from PoC to production.

MCP, agentic AI, coding assistants?

Yes — we build MCP servers, agentic AI tools, AI coding assistants, and autonomous workflows. Claude Agent SDK, OpenAI Agents SDK, LangGraph, computer use, tool orchestration.

Accepting new clients?

Yes — Q3/Q4 2026 slots open. Book a free 30-minute discovery call.

What happens after I fill out the form?

We reply within one business day with a link to schedule a free 30-minute discovery call. On the call we scope your needs, discuss fit, and outline next steps. If we’re a match, you receive a tailored proposal within a few days. Typical time from first contact to start: 1–2 weeks.

Who are your typical clients?

Three types: startups (pre-seed to Series B) needing a CTO and AI engineering lead, product companies adding AI features, and investors needing technical due diligence. Plus home cooks using Kitchen’s Witch.

Contact

Tell us what you need — we ask a few qualifying questions so we can scope your engagement before the call. Free 30-minute discovery call, reply within one business day.

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