Start here
Have an idea? Start here.
We're built to scale software companies that already have customers, so if you're at the idea stage, this is your right first step, not a dead end. The Founder's Accelerator Program de-risks the idea before anyone writes a line of code, so when you do build, you build the right thing.
Why the method matters
Most ideas don't fail in the code. They fail in the commercial case nobody checked.
Founders default to building because building feels like progress. But a working product built on a market that doesn't exist, a price nobody will pay, or a problem that isn't painful enough is still a failed business, just an expensive one.
The method is simple: prove the commercial case, then prove the product with real users, then build. Each stage is a checkpoint, not a formality. You only spend on development once the earlier work has earned it. That's what actually de-risks an idea, doing the cheap, fast validation before the slow, expensive build.
The journey
Five stages from idea to launch. Start wherever you actually are.
Click a stage to see what we do, what you get, and what has to be true before you move on. You don't need to start at stage one, some founders already have a prototype and start at Development.
Due Diligence
Before anything else, we pressure-test whether the opportunity is real. Desktop research, not guesswork.
What we do
- Root-cause the problem and confirm it's worth solving
- Market sizing, TAM, SAM, SOM for your target geography
- Competitor and substitute mapping
- A lean business model on one page, your key assumptions made explicit
What you get
- A written opportunity assessment with the numbers behind it
- A clear view of who else is solving this problem, and how
- A go / no-go recommendation, in plain language
Decision gate: the problem is real, sized, and worth pursuing before you spend another dollar.
Apply for Due DiligenceDiscovery
Now we go deep on who buys, why, and what they'll pay. This is where the idea becomes a business model.
What we do
- Customer personas, pain points, needs and buying triggers
- Customer value model, who receives what value and how you capture it
- Pricing strategy testing against willingness to pay
- Founder and expert interviews to stress-test assumptions
What you get
- Documented personas and a value model you can defend
- A pricing strategy grounded in evidence, not guesswork
- An updated business model reflecting what you actually learned
Decision gate: you know who's buying, why, and roughly what they'll pay, before you design anything.
If you're not a domain expert, or you need the artefacts a cheque-writer will actually read, this track wraps Due Diligence and Discovery into one engagement, market sizing, value model, and an institutional-grade financial model.
Apply NowDesign & Validate
We design the product and put it in front of real users before a single line of production code gets written.
What we do
- Core product pathways mapped to the value model
- UX and UI design, clickable prototype
- Usability testing with real prospective users
- A pitch deck built from evidence, not adjectives
What you get
- A tested, clickable prototype
- Validation notes from real user sessions
- A pitch deck, the story and the evidence, ready to present
Decision gate: real users engaged with the prototype the way the model predicted they would.
If you're a domain-expert founder already confident in the opportunity, you can start here and move straight into design and validation, before development, testing and launch.
Apply NowDevelopment
Production-grade engineering on foundations that have already been tested, not assumptions dressed up as a plan.
What we do
- Scalable architecture built for where the product is headed, not just where it starts
- Disciplined QA, unit, integration and usability testing
- Security built in from day one
- Regular releases you can see and use, not a black box until launch
What you get
- A working product built on validated assumptions
- Code, IP and assets, yours from day one
- A predictable cost model, not a one-off quote that assumes nothing changes
Decision gate: the build matches what was validated, and it's stable enough to put in front of customers.
Apply for DevelopmentLaunch
Getting the product live is the easy part. Getting the right people to it, and keeping it running, is the actual job.
What we do
- Go-to-market plan built on the personas and pricing already validated
- Launch monitoring, uptime and performance
- Early customer feedback loops wired back into the roadmap
- Introductions to our legal, accounting and finance partners where a founder needs one
What you get
- A live product with a plan to acquire its first customers
- Support and monitoring so your team stays focused on the business
- A clear next chapter, go-to-market and strategic consulting, when you're ready for it
Decision gate: the product is live, stable, and acquiring its first real customers.
Apply for LaunchChoose your track
Three starting points. Pick the one that matches where you actually are.
Commercial Opportunity Assessment
You have an idea but you're not a domain expert, or you need to raise capital early. We pressure-test the opportunity before you spend a dollar building, and hand you the artefacts a cheque-writer will actually read.
- Due Diligence and Discovery, combined
- Market sizing, value model, financial model
- Pitch deck built from evidence
Product Discovery
You already know your market and you're confident in the opportunity, maybe you've got a rough prototype. Skip straight to Design & Validate, then Development, Launch and go-to-market.
- UX and UI design, clickable prototype
- Usability testing with real users
- Straight into build once validated
Commercial Model & Build
You already run a small business and want to turn part of it into a software product. We build the commercial model around what you already know about your customers, then design, develop and launch it.
- Commercial model built on your existing customer base
- Design, validate, then build
- Launch and ongoing support
Capital, on every track
If you need to raise, you'll want people who do that for a living.
Whichever track you take, we introduce you to our legal, accounting and finance partners who understand founders and what we build. They advise on their own areas, we stay focused on the product and the commercial case.
Outcomes
Outcomes we can stand behind
Real clients, kept confidential.
In their words
Founders who started exactly where you are.
Questions founders ask
FAQ
I only have an idea, not a product yet. Is that too early for MVP1?
No, but it changes where you start. The Founder's Accelerator Program de-risks the commercial case first, so when you do build, you build the right thing instead of guessing.
How long does the program take?
It depends which stages you need and how fast you can make decisions. Each stage has its own duration estimate, and you only move to the next one once the current one earns it.
Do I have to go through every stage?
No. Some founders start at Due Diligence with nothing but a problem worth solving. Others already have a working prototype and start at Development. We scope your entry point on the call.
What if the research says the idea isn't viable?
Then you find out before you spend months and savings building it. That is the point of Due Diligence and Discovery, an honest answer early is worth more than an expensive answer later.
Who helps with the legal, accounting and finance side?
We introduce you to our legal, accounting and finance partners who understand founders and what we build. They advise on their own areas, we stay focused on the product and the commercial model.