App Development Investment & Pricing
App Development Investment & Pricing
Two commitments.
Nothing open-ended.
Two commitments.
Nothing open-ended.
We don’t price the journey upfront — each stage is decided by what you’ve learned. But no stage is a blank cheque. There are exactly two paid commitments on the way to a first release, and both are capped before they begin.
We don’t price the journey upfront — each stage is decided by what you’ve learned. But no stage is a blank cheque. There are exactly two paid commitments on the way to a first release, and both are capped before they begin.
This page sets out what they cost, what they deliver, when money actually moves — and the work the journey asks of you. If the structure doesn’t fit, better to know now.
This page sets out what they cost, what they deliver, when money actually moves — and the work the journey asks of you. If the structure doesn’t fit, better to know now.
Commitment 01
$10,000
fixed
The Workshop
Discovery and Product Definition, facilitated as one engagement. We map the problem you’ve lived, surface the assumptions underneath it, and decide what a first release must prove — and what it doesn’t need yet.
What you leave with
—
A clear problem map and the assumptions that matter
—
A prioritised first-release scope — what’s in, what’s deliberately not, and why
—
A working proof of concept you can put in front of real people
—
A validation kit: who to speak to, what to ask before showing anything, and what counts as signal versus compliment
The evidence session — when your validation legwork is done, we sit down together and read what you found against the gate. Included in the workshop fee, whenever you’re ready for it.
Commitment 02
$40,000
capped — up to
Release 1
A production build to a defined envelope: up to $40K and a 90-day production window. The envelope holds because of prioritisation, not optimism — the Workshop already decided what this release must prove.
What you leave with
—
A launch-ready first release built on a modern, scalable stack
—
Your code, your accounts, your product — owned by you from day one
—
Staged payments across production milestones — you’re never paying far ahead of the work
—
A first read of what the release is telling you, and what it has to earn next
If the product genuinely requires more than the envelope allows, that’s a scope conversation before it’s ever a price conversation — and it happens before production money is committed.
Commitment 01
$10,000
fixed
The Workshop
Discovery and Product Definition, facilitated as one engagement. We map the problem you’ve lived, surface the assumptions underneath it, and decide what a first release must prove — and what it doesn’t need yet.
What you leave with
—
A clear problem map and the assumptions that matter
—
A prioritised first-release scope — what’s in, what’s deliberately not, and why
—
A working proof of concept you can put in front of real people
—
A validation kit: who to speak to, what to ask before showing anything, and what counts as signal versus compliment
The evidence session — when your validation legwork is done, we sit down together and read what you found against the gate. Included in the workshop fee, whenever you’re ready for it.
Commitment 02
$40,000
capped — up to
Release 1
A production build to a defined envelope: up to $40K and a 90-day production window. The envelope holds because of prioritisation, not optimism — the Workshop already decided what this release must prove.
What you leave with
—
A launch-ready first release built on a modern, scalable stack
—
Your code, your accounts, your product — owned by you from day one
—
Staged payments across production milestones — you’re never paying far ahead of the work
—
A first read of what the release is telling you, and what it has to earn next
If the product genuinely requires more than the envelope allows, that’s a scope conversation before it’s ever a price conversation — and it happens before production money is committed.
Between the Two
Between the Two
Validation doesn’t cost fees. It costs your effort.
Between the Workshop and Release 1 sits Market Validation — and it’s yours. You take the proof of concept to the people who live the problem, using the validation kit to do it without fooling yourself: understand their world first, introduce the PoC second, and treat compliments as noise until they’re backed by behaviour.
This stage runs at your pace. Some founders complete it in three weeks; some take three months. Nothing is invoiced while it runs. When you’re ready, we read the evidence together — and the gate decides what happens next: progress, refine, learn more, or stop.
If a stage of unpaid legwork sounds like a burden rather than an advantage, Pilot Light probably isn’t your model — and that’s a useful thing to learn on this page.
Validation doesn’t cost fees. It costs your effort.
