Question 1

What does Rafiki Works do?

Accepted Answer

Rafiki Works is a network of fewer than 100 senior go-to-market operators and forward deployed AI engineers. One sets the go-to-market direction and runs it themselves, positioning, distribution, outbound, lifecycle. The other builds and embeds the systems it depends on, architecture, integrations, agents, automation, and helps run it. You can take one specialist or a full embedded team, and scale up or down as the work changes. The result is senior output without a senior salary or a six-month hire.

Question 2

Where is your talent based, and why South Africa?

Accepted Answer

Our network is mostly South Africa based, with the core team spread across South Africa, Canada, the UK and Europe. Every specialist is referred by someone already on the bench, vetted, and proven on smaller projects before being placed on larger, regulated engagements. South Africa gives two structural advantages: a full working day overlapping the UK and Europe, and senior specialists at meaningfully better value than UK or US equivalents, without dropping calibre.

Question 3

How is Rafiki different from an agency, a marketplace, or a full-time hire?

Accepted Answer

An agency bills project rates for work that needs constant iteration, then hands you juniors once the pitch is won. A marketplace leaves you holding contracts, compliance and quality, and you're still the one managing the work. A full-time hire is slow, expensive, and the wrong shape for work that changes every quarter. Rafiki gives you a small, senior team of go-to-market operators and forward deployed engineers who own the outcome. You're swapping a vendor, not running a reorg.

Question 4

Who do you typically work with?

Accepted Answer

Startups, scaleups and established businesses that need senior go-to-market or engineering capability without the cost or structure of full-time hiring. We work across AI enablement, systems automation, and chat-based deployment, building MCP servers and getting products and services live inside Claude, ChatGPT and WhatsApp. Sector-wise, most clients sit in fintech and payments, insurtech, construction and property, or hospitality, and are based in the UK, US or Europe.

Question 5

How fast can we get started?

Accepted Answer

After your enquiry we typically send a proposal within 24 hours, with a ranked shortlist of profiles, rate ranges and fit summaries. Most engagements begin within a week of sign-off, and talent can start as early as 72 hours where the brief is clear. Contracts and onboarding are handled on approval.

Question 6

What does a typical engagement look like?

Accepted Answer

Most engagements start with a brief through our enquiry form or our Talent MCP. We return a ranked shortlist, you meet the specialist, and work begins. Common shapes are a go-to-market operator setting direction and running it, a forward deployed engineer building the systems underneath it, or both working as one embedded team. We can also build and hand over to a fractional specialist for ongoing iteration.

Question 7

How does pricing work, and how do you keep costs down?

Accepted Answer

Pricing varies by specialist, role and scope, and every fee is presented upfront with a clear breakdown. We keep costs down two ways: our South African specialists deliver meaningfully better value than equivalent UK or US talent, and our operators and engineers work as a small, senior team rather than a hierarchy, so you're paying for direct expertise, not overhead. You get the output without the full-time cost.

Question 8

How are payments handled?

Accepted Answer

Invoicing and settlement run through Petl Pay, our sister platform. It supports GBP via open banking, EUR via SEPA, USD, USDC and USDT stablecoin rails, and payouts into ZAR, other African currencies, and Latin American currencies including ARS, BRL, CLP and COP. Fees are transparent with no hidden FX mark-ups. If you prefer to transact off-platform, we can accommodate that too.

Question 9

How flexible are engagements?

Accepted Answer

Engagements can start from a few hours per week and scale to multi-day or full project coverage, and you can scale up or down as the work changes. You can bring on a single specialist or a small senior-led squad, and there is no long lock-in.

Question 10

Can I hire a Rafiki specialist full-time later?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Many clients start with a fractional engagement to see the work, then convert a specialist into a longer retainer or a full-time hire. We facilitate a smooth contract-to-hire transition when you are ready, and conversion terms are agreed upfront so there are no surprises.

Question 11

How do you vet talent?

Accepted Answer

Rafiki works with South Africa's leading senior go-to-market specialists and forward deployed AI engineers. Fewer than 1% of applicants make it onto our bench, and we'd rather turn work down than staff it with someone who hasn't done it before. People we trust are prioritised: those referred by someone already on the bench who's worked with them directly, and who share our approach to work. Every specialist is then vetted, proven on smaller projects, and only placed on larger, regulated engagements once that's established.

Question 12

Do you work with regulated or compliance-heavy businesses?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We've built for fintech and payments through Petl Pay, and for insurtech through Marrow's agentic compliance work for UK insurers. Specialists only move onto regulated engagements once they're proven on smaller projects first, so the graduated trust model applies most strictly here.

Question 13

How do you handle quality and accountability?

Accepted Answer

We work with senior operators and engineers, not an open marketplace. Every engagement is scoped upfront with clear delivery expectations agreed between you and the specialist, and we provide as much or as little oversight and project management as you need. Where we own delivery end to end, we're accountable for reporting and outputs too.

Question 14

What skills and specialisms do you cover?

Accepted Answer

We work across two pillars. Go-to-market operators handle positioning, messaging and ICP definition, sales cycle setup, outbound, performance marketing, and content strategy including SEO, AEO and GEO. Forward deployed AI engineers handle systems architecture, LLM integrations and agents, MCP servers, workflow automation, CRM and ATS integration, and fractional CTO cover. Brand identity, creative strategy, product design and Webflow build sit on the bench too, usually alongside the work above rather than on their own.

Question 15

What about contracts, compliance, and IP?

Accepted Answer

Every engagement is contracted upfront, with IP assigned to you on payment. We run KYC checks on every specialist, and contracts, compliance and payments are handled through Petl Pay, so you're not stitching together invoices and paperwork yourself.

Everything you need to know before we make an introduction.

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