Startup Prototype Development

Three Situations Where Founders Need This Right Now

Most founders contact us in one of these three moments. If you're in any of these situations, this service exists specifically for you.

Situation 1: You Have Investor Meetings Scheduled

You've finally secured meetings with angels or VCs in the next 4 to 8 weeks. Maybe through a warm introduction, maybe from networking, maybe from an accelerator connection. But you only have a pitch deck. You know investors want to see something working. You've watched other founders demo actual products in pitch competitions whilst you talked through slides.

The problem: You tried building something yourself using AI tools or no-code platforms, but it looks rough. You're embarrassed to show it to experienced investors who've seen hundreds of pitches. Or worse, you haven't started building anything yet because you're not technical and don't know where to begin.

What you need: A working app that investors can test immediately during your meeting, that looks professional enough to represent you credibly, that they can install to their phone and show colleagues later. Something that shifts the conversation from "interesting idea" to "let's discuss terms."

In 4 weeks, you'll have exactly that.

Situation 2: You're Applying to a Top Accelerator

Y Combinator, Techstars, Entrepreneur First, or similar programmes with application deadlines approaching. The video interview explicitly asks you to demonstrate your product. Your application is stronger if you have something working, even if it's early stage.

The problem: Accelerators receive thousands of applications. Ones with working products stand out immediately. If you're competing against other founders who have functional demos whilst you have wireframes and explanations, you're at a significant disadvantage.

What you need: A prototype that proves technical execution capability, that demonstrates your core concept clearly, that shows you're serious enough to have invested in building something real rather than just talking about it.

In 4 weeks, you'll submit your application with a working demo that evaluates can actually test.

Situation 3: You Tried DIY and It's Not Good Enough

You spent 2 to 3 weeks building something with Cursor, Bolt, Bubble, or similar tools. It technically works, but it looks amateurish. The spacing is inconsistent, the colours don't quite work, the transitions are abrupt, and the whole thing screams "I built this myself with limited design skills." You know investors will judge your execution capability based on what you show them.

The problem: You've invested time and some money in DIY approaches. You're not sure whether to keep struggling with it, hire a freelancer and hope they're good, or work with an established agency. You're worried about wasting more time and money on approaches that don't work.

What you need: Professional agency quality that represents you credibly, from developers who've built apps serving millions of users, with certainty in timeline and outcome rather than hoping a freelancer delivers or spending more weeks learning tools.

In 4 weeks, you'll have something you're genuinely proud to show investors.

Is This Right For Your Situation?

Not every founder needs an agency-built prototype. Here's how to know if this makes sense for you right now.

You should seriously consider this if:

✓ You have investor meetings scheduled in the next 4 to 8 weeks and need something working to demonstrate 

✓ You're applying to competitive accelerators where working demos strengthen applications significantly 

✓ You've tried DIY approaches (AI tools, no-code platforms, tutorials) but the results don't look professional enough 

✓ You're pitching to experienced angels or VCs who've seen hundreds of pitches and can tell the difference between amateur and professional work 

✓ You have a path to raising £50,000 to £500,000 and can justify spending £4,950 to increase your chances 

✓ You value certainty in timeline and quality over experimenting with cheaper approaches that might fail 

✓ You need something that works reliably across all devices without device-specific bugs 

✓ You want code you can actually build on after securing funding rather than throwaway prototypes

This probably isn't right if:

✗ You don't have any investor conversations scheduled or planned in the next few months 

✗ You're still figuring out your basic concept and aren't ready to commit to a specific approach 

✗ You have strong technical skills and genuinely enjoy building, with time to experiment 

✗ You're comfortable spending 4 to 6 weeks trying different DIY approaches to see what works 

✗ Your budget is genuinely constrained under £2,000 and you can't access more capital 

✗ You're not planning to raise institutional funding and this is a side project or bootstrapped business

The honest reality: Many founders try DIY approaches first. That's completely reasonable. Most founders who work with us have already spent 2 to 4 weeks building themselves, hired a freelancer who didn't deliver, or used no-code tools that produced amateur results. They come to us when they've realised they need professional quality and can't afford to keep experimenting.

If you're reading this and thinking "I should try the cheap way first", that's fine. We'll probably hear from you in 3 to 4 weeks when that doesn't work out and your investor meeting is 2 weeks away.