Between the Workshop and Release 1 sits Market Validation — and it’s yours. You take the proof of concept to the people who live the problem, using the validation kit to do it without fooling yourself: understand their world first, introduce the PoC second, and treat compliments as noise until they’re backed by behaviour.
This stage runs at your pace. Some founders complete it in three weeks; some take three months. Nothing is invoiced while it runs. When you’re ready, we read the evidence together — and the gate decides what happens next: progress, refine, learn more, or stop.
If a stage of unpaid legwork sounds like a burden rather than an advantage, Pilot Light probably isn’t your model — and that’s a useful thing to learn on this page.
Capital Follows Evidence
Capital Follows Evidence
01
THE WORKSHOP
$10K fixed
at kickoff
01
THE WORKSHOP
$10K fixed
at kickoff
Decision
gate
Decision gate
02
MARKET VALIDATION
Your effort
Nothing invoiced
02
MARKET VALIDATION
Your effort
Nothing invoiced
Decision
gate
Decision gate
03
RELEASE 1
Up to $40K, staged
across milestones
03
RELEASE 1
Up to $40K, staged
across milestones
Decision
gate
Decision gate
04
BEYOND
Decided by the evidence
04
BEYOND
Decided by the evidence
01
THE WORKSHOP
$10K fixed
at kickoff
Decision gate
02
MARKET VALIDATION
Your effort
Nothing invoiced
Decision gate
03
RELEASE 1
Up to $40K, staged
across milestones
Decision gate
04
BEYOND
Decided by the evidence
Every gate decides: progress, refine, learn more — or stop.
Every gate decides: progress, refine, learn more — or stop.
Payments inside Release 1 land on milestone acceptance — three to four instalments across production, so the money trails the work, not the other way around.
Payments inside Release 1 land on milestone acceptance — three to four instalments across production, so the money trails the work, not the other way around.
An Example Shape — Not a Schedule
An Example Shape — Not a Schedule
Every journey paces differently — the validation stage in particular runs at your speed, not ours. But this is the honest shape of a first six months, drawn from real projects.
Every journey paces differently — the validation stage in particular runs at your speed, not ours. But this is the honest shape of a first six months, drawn from real projects.
Pilot Light
You
Month 1
Pilot Light
Founder Working Session. Workshop sprints: discovery, assumption mapping, first-release prioritisation.
You
In the room. Your problem, your context, your calls on what matters. The Workshop fee is the first money that moves.
Month 1
Pilot Light
Founder Working Session. Workshop sprints: discovery, assumption mapping, first-release prioritisation.
You
In the room. Your problem, your context, your calls on what matters. The Workshop fee is the first money that moves.
Month 2
Pilot Light
PoC designed and built. Validation kit prepared. Workshop closes at the gate: what validation must now find out.
You
Reviewing the PoC against the problem you’ve lived. Building your list of the people who live it too.
Month 2
Pilot Light
PoC designed and built. Validation kit prepared. Workshop closes at the gate: what validation must now find out.
You
Reviewing the PoC against the problem you’ve lived. Building your list of the people who live it too.
Month 3
Pilot Light
Quiet, deliberately. Available for check-ins. Nothing invoiced.
You
The legwork. Conversations first — their world, their workarounds, no PoC in sight. Then the PoC goes in front of them.
Month 3
Pilot Light
Quiet, deliberately. Available for check-ins. Nothing invoiced.
You
The legwork. Conversations first — their world, their workarounds, no PoC in sight. Then the PoC goes in front of them.
Month 4
Pilot Light
The evidence session: we read what you found together. The gate decides — progress, refine, learn more, or stop.
You
Bringing back what you actually heard, including the parts that challenged the idea. That’s the material that earns the build.
Month 4
Pilot Light
The evidence session: we read what you found together. The gate decides — progress, refine, learn more, or stop.
You
Bringing back what you actually heard, including the parts that challenged the idea. That’s the material that earns the build.
Month 5
Pilot Light
Release 1 production begins. First milestones ship; payments land as milestones are accepted.
You
Weekly decisions. Priority calls when scope pressure hits. Content, access, and the domain knowledge no one else has.
Month 5
Pilot Light
Release 1 production begins. First milestones ship; payments land as milestones are accepted.
