Two of us. Both accountable.
Conduit Consulting is a father-and-son firm in Minnesota. One of us builds the software; the other makes sure organizations adopt it well. The name is the idea: a conduit carries something from where it is to where it needs to be.
The firm we'd hire
Businesses don't need another stack of recommendations. They need working software, a team that understands it, and technology that pays for itself in time and clarity. Too much consulting stops at the strategy; too much software is built without understanding the business it serves.
We started Conduit to close that gap — a small, senior firm where the people who assess the problem also build the solution, and where the work isn't finished until it's working in production, tested, and handed over.
Who does what
Nait Grave
Co-founder · AI enablement
Nait Grave helps organizations implement technology and AI responsibly. He has guided AI adoption and data platform modernization at Mortenson, MiTek, Life Time, and Self Esteem Brands, leading engineering teams and training business partners at scale. He holds a BS in Computer Information Science and is based in Minneapolis.
Tristan Grave
Co-founder · Implementation
Tristan builds the software. Independent developer working in TypeScript/Electron and Python; builds local-first, agentic desktop AI applications. Handles implementation: architecture, custom software, automation, and the AI systems that end up in client hands. Based in New Brighton, Minnesota.
What we hold to
- Purpose-driven
Technology exists to serve the business, never the reverse. If it doesn't save time, cut cost, or improve a decision, we question why it's on the list.
- Craft & execution
We care about the detail of the work — the code, the tests, the documentation — because quality is what makes software cheap to own later.
- Embedded partnership
We work inside your team, not at a distance from it. Your context, your tools, your people — with us alongside.
- Honesty
We push back on bad ideas, including yours, and including ours. It's cheaper than building the wrong thing well.
- Continuous learning
Tools change monthly. The judgment to pick them well is built by using them on real problems — which is what we do, every week.
How we make decisions
Understand the business first. Then choose the simplest thing that solves the problem — existing team, existing tools, existing infrastructure wherever possible. Prefer boring technology that works over novel technology that impresses. Test everything, and treat "done" as untested-never-shipped.
When we disagree with a client, we say so plainly, give our reasons, and then commit to the call that's made. It's your business; our job is to make sure the decision is made with clear eyes.