Already have funding or looking for a production-ready build? If your concept is already validated and you need a team to build a launch-ready product for real users, explore our MVP App Development service.

What Makes This Different From What You've Tried

You're probably wondering what makes an agency-built prototype worth £4,950 when you could use free AI tools or hire a freelancer for £1,500. Here's the honest difference.

It's Not Just Code, It's Credibility

When you present to investors, you're not just showing them an app. You're demonstrating execution capability. Investors are evaluating whether you can actually build and ship products. A prototype that looks professionally designed, works smoothly across devices, and feels polished signals that you understand quality and can execute. A prototype with inconsistent spacing, clunky transitions, and obvious amateur design signals that you'll struggle to ship production products.

This matters more than most founders realise. Investors see your prototype and extrapolate everything else. Professional prototype equals probably competent team. Amateur prototype equals probably going to struggle with execution.

It Works Reliably, Every Time

DIY tools and freelancers often produce prototypes that work on one device but break on others, work today but crash tomorrow, or work for you but fail when investors test them. We test across iPhone models, Android devices, tablets, and desktop browsers. When you hand your phone to an investor, it works. When they install it to their home screen and test it later, it works. When they show it to partners, it works.

You Own Production-Quality Code

Most no-code tools lock you into their platform. When you raise funding and need to build the real product, you start from scratch. Freelancers often write undocumented code that future developers can't work with, forcing rebuilds. We write the same quality code we use for production apps serving millions of users. When you secure funding and come back to us for full MVP development, we build directly on the prototype codebase. Or if you choose to work with another team, they can actually use our code because it's clean, documented, and follows industry standards.

You Get Certainty, Not Hope

When you hire a freelancer, you hope they're good, hope they deliver on time, hope they don't disappear. When you use DIY tools, you hope you can figure them out, hope the results look professional, hope it works when you need it. When you work with an established agency that's operated for 20+ years, built #1 App Store apps, and served as tech partner to FTSE 100 companies, you get certainty. We've never missed a 4-week deadline. We deliver what we promise. We'll be here after your prototype if you need changes.

The Investment Logic

You're not paying £4,950 for 10 screens of code. You're paying to increase your odds of securing £50,000 to £500,000 in funding. If this prototype increases your funding probability by even 10%, the expected value is £5,000 to £50,000. That's the calculation that makes this worthwhile.

Moving beyond the demo: Once your prototype has done its job and secured your seed round, we transition you into full MVP development to start acquiring your first customers.

What You Actually Get For £4,950

Unlike DIY tools with hidden limitations or freelancers with vague deliverables, here's exactly what you receive.

Working Progressive Web App (Not Just Designs)

A fully functional application built with Framework7, a professional mobile app framework. This isn't clickable Figma mockups or design files. It's actual code that runs in browsers, installs to home screens like Instagram or WhatsApp, and functions like a real app. Investors can test it immediately during your meeting, install it to their phone to test later, and show it to partners or colleagues without needing your presence.

The app works identically on iOS, Android, tablets, and desktop browsers. One codebase, all devices. No app store submission required, no developer accounts needed, no review delays. Investors access it via URL within seconds.

Up to 10 Screens Demonstrating Your Core Concept

Most investor-ready prototypes need 8 to 10 screens to demonstrate complete user journeys. This typically includes entry point or splash screen, sign-up or onboarding flow, main dashboard or home screen, your primary value demonstration (the key feature that proves your concept), secondary supporting features, transaction or conversion flow, confirmation or success states, user profile or settings, and any critical screens that prove feasibility.

We help you identify which 10 screens matter most during Week 1 strategy workshop. The goal isn't showing everything you'll eventually build. It's proving the one thing that matters most works.

AI-Assisted Content That Feels Real

Generic Lorem Ipsum placeholder text destroys credibility. Investors immediately recognise fake sample data. We use AI-assisted content generation to create realistic sample data at scale: product descriptions that sound like real marketplace listings, user profiles that read like genuine people, assessment questions that feel professionally written, booking details with appropriate information, message threads reflecting realistic conversations.

For Football Bio, this meant creating 30+ realistic player profiles across different positions, ages, and skill levels. For the coaching app, this meant generating authentic coaching questions and programme content that matched the founder's methodology. The quality of sample content directly impacts investor confidence that you can deliver valuable user experiences at scale.