You
Weekly decisions. Priority calls when scope pressure hits. Content, access, and the domain knowledge no one else has.
Month 6
Pilot Light
Production continues inside the 90-day envelope toward launch. First reading of live signals prepared.
You
Getting ready to have real users — and preparing to read what they do, not just what they say.
Month 6
Pilot Light
Production continues inside the 90-day envelope toward launch. First reading of live signals prepared.
You
Getting ready to have real users — and preparing to read what they do, not just what they say.
Pilot Light
You
Month 1
Pilot Light
Founder Working Session. Workshop sprints: discovery, assumption mapping, first-release prioritisation.
You
In the room. Your problem, your context, your calls on what matters. The Workshop fee is the first money that moves.
Month 2
Pilot Light
PoC designed and built. Validation kit prepared. Workshop closes at the gate: what validation must now find out.
You
Reviewing the PoC against the problem you’ve lived. Building your list of the people who live it too.
Month 3
Pilot Light
Quiet, deliberately. Available for check-ins. Nothing invoiced.
You
The legwork. Conversations first — their world, their workarounds, no PoC in sight. Then the PoC goes in front of them.
Month 4
Pilot Light
The evidence session: we read what you found together. The gate decides — progress, refine, learn more, or stop.
You
Bringing back what you actually heard, including the parts that challenged the idea. That’s the material that earns the build.
Month 5
Pilot Light
Release 1 production begins. First milestones ship; payments land as milestones are accepted.
You
Weekly decisions. Priority calls when scope pressure hits. Content, access, and the domain knowledge no one else has.
Month 6
Pilot Light
Production continues inside the 90-day envelope toward launch. First reading of live signals prepared.
You
Getting ready to have real users — and preparing to read what they do, not just what they say.
Month 3 is the one founders underestimate — in both directions. It’s where projects stall if the founder disappears, and where the strongest projects earn their build. The 90-day Release 1 window starts at production kickoff, not at hello.
Month 3 is the one founders underestimate — in both directions. It’s where projects stall if the founder disappears, and where the strongest projects earn their build. The 90-day Release 1 window starts at production kickoff, not at hello.
The Discipline
The Discipline
The $40K envelope isn’t a discount and it isn’t a gamble. It holds because the Workshop already did the hard part: deciding what the first release must prove, and what it deliberately doesn’t include yet. Every feature in scope has justified its place against the envelope. Recent first releases have shipped comfortably inside it — the envelope has room built in, provided the first release stays honest about what it’s for.
The $40K envelope isn’t a discount and it isn’t a gamble. It holds because the Workshop already did the hard part: deciding what the first release must prove, and what it deliberately doesn’t include yet. Every feature in scope has justified its place against the envelope. Recent first releases have shipped comfortably inside it — the envelope has room built in, provided the first release stays honest about what it’s for.
Before You Apply
Before You Apply
This structure fits if:
✓
You’ve lived the problem you want to solve
✓
You can fund staged commitments if the evidence earns them
✓
A stage of your own legwork reads as an advantage — because nobody knows the problem like you do
It doesn’t fit if:
×
You want to write one cheque and receive an app
×
You need a fixed quote for the whole journey before anything is learned
×
The validation work sounds like something to outsource
This structure fits if:
✓
You’ve lived the problem you want to solve
✓
You can fund staged commitments if the evidence earns them
✓
A stage of your own legwork reads as an advantage — because nobody knows the problem like you do
It doesn’t fit if:
×
You want to write one cheque and receive an app
×
You need a fixed quote for the whole journey before anything is learned
×
The validation work sounds like something to outsource
If the envelope, the staging, or the work required of you doesn’t fit — better to know now, and no hard feelings. If it reads like the structure you’ve been looking for, the Working Session is the next step.
Starts with a Founder Working Session — applications reviewed personally.
If the envelope, the staging, or the work required of you doesn’t fit — better to know now, and no hard feelings. If it reads like the structure you’ve been looking for, the Working Session is the next step.
Starts with a Founder Working Session — applications reviewed personally.