Payments almost work
Fine in testing, shaky with real customers.
Production-ready apps for non-technical founders
It works in the demo. Let’s make it work for real users.
Built with AI tools or a freelancer, and stuck before launch? We get your foundations live in 14 days, then ship working software every two weeks. You talk to the person who builds it, never an account manager.
Foundations live in 14 days, or month one is free.
- OwnershipCode and cloud accounts in your name
- DeliveryA private test version; every change tested and released automatically
- Real usersReal sign-up and login; each customer sees only their own data
18 months building Pala UK health-tech AI platform, from scratch
8,000+ workerson a staffing platform for a major US firm
8 years building for startupsin the US, UK, Australia and Canada
Sound familiar?
The demo worked. Then real users arrived.
That’s not a failure. It’s the point where a prototype needs foundations: the part AI tools and most freelancers skip.
Users can see each other’s data
Access rules were never set up properly.
Every fix breaks something else
So every change becomes a gamble.
Nobody knows if it will hold up
Not for a pilot, 100 users or due diligence.
Where you’ll be
From prototype to product, in 90 days.
Day 5
You know exactly what you have
What’s solid, what’s risky, and what to fix first, in plain English.
Day 14 GUARANTEED
Safe to build on and safe to show
Real sign-ups, each customer sees only their own data, and everything is in your name.
Day 30
Ready for your first pilot users
Your key feature working for real users, and a plan for what comes next.
Day 90
Back to selling and fundraising
Shipping every two weeks, ready for investor questions.
The promise
You talk to the person who builds it.
No account managers. No rotating juniors. No handoffs.
THE USUAL WAY
- You
- Account manager
- Project manager
- A developer, who may change
Every question passes through people who don’t write your code. Every new face needs the product explained again.
WITH ASSEMBLERS LAB
- You
- The people building your product
One shared Slack channel. The same people from kickoff to handover.
You always talk to the person who knows your code.
No account manager in between, ever.
Your users only see changes that have been tested first.
Every change lands on a private test version you can click first.
You never re-explain your product to someone new.
Anyone who joins is named at kickoff and doesn’t rotate.
The Production-Ready Build System
How we get you there.
Know where you stand
What to keep, fix or rebuild, in plain English.
Solid ground by day 14
A private test version, automatic deployment, data rules, login and one real feature.
Something new every two weeks
A priorities call, two weeks of work, then a live walkthrough.
Never locked in
Docs as we go, a monthly risk review, everything in your name.
Writing code is cheap now. Knowing which code to write, and whether it will hold up, isn’t.
Proof, not adjectives
Production work, not demos.
CASE STUDY · UK HEALTH TECH
18 months building Pal’s AI coaching platform
We built Pal’s AI coaching platform from scratch and stayed for 18 months as it grew.
AI conversation engineconnected to users’ health data
AI voice agentsfor enterprise health and fitness partners
Coaching over WhatsAppas well as in the app
Separate test and live versionsso changes were tested before users saw them
Dec 2024 – May 2026 · screens from pal.health
What you’re not risking
Four risks, taken off the table.
Your money
The audit is yours to keep. Month one is only invoiced once the foundations are live. A fixed monthly price, rolling monthly with 30 days’ notice.
Your time
About 1–2 hours a week. Slack answers in an agreed daily overlap window. A one-page risk review every month.
Your team
We run the audit and foundations ourselves and review every change. Any engineer who joins is named at kickoff and doesn’t rotate. No account managers.
Lock-in
You own the code, cloud accounts and domains from day one. Documentation stays current, so another engineer could take over.
Is this a fit?
Who this is for, and who it isn’t.
A good fit if
- You’re a funded, non-technical founder at pre-seed or seed
- Your product was built with AI tools or a freelancer, or it’s still a spec
- You want a senior who builds, explains in plain English and stays
- You’re heading for a launch, a pilot or a raise
Probably not a fit if
- You’re looking for the lowest hourly rate
- You need a large team on day one
- You need a compliance certificate, a pen test or legal sign-off (we’ll point you to specialists)
What clients say
What founders notice when we work together.
In our clients’ own words, grouped by the three things founders tell us matter most.
01
You’ll always know where things stand
Plain-English updates, to you and your team.
“Just as comfortable discussing requirements with our non-technical team as he was building the actual solution.”
“…strong technical knowledge across AI-native tools, workflow platforms, and third-party integrations, and was just as comfortable discussing requirements with our non-technical team as he was building the actual solution. He flagged issues proactively, resolved problems fast, and made sure everything was delivered and running properly.”
“…does a good job communicating and is very skilled at his job.”
“…does a good job communicating and is very skilled at his job. His work was fantastic just on the first round.”
Lloyd JacobFront-end and back-end rebuild02
Vague ideas become a working product
You don’t need a perfect spec to start.