Professional Design That Represents You Well

Our designers create interfaces that look production-ready, not prototype-level. Consistent spacing and typography, thoughtful colour palettes that work together, smooth transitions and animations, proper visual hierarchy, professional touch interactions and feedback. This isn't about making things "pretty". It's about signalling execution capability through design quality.

If you have existing brand guidelines, we apply them. If you don't, we create basic brand identity (logo, colours, typography) as part of the prototype at no additional cost.

Technical Foundation That Evolves Into Production

We write the same quality code for prototypes that we write for production apps. Clean, documented code following industry standards. Scalable architecture that can handle real users when you're ready. API-first approach so future backend integration is straightforward. Responsive design working across all screen sizes. Security best practices even for demonstration purposes.

When you raise funding and need full MVP app development, this code becomes your foundation rather than throwaway work. We've seen founders save 2 to 3 weeks of MVP development time because we build on existing prototype architecture rather than starting from scratch.

Support Through Your Funding Process

Six months free hosting on secure infrastructure with SSL encryption. Basic Google Analytics so you see how investors engage with your prototype. Technical roadmap document showing the path from prototype to production MVP. Bug fixes for 14 days after delivery. Source code ownership, provided on final payment. Priority scheduling for MVP development when you secure funding.

We're available to answer technical questions from investors, help you demo effectively, and refine the prototype based on investor feedback (charged separately but available quickly).

How We've Actually Used This Service

We've delivered startup prototypes for founders across different sectors. Here are two detailed examples showing exactly what we built, how founders used them, and what happened.

Football Bio: Player-Scout Platform

A founder needed to prove a three-sided marketplace (players, scouts, clubs) could work with simple interface design. The challenge was demonstrating the entire ecosystem value in a focused prototype without building the complete platform.

What we built: 8-screen prototype showing player registration flow, profile creation with performance statistics, video showcase interface demonstrating how players would upload footage, and scout discovery matching showing how clubs would find talent. We used AI-assisted content generation to create 30+ realistic player profiles across different positions (defenders, midfielders, strikers), age groups (U16 to U23), and skill levels (academy to semi-professional).

How it was used: The founder presented this prototype across investor meetings over 3 months. Investors could explore multiple player profiles, test the search and filtering functionality, and see how the matching algorithm would work. Several investors installed it to their home screens and tested it multiple times over several days, sharing it with sports industry contacts for feedback.

What we learned: The most valuable insight was that scouts cared more about comprehensive filtering and search functionality than the video showcase feature. The founder initially thought video was the primary differentiator, but investor conversations revealed that statistics, availability, and location filtering mattered more for initial discovery. This insight shaped the eventual MVP app development priorities, potentially saving thousands of pounds building less important features first.

Timeline and cost: 4 weeks from contract signing to deployed prototype. The founder returned to us for one revision sprint (£750) after initial investor feedback, which we turned around in 3 days. Total investment: £5,700 for validation that informed smarter MVP development decisions.

Coaching Application: Digital Methodology Platform

A professional coach with years of one-to-one experience needed to prove their structured coaching methodology could work as self-service digital content rather than just live sessions. The challenge was demonstrating methodology credibility through sample content quality.

What we built: 8-screen prototype with onboarding assessment flow using realistic questions based on the founder's actual coaching framework, personalised programme generation interface showing how different user responses led to different programme recommendations, progress tracking dashboard demonstrating ongoing engagement features, and detailed content for the first two weeks of four distinct programme paths.

How it was used: Several investors requested access to test the prototype over several days rather than just during meetings. They installed it to their home screens, completed the assessment themselves, and explored the programme content depth. This extended engagement wouldn't have happened with a presentation or clickable design file. One investor specifically mentioned that the quality of the coaching questions convinced them the founder understood their methodology deeply enough to scale it digitally.

What we learned: For content-driven products like coaching platforms, educational apps, or editorial concepts, the quality and authenticity of sample content matters as much as interface design. AI-assisted content generation let us produce volume (dozens of questions, multiple programmes, weeks of content) whilst maintaining the founder's authentic voice and methodology. This demonstrated the founder could deliver compelling content consistently, not just build a nice interface.

