Obsidian Systems

Obsidian Systems is a boutique software development firm founded in 2014 by Ali Abrar and Ryan Trinkle after graduating from Harvard Law and working with tech startups in Boston and New York City. The company specializes in building blockchain infrastructure, developer tools, and decentralized applications using advanced functional programming techniques.

Core Products & Services

Obsidian Systems provides end-to-end blockchain development services ranging from protocol development to ecosystem infrastructure and dApp deployment. Their expertise spans:

Blockchain Development Services: Smart contract development, protocol engineering, blockchain platform launch preparation, and ecosystem infrastructure development. They work with early-stage chains to prepare for launch, provide essential infrastructure and tools for growing ecosystems, and build consensus with communities.

Desktop & Mobile Application Development: Full-stack development including UI/UX design, desktop GUI applications (Windows, Mac, Linux), hardware wallet integration, and mobile app development. Notable projects include Tezos Kiln (desktop baking app), Kadena Chainweaver Wallet, and Nervos Ledger App.

Product Design & Engineering: Product definition and design, development and deployment across multiple platforms and devices, project management, quality assurance, DevOps, operations support, and engineering management.

Key Strengths

Obsidian Systems differentiates itself through its powerful technology stack and commitment to speed:

Haskell Expertise: The team specializes in Haskell, a functional programming language that provides security and correctness guarantees difficult to achieve with other languages. This expertise makes them particularly well-suited for critical blockchain infrastructure.

Rapid Development Platform: Their proprietary platform enables extremely fast development cycles—they commit to 10-week timelines from concept to prototype, something many competitors won't guarantee. The platform handles multi-client applications, diverse backend deployments, and complex integrations with speed and grace.

Nix Build System Mastery: Using Nix as their package manager and build system gives them complete control over all software components, ensuring smooth onboarding, demos, and deployments with no stray dependencies.

Open Source Contributions: Active contributors and stewards of open source libraries and frameworks, benefiting both the broader community and their client projects.

Notable Clients & Projects

Obsidian Systems has worked with major blockchain projects across the crypto landscape:

Tier 1 Blockchain Platforms: IOHK (Cardano infrastructure), Tezos (validator tools and hardware wallet support), Sui (DPoS blockchain), Solana (PoS/PoH blockchain), Kadena (PoW blockchain), Nervos (multi-asset blockchain), Avalanche (multi-chain smart contracts), Provenance (financial services blockchain)

Web3 Infrastructure: Digital Asset (DAML dApps), Pocket Network (decentralized Web3 infrastructure), Vulcanize (blockchain dApp support)

Financial Services: Securitize (capital markets platform), BTG Pactual (REIT token manager), PDT Partners (global investment management)

Enterprise & Hardware: Groq (AI/ML chip acceleration), Job.com (AI & blockchain employment), Ledger (hardware wallet partnerships)

Academic & Research: MIT Kanwisher Lab, Center for Brains, Minds + Machines, MIRI, NYU Law

Their work on Tezos resulted in one of the largest block validator communities of any Proof of Stake blockchain (400+) through cost-effective solutions. The Tezos Kiln app received exceptional user reviews for making baking "a breeze" and providing a "PHENOMENAL user experience for such an extremely technical endeavor."

Why Choose Obsidian Systems

Obsidian Systems brings a unique combination of deep blockchain knowledge, powerful functional programming expertise, and rapid development capabilities. Their 10-week prototype commitment demonstrates confidence in their platform and process. With proven experience across multiple major blockchain platforms, relationships with hardware vendors like Ledger, and a technology stack (Haskell, Nix, proprietary development platform) that prioritizes security and speed, they are positioned to build blockchain experiences that others cannot. Their focus on reducing waste in product development—born from their founders' observations in tech startups—permeates everything from technology choices to open source investments to how they approach building products.