“He goes from idea to completed product with very little direction.”
“…instrumental in building a world-class product for consumer-first retail companies across the US. He goes from idea to completed product with very little direction.”
Aditya MugaliCo-Founder / CTO“…fill in the missing gaps with great ideas that I didn’t originally think…”
“…help provide structure to our team and codebase.”
“We’re a small, new business, so he had to work on an unstructured, messy project being asked to deliver vague features — yet he broke through those barriers to not only deliver the initial goal but help provide structure to our team and codebase.”
Evan KaropoulosCTO, ProjX03
It works, and keeps working
Right the first time, and still running after.
“I would work with him again in a heartbeat.”
“…has always worked to an extremely high standard throughout our extended projects working together. I would work with him again in a heartbeat. … His attention to detail is his strength, and can work autonomously which is rare…”
Chris DavisonLong-term client“…a great partner to have in developing my v1 web app.”
Pricing
Start with an audit. Then choose your pace.
Technical audit
$965
fixed · 3–5 business days
Know where you stand before you commit. Includes a 45-minute walkthrough call. Yours to keep, and credited in full to month one if we continue.
Start with the auditCore
$3,000–$4,000
per month
Keep your product stable and moving. One priority at a time, shipped every two weeks, plus a monthly risk review.
Ask about CoreBuild
$5,000–$6,000
per month
Get to your launch, pilot or raise faster. Two priorities at a time, shipped every two weeks; from month two, a named engineer joins, and every change is reviewed before it goes in.
Ask about BuildTHE 14-DAY GUARANTEE
Working foundations live in staging within 14 days, or you don’t pay for month one.
What countsAccounts in your name, staging and production, automatic deployment, access rules, real login, one feature on real data.
When the clock startsOnce access is granted and the first feature is agreed in writing.
How it’s billedMonth one is invoiced the day the foundations go live. No refunds to chase.
Also available: fixed-scope projects from $5,000, such as a hardening sprint after the audit. After month one, it’s rolling monthly with 30 days’ notice.
Compared with the alternatives
Where each route leaves you at day 90.
| Route | Cost | Where you are at day 90 |
|---|---|---|
| Senior hire (US, seed) | $160K–$235K a year + ~1.5% equity | Still hiring, or just onboarding them |
| Fractional CTO | $10.5K–$15K a month, ~15 hrs a week | A good plan, and still nobody building it |
| Audit elsewhere | $1,500–$3,000, or from $4,000 | A report, and the work still ahead of you |
| Rescue project | $4,500–$28,000, one-off | One fix, and the next problem is yours |
| Assemblers Lab | $965 audit, then $3K–$6K a month | Ready for real users, on code you own |
The stakes are higher now: seed to Series A takes a median 2.1 years, and only about 1 in 5 startups make it. Sources: Kruze/Carta via TechCrunch; Go Fractional; ProductionReady; Damian Galarza; Devox; Carta via The PMF Show.
FAQ
Questions founders ask.
Who actually writes the code?
The people you talk to. We do the audit and the foundations ourselves. On Build, a named engineer adds capacity from month two, and every change is reviewed before it goes in.
Why not just hire a founding engineer?
Do both. A senior hire costs $160K–$235K a year and takes months to find. We ship from week one and document everything, so your hire inherits a clean codebase.
How much of my time does this take?
About 1–2 hours a week: a priorities call every two weeks and a walkthrough of what shipped.
What does the audit include?
What to keep, fix or rebuild; a check of access rules, API keys, login and backups; an architecture plan and build order; and a 45-minute walkthrough call.
I haven’t built anything yet. Can you help?
Yes. The audit becomes a plan: architecture, build order and the first feature to ship. Foundations still go live in 14 days.
What hours do you work?
The UK working day and US East Coast mornings. We agree a daily overlap window in writing.
What if I want to stop?
After month one it’s rolling monthly with 30 days’ notice. Code, cloud accounts and documentation are yours from day one, so anyone can take over.
Do you work in health tech?
Yes. We write the architecture, data-flow and access-control documentation that helps you answer NHS security questions. We don’t provide certification, pen testing or clinical safety sign-off.
What’s in the free 5-minute review?
Send us a link. We’ll use your app as a normal user would and record a short video on what’s solid and what might not survive real users, within 48 hours. No pitch.
What if you’re not the right fit?
We’ll tell you on the first call, and point you to someone who is.
Free 20-minute call
Tell us what you’ve built so far.
We’ll tell you honestly what’s solid, what isn’t, and whether we’re the right fit. No pitch, no commitment.
20-minute intro callFree · on video · times shown in your timezone
- 1You tell us what you’ve built and where it’s stuck.
- 2We tell you honestly what looks solid and what doesn’t.
- 3You leave with a clear next step, even if it isn’t us.
No pitch, no commitment.