Timeline and cost: 4 weeks. The founder continued using this prototype for 6 weeks across multiple funding conversations before deciding to proceed with full MVP development. Total investment: £4,950 for validation that proved the business model worked before committing to larger development costs.

What both examples demonstrate: The prototype phase isn't just about proving technical feasibility. It's about learning which features matter most, testing positioning with investors, and building founder confidence that the concept translates effectively from abstract vision to concrete experience. Founders who invest in quality prototypes typically raise funding faster because they've refined their approach through real investor feedback.

Proven at Elite Level: From Team Sky to Startup Founders

Between 2010 and 2015, Tinderhouse served as Official Technology Partner to Team Sky, Britain's professional cycling team, commissioned by BSkyB (now Sky Corporation), a FTSE 100 media company. We delivered GPS tracking technology for Tour de France preparations and a fan app connecting millions of cycling enthusiasts to Pro Tour riders.

The technical challenges were significant: real-time telemetry processing for professional athletes, GPS broadcasting with battery efficiency for remote training locations, and infrastructure handling vast amount of concurrent users during peak times. The technology we built in 2010 continued serving users through 2015 without requiring fundamental rebuilds because we prioritised architecture and code quality from the start.

This experience taught us that successful products begin with absolute clarity about core value. The Team Sky fan app didn't launch with every possible feature. It launched with GPS tracking and rider updates because that's what fans wanted most. Everything else came later, informed by actual usage data.

When we build your prototype, we apply this same discipline. We help you identify the single most important thing your product does, build that feature with production-quality code, and prove it works before expanding scope. This focus is why we limit prototypes to 10 screens rather than trying to demonstrate your entire vision. Investors don't need to see everything. They need to see the thing that matters most, built convincingly.

The 4-Week Process (And What You Need to Do)

Our process is structured to deliver predictably whilst keeping you involved at critical decision points. Here's what happens each week and what we need from you.

Week 1: Strategy and Design

• What we do: Two-hour strategy workshop (video call or at our Canterbury office) where we identify your core value proposition, discuss what investors in your sector care about most, map your primary user journey, and determine which features prove your concept. Following the workshop, we conduct competitor analysis, create wireframes for up to 10 screens, and develop high-fidelity designs for all screens. If you have brand guidelines, we apply them. If not, we create basic brand identity.
   
• What you need to do: Attend the 2-hour workshop with clear thinking about your concept and target investors. Review wireframes and provide feedback within 5 business days. Approve final designs before we move to development. Total time commitment from you: approximately 4 to 6 hours across the week.
   
• Week 1 output: Complete visual designs for every screen, approved by you and ready for development.

Week 2: Core Build and First Review

• What we do: Set up development environment and implement your navigation structure. Build the first 5 to 6 screens with all interactive elements and brand styling. Deploy to our secure development environment so you can test on actual devices.
   
• What you need to do: Test the prototype on your phone, tablet, and desktop at end of Week 2. Verify visual design matches approved mockups. Identify any issues with navigation or interaction patterns. Provide feedback within 5 business days. Total time commitment: approximately 2 to 3 hours.
   
• Week 2 output: Working prototype with core screens functional, ready for you to review. This is your critical checkpoint to ensure we're building exactly what you need before we complete remaining screens.

Week 3: Complete Build and Second Review

• What we do: Build remaining screens and connect full user journey. Implement form interactivity and integrate AI-assisted sample content. Add animations, transitions, and polish. Deploy updated version for your final review.
   
• What you need to do: Test the complete user journey end to end on multiple devices. Verify all functionality works as expected. Identify any final refinements needed before delivery. Provide feedback within 5 business days. Total time commitment: approximately 3 to 4 hours.
   
• Week 3 output: Complete prototype with all 10 screens functional, ready for final polish based on your feedback.

Week 4: Polish and Deployment

• What we do: Address all items from your Week 3 review. Fix any bugs discovered during testing. Test comprehensively across iPhone models, Android devices, tablets, and desktop browsers. Deploy to production hosting with SSL encryption. Set up Google Analytics tracking. Prepare technical roadmap document. Provide source code access.
   
• What you need to do: Final testing and approval for launch. Prepare to use it in investor conversations. Total time commitment: approximately 1 to 2 hours.
   
• Week 4 output: Deployed prototype, hosted and ready for investor demonstrations. Technical roadmap for MVP development. Source code available on request.
   
