Our approach
Five steps.Each one ends withsomething you can use.
Discovery, a working prototype in days, a build in the stack the product will grow in, launch in 2 to 6 weeks, and the releases that follow. You always know what comes next.
01 · Why we exist
No good idea should die in the distance between a founder and a first customer.
WeaveLines exists to close that distance, turning an idea into something people can use quickly enough that the founder learns from real users while there is still time to change course.
We started in 2017 and have launched 20+ MVPs since. Most of what we know about launching comes from those products, and from coaching 150+ startups across 12 mentorship programs.
Founders · First customers02 · The process
Five steps. One direction.
Discover
Days
A first version worth building, with the reasoning behind every feature set aside.
We begin with your goal, your users and whatever already exists, whether a deck, a prototype or a product that needs rescuing. AI-assisted research gives us a first read of the market, the competitors and the personas before the first working session, so the session itself is spent on decisions.
Prototype
Days
A prototype you can put in front of customers and investors, close to the product that will ship.
Before any production code is written, you have a working prototype in your hands, within days. Real screens and real flows you can use, show to customers and put in front of investors, with the states a demo usually skips.
A designer directs it with AI design tools, and we shape it with you in short rounds, sometimes live in the meeting, until it is as close as we can get it to the product that will ship. The design keeps improving through the build, because what is built is what reaches production.
Build
2 to 6 weeks for an MVP
Working software, regularly, with a demo at each step.
Engineers build from the validated prototype in the stack the product will grow in. Most often that is TypeScript, with React on the web, React Native with Expo on mobile and Node.js behind them, and when a product calls for something else we use that instead. They use AI coding tools every day. Automated tests and CI run on every change, and a second engineer reviews the ones that carry risk.
Most often
- TypeScript
- React
- React Native
- Expo
- Node.js
- PostgreSQL
Launch
Days
Live in the app stores or on the web, with monitoring in place before the first user arrives.
Most MVPs go live 2 to 6 weeks after kickoff, and in 2 when the scope is tight.
Most often
- AWS
- Cloudflare
- EAS
- App Store
- Google Play
Grow
Ongoing
Fixes, new features and the next release.
After launch the work changes shape, moving to fixes, new features and the next release. We remain engaged on a monthly retainer for support and growth, or take the fractional CTO or CPO seat when that is what you need. AI-assisted monitoring and error triage keep the small problems small.
What moves the timeline
The promise is for a focused first version, from the day the scope is agreed. Two things move it.
Where you start
- An idea
- Discovery and a prototype come first. Days, not weeks.
- A validated prototype
- Straight to the build.
- An existing product
- A short review of the code and the release setup, then a plan.
What you are building
- A focused MVP
- Live in 2 to 6 weeks, and in 2 when the scope is tight.
- A larger product
- Several applications, payments or identity, a regulated market. We tell you what it takes after discovery, before work starts.
03 · How we work with you
Five things that hold on every project, whatever its size.
Decisions with you, in writing
Scope, priorities and every cut are decided in working sessions with you and written down, with the reason next to each item.
Working software, regularly
You review working software as it takes shape, with a demo at each step.
Tested, reviewed, monitored
Automated tests and CI run before anything ships, a second engineer reviews the changes that carry risk, and monitoring and error tracking are in place before the first user arrives.
AI where it saves time
Research, first drafts, prototypes, coding assistants, test generation and error triage. People make every decision that matters.
The people doing the work
From the first call you talk to the team that will shape, design and build the product. Nobody sells the work and then hands it to someone else.
AI, plainly
Where AI is used: research, first drafts, prototypes, coding assistants, test generation, error triage. Where it is not: deciding what to build, what to cut, and whether a change is fit to ship.
Where vibe coding stops
04 · What sets us apart
Three things clients tell us they did not find elsewhere.
Built around you
Every client starts somewhere different: an idea, a prototype, a product that needs rescuing. The process adapts to where you are, not the other way round.
Priced for startups
We know what an early budget looks like. Fixed price when the work can be defined, time and materials when it cannot, and a recommendation before anything starts.
Tested in practice
20+ MVPs launched since 2017. The process has run often enough to know where products get stuck, and it gets you real user feedback while you can still change course.
Proof
Startups we have launched with
Some of the startups that have been through this process with us.
05 · How we engage
Four ways to work with us.
Most projects start with one and move to another as the product grows.
Fixed-price project
One scope, one price
A prototype, an MVP or a scoped feature, delivered for an agreed price and scope.
Time and materials
Monthly
Ongoing product work billed monthly by the effort spent, for work that is open-ended or changes often.
Retainer
Monthly
Support, fixes and steady iteration after launch, for a fixed monthly amount.
Fractional CTO or CPO
Part-time seat
A WeaveLines lead takes the technical or the product seat part-time, covering technical decisions, architecture, team mentoring and product direction, without a full-time hire.
06 · Frequently asked questions
Questions founders ask first.
How long does it take to launch an MVP?
Most MVPs go live in 2 to 6 weeks, and in 2 when the scope is tight. What moves the number is how many flows the first version needs, whether it ships on the web or in the app stores, and how fast decisions get made on your side. We agree the scope and the plan with you before work starts, and you see the product regularly as it takes shape. A product that is more than a first version takes longer: several applications, a model of its own, a regulated market. We tell you which yours is, and what it takes, before work starts.
What does the design work look like?
A working prototype in days, built with AI design tools and directed by a designer, then shaped with you in short rounds until it is as close as we can get it to the product that will ship. From there the design keeps improving through the build, alongside engineering rather than ahead of it. Designers lead the work and decide what is kept of what AI produces.
Where does AI come into the work, and where do people decide?
AI is applied where it saves time without lowering the standard. Research and personas in discovery, first drafts of specifications and backlogs, the prototype itself, coding tools in engineering, test generation and review in QA, and error triage after launch. People own the decisions at each step, including what to build, what to cut and whether a change is fit to ship. Automated checks run on every change, and our engineers review the ones that carry risk before they go live.
Which tools and technologies do you use?
The stack is chosen for each product. Most often that is TypeScript end to end, with React on the web, React Native with Expo on mobile and Node.js behind them, and AI coding assistants are part of how our engineers work every day. When another tool fits the product better, we use it and tell you why.
How do we pay?
There are four models. A fixed price for a scoped prototype, MVP or feature. Time and materials billed monthly for open-ended work. A retainer for support and growth after launch. A fractional CTO or CPO engagement. Most clients start with a fixed-price MVP and move to a retainer or time and materials once the product is live, and we will advise which model fits before anything starts.
What happens after launch?
The product keeps changing, so the work does too. Most clients keep us on a monthly retainer for fixes, improvements and the next features, and some ask us to keep the CTO or CPO seat part-time.
Who will I be talking to?
The people doing the work. From the first call you talk to the team that will shape, design and build the product, and they stay with it through launch and the releases after it.
Start with a 30-minute call.
A process built to get real user feedback early, and a product that goes live in weeks. Tell us where you are and we will tell you what it would take.