Engagement model 01
From idea to investor-ready prototype
An idea and nothing built yet? I deliver the package you take to investors: a prototype that works, the pitch deck, and the communication around it, inside the company and out.
What you get
One package, ready for the room
You do not manage a design process. You get what you need to raise, and it all tells the same story.
A prototype that works
The product, clickable in a browser from a link you can send, on realistic data. Investors and first users try it themselves.
The pitch deck
The slides you raise with: the problem, the product, the market and the plan, built around the prototype so the two agree.
Communication, inside and out
How the company explains itself: the positioning, a one-page summary, and the story for your team, partners and first clients.
A plan for what comes next
What to build first and what to cut, and a handover a developer or a technical co-founder can start from.
How we get there
Six modules; most projects use three or four.
Knowing which to leave out saves you a month.
01
Product strategy
What to build first and what to cut, argued in writing: the problem, who has it, and the case you will put to investors. I synthesise with Claude instead of by hand.
Include it whenThe idea is still a conversation, or you are preparing to raise.
02
Research
Interviews with people from your market, turned into a recommendation you can act on.
Include it whenYou are guessing about people unlike you, and being wrong is expensive. Skip it if you are the user.
03
Exploration
Directions to choose between: rough and wide when structure is open, close to final when it is taste.
Include it whenThe obvious answer might not be the right one.
04
Prototype and test
A prototype people can click through, in working HTML, CSS and JS on your data, tested with real users, then changed by what they did. It is the version you show investors.
Include it whenBehaviour is the risk: anything that reads fine as a static frame and falls apart in use.
05
Design system
Tokens, specified states and a validation layer that holds after I leave.
Include it whenMore than one person will build on this.
06
Shipping
Front-end code in your repo, reviewed in your process. AI does least here, on purpose: shipping is judgement and accountability.
Include it whenYou want it live, not just approved. Skip it if your engineers prefer a spec.
AI sits inside most of these, so the work takes weeks, not quarters. The expensive part is knowing which to skip.
How the engagement is shaped
Typical duration
6 to 10 weeks
Long enough to test and build, short enough to stay urgent.
Commitment
Part-time
Two to three days a week, one weekly review.
Scope
Agreed up front
Modules chosen before we start, each with one outcome.
Best for
A first version
A product to show investors, users or a first client by a date.
What I need from you
- 01One decision-maker who can say yes, available weekly.
- 02For research: five or six people from your market.
- 03Whatever exists: notes, a deck, a spreadsheet, a half-built thing. Messy is fine.
- 04For shipping: a repository to push to.
What this does not include
Both can be arranged; say so on the call.
Backend engineering I write the front-end. Server-side belongs to your team or a developer you bring in.
Brand identity A different discipline. I design inside your brand, or a plain one, and can refer you.
Relevant work
Questions
What founders ask before a project
Do I need a technical co-founder first?
No. The prototype shows what to build, and the handover gives a developer, or a technical co-founder later, something concrete to start from.
Can investors try the prototype themselves?
Yes. It runs in a browser from a link you can send, so an investor can click through it before or after the meeting.
Can you work with our engineers, or do you replace them?
With them. My front-end code lands in your repo, through your review. Backend, infrastructure and scale stay theirs.
What if the work says the idea is wrong?
Then I tell you, with the evidence, and we decide together. I have redirected a build after testing before; that engagement saved more than it cost.
Do we own the work?
Yes: design files, code and documentation. I only ask to reference the work publicly, anonymised if you prefer.
Is AI writing our product?
No. Claude Code and Claude Design speed up exploration and implementation. Every decision, review and shipped line is mine.
Can you start immediately?
Yes. A short brief and one call usually mean starting within two weeks.
What if we need more after the project ends?
Some teams continue as an embedded partner. Others take the system and run. Both are fine.