• Your total time investment across 4 weeks: Approximately 10 to 15 hours for workshops, reviews, and testing. This is intentionally structured to respect that you're busy building a company whilst we build your prototype.
   
• Our guarantee: We've never missed a 4-week deadline when clients meet their 5-business-day feedback obligations at Weeks 2 and 3. If we're late, we refund 25% of your total cost. We've never had to pay this refund.

How We Use AI to Strengthen Your Prototype

Our development process incorporates AI tools strategically to improve quality and speed, but we're transparent about where AI assists versus where human expertise remains essential.

Where AI Genuinely Helps

AI-assisted content generation creates realistic sample data at scale. For the coaching app, AI generated dozens of assessment questions and programme content that matched the founder's authentic methodology voice. For Football Bio, we created 30+ player profiles with realistic statistics and descriptions. The AI doesn't decide what content to include, we do that based on your Week 1 strategy. AI accelerates execution of generating volume and variety of sample content that makes your prototype feel populated and real rather than obviously fake.

AI tools enhance code documentation, ensuring your source code includes clear comments explaining functionality and architectural decisions. This matters when you eventually hand the codebase to your funded development team. Well-documented code reduces future development costs because developers can understand existing code faster.

AI helps identify inconsistencies in spacing, typography, and colour usage across screens, ensuring professional polish throughout. Whilst our designers make all creative decisions, AI catches small details that can undermine perceived quality.

Where Human Expertise Remains Essential

AI doesn't make strategic decisions about which features to build, how to structure user flows, what will convince investors in your specific sector, or what your core value proposition should be. That requires our 20+ years experience building products and working with founders. AI doesn't write your core application logic or make architectural decisions about performance, scalability, and maintainability. Those require experienced developers who've built apps serving millions of users.

The strategy workshop, user experience design, feature prioritisation, and technical architecture remain entirely human-driven processes drawing on our team's accumulated experience. These require contextual understanding and judgment that current AI tools cannot replicate reliably.

The Honest Reality

We view AI as a productivity multiplier that lets us deliver higher quality prototypes within fixed four-week timeframes, not as a replacement for professional development expertise. You're paying for our judgment, our experience building apps that reached #1 in the App Store, our understanding of what convinces investors, and our accountability for delivering what we promise. AI simply helps us work more efficiently within those parameters.

Some agencies might be tempted to use AI to cut corners and maximise profit margins. We use AI to improve quality and deliver more realistic sample content than would be practical to create manually. The difference matters.

What's Not Included (And Why That's Smart)

To keep prototypes focused, affordable, and deliverable in 4 weeks, certain elements are intentionally excluded. Understanding these boundaries prevents disappointment and ensures appropriate expectations.

No Production Backend Infrastructure

Your prototype uses sample data stored in browser local storage. It feels real when investors test it, forms accept input and display responses appropriately, data persists during their session. But data doesn't survive browser cache clearing or sync across devices. For investor demonstrations, this is entirely sufficient. Investors don't need your prototype to store their test data permanently. When you secure funding and build the production MVP, we add proper databases, server infrastructure, and data persistence. This is the right sequence because you don't know yet if investors will fund your concept, so spending money on production infrastructure before validation is premature.

No User Authentication or Security Systems

The prototype doesn't include sign-up forms, password management, or user account systems. Investors don't need to create accounts to see your concept work. They want to test core functionality immediately without barriers. Authentication adds development time and complexity that doesn't help validation. When you build the full MVP after funding, we implement proper authentication, password security, and user account management as part of production development.

No Payment Processing Integration

No Stripe, PayPal, or payment gateway integration. If your concept includes transactions, we demonstrate the user interface and transaction flow, but no real money changes hands. Payment integration requires merchant accounts, regulatory compliance considerations, and testing infrastructure appropriate for production applications, not validation prototypes. Investors understand this distinction and don't expect working payment processing in early prototypes.

No Third-Party API Integrations

If your concept requires Google Maps, weather data, social media connections, or other external services, we typically use sample or mock data rather than live API calls. This avoids ongoing API costs during your validation phase, simplifies deployment, and ensures your prototype works reliably without depending on external services. Real API integration happens during MVP development when you have funding and the business case for ongoing service costs.

No App Store Submission

Your prototype is a Progressive Web App delivered via browser. There's no Apple App Store or Google Play submission, which means no Apple Developer accounts costing £79 per year, no waiting days or weeks for app store review approval, no dealing with rejection reasons and resubmission cycles, and no managing separate app store listings. Investors access your concept within seconds of receiving the URL. This immediacy matters for maintaining momentum in funding conversations.

Why These Exclusions Are Strategic, Not Limitations

We could build prototypes with all these features, but it would cost £15,000 to £25,000 and take 10 to 12 weeks. At that point, you're building a full MVP without knowing if investors will fund your concept. The prototype approach intentionally excludes expensive features that don't help validation in order to keep cost at £4,950 and timeline at 4 weeks. You validate before investing larger amounts. This is smart capital allocation, not corner cutting.

Pricing That Actually Makes Sense

Fixed Price: £4,950 + VAT

This covers everything included for up to 10 screens. What we quote is what you pay for the agreed scope. No hidden fees, no surprise invoices, no scope creep charges unless you explicitly request additional work beyond the original agreement.

Why This Price Point

We could charge £8,000 to £10,000 for prototypes (some agencies do). We price at £4,950 because it represents appropriate investment for pre-funding validation. It's substantial enough that we can deliver professional quality with production-standard code. It's low enough that ambitious founders can afford it before raising capital. The calculation is straightforward: if spending £4,950 increases your odds of raising £50,000 to £500,000 by even 10%, the expected value is £5,000 to £50,000. That math works.

Compared to Full MVP Development

Our Simple MVP service starts at £8,000 for production-ready applications. By building a prototype first for £4,950, you're saving over £3,000 versus proceeding directly to full MVP development. More importantly, you're validating your concept works before committing the larger investment. If investor feedback reveals you need to pivot your approach, adjusting a prototype costs £750 for a revision sprint. Adjusting a full MVP costs £3,000 to £5,000 and 3 to 4 weeks. The prototype de-risks the larger investment.

Payment Structure

50% (£2,475 + VAT) upon contract signing. This secures your project slot and covers Week 1 discovery and design work. 50% (£2,475 + VAT) upon delivery and deployment. Payment terms are net 7 days from invoice. We accept UK bank transfer or company credit cards.

Additional Screens Beyond 10

If your concept genuinely requires more than 10 screens (identified during Week 1 wireframing), additional screens are £350 + VAT each. We provide quotes for your approval before proceeding. Most prototypes work effectively within 10 screens if properly scoped to focus on core value rather than demonstrating everything.

Revision Work After Delivery

Design revisions during Week 2 and Week 3 review checkpoints are included in your base price. Bug fixes within 14 days of delivery are included. Minor copy and colour adjustments within 14 days are included. Functional changes, new features, or additional screens after delivery are quoted at £750 + VAT per day of development work required. Major redesigns after Week 3 sign-off require new project quotes.

Hosting Costs

Six months free hosting included. After 6 months: £25 + VAT per month, billed annually (£300 + VAT per year). Alternatively, migrate to your own hosting for £350 + VAT one-time setup fee. Most founders either secure funding and upgrade to full MVP within 6 months (hosting transitions to MVP arrangement), or continue the £25 monthly hosting because it's simple and they don't want to manage infrastructure themselves.

The Reality of Founder Budgets

We know £4,950 is significant money for pre-funding founders. Some founders will read this and think "I should try the free or cheap way first." That's reasonable. Most founders who work with us tried cheaper approaches for 2 to 4 weeks, realised they weren't getting professional results, and came to us when investor meetings were approaching. If that's you, we'll be here. If you know you need professional quality now and don't have time to experiment, this is the right investment at the right moment.

What Happens After You Secure Funding

The prototype's purpose is helping you raise capital. Once you've secured funding, you need to convert your validated prototype into a production application that can serve real users.

Option 1: Production PWA Upgrade (£3,000-£4,500)

We convert your existing prototype into production-ready Progressive Web App. This includes adding real backend database infrastructure, implementing proper user authentication and account management, migrating from browser local storage to persistent server-side data, adding production security hardening, implementing scalable hosting infrastructure, and optimising performance for growing user loads. Timeline: 4 to 6 weeks depending on backend complexity.

Founder discount: £500 off standard pricing because we've already built the front-end and understand your product vision. Your net investment after the prototype is approximately £2,500 to £4,000 for production upgrade, far less than building from scratch.

Best for: Content platforms, SaaS applications, marketplace concepts, dashboard tools, booking systems, or any concept where web application functionality provides everything your users need without requiring native app features or app store presence.

Option 2: Native iOS and Android MVP (From £7,000)

We rebuild as native applications using Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android (or React Native for cross-platform with shared codebase). Our standard MVP App Development starts at £8,000, so your discounted pricing starts at £7,000 for native app development using your validated prototype foundation. Your prototype becomes comprehensive design specification and validated user experience foundation. We recreate your approved interface using native UI components, implement production backend infrastructure, add user authentication, integrate payment processing if needed, implement push notifications, and handle App Store and Google Play submission. Timeline: 8 to 12 weeks for native development.

Founder discount: £1,000 off our Simple MVP pricing because discovery and design work is complete. Our standard Simple MVP starts at £8,000, so your discounted pricing starts at £7,000 for native app development using your validated prototype foundation.

Best for: Mobile-first concepts requiring app store presence, applications needing native device features (camera, GPS tracking), products where app store organic discovery matters for user acquisition, or concepts requiring the performance and polish of native applications.

Option 3: Full Standard MVP (From £13,500)

Your concept requires substantial complexity: multiple user types with different interfaces, complex workflows with conditional logic, payment processing with subscription management, advanced features like real-time collaboration or sophisticated search, or integration with multiple third-party services. This is our Standard MVP service with everything required for market launch. Timeline: 12 to 16 weeks depending on complexity.

Founder discount: 10% off or £1,500 off, whichever is greater. Our Standard MVP pricing ranges from £15,000 to £35,000 depending on complexity, so your discounted range is approximately £13,500 to £33,500.

Best for: Complex marketplace platforms, fintech applications with regulatory requirements, healthcare solutions requiring data security features, enterprise tools serving multiple user types, or products requiring substantial feature depth beyond basic functionality.

Priority Scheduling Guarantee

Founders who complete prototypes with us receive priority scheduling for MVP development. When you secure funding and need to move quickly, you typically won't wait weeks for available team slots. We structure capacity planning specifically to accommodate prototype clients upgrading to full development because we understand timing matters after closing funding rounds.

Why Continuity Matters Beyond Discounts

The financial discounts are valuable, but continuity benefits often matter more. We already understand your product vision, target users, competitive positioning, and strategic priorities. We've navigated working relationship dynamics and communication preferences. We know which features matter most and why. We understand what you're trying to achieve beyond just building software. This accumulated context means Week 1 of your MVP development is productive strategy and planning rather than spending days explaining your vision to a new team.

What You Should Actually Worry About

Most founders worry about the wrong things when evaluating prototype development. Here's what matters versus what doesn't.

Don't Worry About: Whether It's "Real" Enough

Investors understand prototypes aren't production applications. They're not expecting backend infrastructure, scalability architecture, or security hardening. They want to see that your core concept works and that you can execute. A prototype that demonstrates your value proposition convincingly is "real enough." Trying to build production-quality infrastructure before validation is premature optimisation that wastes capital.

Do Worry About: Whether It Represents You Credibly

Investors are evaluating your judgment and execution capability through your prototype. If it looks amateurish, they assume everything else you do will be amateurish. If it looks professional, they assume you understand quality and can ship products. The bar isn't "perfect", it's "credible." An agency-built prototype with professional design and smooth functionality signals credibility. A DIY prototype with obvious design flaws and buggy interactions signals execution risk.

Don't Worry About: Showing Every Feature You'll Eventually Build

Trying to demonstrate everything typically means demonstrating nothing convincingly. Investors want to see your core value proposition proven, not a superficial tour through 30 mediocre screens. Focus beats breadth. One feature built properly with appropriate depth is more convincing than ten features shown superficially.

Do Worry About: Whether Investors Can Actually Test It

If your prototype only works when you're demonstrating it, if it breaks when investors try to use it themselves, if it only works on your device, you've wasted your investment. The prototype needs to work reliably when investors test it alone, after your meeting ends, on their devices, when they show colleagues. This reliability is why we test comprehensively across devices and browsers before delivery.

Don't Worry About: Technology Choices

Investors rarely care whether you built with Framework7, React, Flutter, or native iOS unless your business model depends on specific technical approaches. They care whether it works and whether you can scale it. We use Framework7 for prototypes because it's fast, reliable, and can evolve into production apps. That's the right choice for validation. Your technology stack matters when you build the production MVP, not during prototype phase.

Do Worry About: Timeline Alignment With Funding Process

If you have investor meetings in 6 weeks and need a prototype, waiting 8 to 10 weeks for freelancers who might deliver doesn't work. If you're applying to an accelerator with a 5-week deadline and try DIY approaches that take 6 weeks, you've missed your window. Timeline certainty matters as much as quality when funding opportunities have hard deadlines. This is why we guarantee 4-week delivery and why we've never missed that deadline.

Common Mistakes Founders Make (And How to Avoid Them)

After 20+ years working with founders, we've seen patterns in what works and what wastes money. Here are mistakes to avoid.

Mistake 1: Trying to Show Everything

Founders get excited about their complete vision and try to cram 20 features into a 10-screen prototype. The result is everything shown superficially, nothing proven convincingly. Investors leave thinking "interesting concept, but can they actually execute?" Fix: Identify the single most important thing your product does. Build that feature with appropriate depth and polish. Everything else can wait. Investors don't need to see your complete vision. They need to see the core thing working.

Mistake 2: Building in Isolation

Founders develop their prototype, polish it until it's "perfect" in their judgment, then show investors for the first time 8 weeks later. Often they discover investors care about different features than they expected. Fix: Get your prototype in front of advisors, mentors, or friendly investors quickly. Gather feedback early. Be willing to iterate based on what you learn. That's why we offer affordable revision sprints. If feedback reveals opportunities to strengthen your prototype, address them before your most important funding conversations.

Mistake 3: Underestimating Design Quality

Founders think "it's just a prototype, design doesn't matter that much." They focus on functionality and ignore visual polish. Investors judge execution capability based on what they see. Amateur design signals amateur execution. Fix: Professional design isn't expensive decoration. It's credibility signal. Consistent spacing, thoughtful colours, smooth interactions, proper visual hierarchy. These details communicate that you take this seriously and understand quality matters.

Mistake 4: No Clear Next Steps

Investors test your prototype, like what they see, and ask "what happens next?" Founders who can't answer clearly (how much capital needed, how long development takes, what the technical approach is, what the scaling challenges are) lose momentum. Fix: We include technical roadmap documents with every prototype specifically to answer these questions. You should be ready to discuss what building the full product requires, backed by developers who actually know rather than guessing.

Mistake 5: Wrong Timing

Founders build prototypes too early (before they have any investor conversations lined up) or too late (investor meeting is next week and they just started looking for developers). Fix: The right time to build a prototype is when you have investor conversations scheduled or accelerator applications due in 4 to 8 weeks. Earlier than that and you're premature. Later than that and you don't have time for quality work. Plan ahead.

How Tinderhouse Serves Startups Across Kent, London, and the UK

Based at the Innovation Centre in Canterbury and with access to London, we combine 20+ years technical heritage with pragmatic focus on startup validation needs. Ranked in the top 50 UK app developers by Clutch, we've built applications reaching #1 in the App Store across multiple categories and scaled Map My Tracks to over 1 million users globally since 2007.

We use the same technical standards for prototypes that we apply to production applications serving millions of users. API-first architecture, clean code following industry standards, scalable foundations, and documented approaches that future developers can work with. The difference between prototype and MVP is scope, not quality. When you secure funding and return for full development, you're building on solid foundations rather than starting from scratch.

Our in-house UK-based team means when you contact us, you speak directly with the developers building your prototype. No account managers, no offshore handoffs, no communication gaps. You talk to the people writing your code, making decisions about your design, and responsible for delivery. This direct communication matters substantially for prototype projects where speed and iteration are critical.

We've served as Official Technology Partner to Team Sky (commissioned by BSkyB), built GPS tracking for Tour de France champions, developed apps connecting millions of fans to Pro Tour riders, and scaled consumer applications to sustained top rankings in app stores. When we tell you we can build your prototype in 4 weeks with production-quality code, it's not marketing claims. It's what we do repeatedly based on two decades of experience.