What’s it like working with Thought&Function?
It’s not just about delivering a product—it’s about partnering with you to build a business. We’ve helped founders navigate every stage, from ideation to acquisition. Our sweet spot is the messy, uncertain early stages, where our experience can make the biggest difference. We’ll help you avoid costly missteps, prioritise what matters, and build something that sets you up for success—whether that’s your next funding round or scaling to meet demand.
How are you different from other MVP builders?
Many startups rush to build their product, focusing on speed at the expense of thoughtful planning and long-term success. We take a different approach:
Risk Reduction: Engineering is one of the most expensive parts of the business, so we ensure every penny you spend with us is focused on reducing or eliminating risks. We typically do this de-risking upfront during the design and discovery phases, validating key assumptions and creating a solid foundation before writing a single line of code.
Investor-Readiness: Our goal is to make your product investor-ready. By systematically identifying and tackling the biggest risks in your business model, we ensure your product is viewed favorably when it’s time to raise funds.
Data-Driven Growth: We set up analytics from the start, giving you actionable insights into how your product is performing and what’s resonating with users. This ensures your product evolves based on real data, not guesswork.
Agile and Adaptable: We understand that things will change—startups evolve quickly, and so do roadmaps. We work in an agile way, moving quickly to adapt to changes without sacrificing quality or focus on your vision.
Cross-Functional Expertise: Our team is lean but powerful. Every member is a cross-functional specialist who not only executes tasks but thinks strategically about how each decision aligns with your business goals.
This methodical and adaptable approach ensures your resources are directed toward building something solid, scalable, and ready to grow with your startup. Let’s chat to explore how we can apply this framework to your unique project.
Risk Reduction: Engineering is one of the most expensive parts of the business, so we ensure every penny you spend with us is focused on reducing or eliminating risks. We typically do this de-risking upfront during the design and discovery phases, validating key assumptions and creating a solid foundation before writing a single line of code.
Investor-Readiness: Our goal is to make your product investor-ready. By systematically identifying and tackling the biggest risks in your business model, we ensure your product is viewed favorably when it’s time to raise funds.
Data-Driven Growth: We set up analytics from the start, giving you actionable insights into how your product is performing and what’s resonating with users. This ensures your product evolves based on real data, not guesswork.
Agile and Adaptable: We understand that things will change—startups evolve quickly, and so do roadmaps. We work in an agile way, moving quickly to adapt to changes without sacrificing quality or focus on your vision.
Cross-Functional Expertise: Our team is lean but powerful. Every member is a cross-functional specialist who not only executes tasks but thinks strategically about how each decision aligns with your business goals.
This methodical and adaptable approach ensures your resources are directed toward building something solid, scalable, and ready to grow with your startup. Let’s chat to explore how we can apply this framework to your unique project.
How often do you provide updates, and what does communication look like?
We aim to create a seamless experience where our team feels like an in-house extension of your company. Communication typically happens through Slack, with dedicated channels for specific purposes. We follow Agile and Scrum methodologies, with two-week sprints (or shorter/longer, depending on your needs). Each sprint includes:
Daily standup: A quick check-in to align the team on priorities and address blockers.
Planning Meetings: To prioritise tasks for the sprint.
Sprint Reviews: To demo completed work and gather feedback from stakeholders. (Meetings are recorded for asynchronous feedback if needed.) We minimise meetings and focus on async communication where possible, keeping the process lean while maintaining visibility.
Daily standup: A quick check-in to align the team on priorities and address blockers.
Planning Meetings: To prioritise tasks for the sprint.
Sprint Reviews: To demo completed work and gather feedback from stakeholders. (Meetings are recorded for asynchronous feedback if needed.) We minimise meetings and focus on async communication where possible, keeping the process lean while maintaining visibility.
Do you work 100% remotely or prefer in-person meetings?
If you are based in London, you are very welcome to meet us! Depending on your preference and flexibility, we can arrange in-person workshops or conduct them online using various tools like Miro, which is excellent for capturing ideas and running collaborative exercises. However, we work 100% remotely with most of our partners and have no issues whatsoever in terms of collaboration, results, or communication. We are happy to show you the tools we use to facilitate these.
How can I be sure you’ll do a good job on our project and I won’t end up rebuilding everything from scratch?
It’s a valid concern. Too often, people are burned by agencies, developers, or freelancers that overpromise, underdeliver, and leave you paying more to fix their mistakes. That’s not us. We’re not the cheapest, and we don’t try to be. What we offer is thoughtful, high-quality work, delivered quickly by a team that genuinely cares about your success. We don’t just build products—we act as your technical partner. That means understanding your goals, aligning with your vision, and going the extra mile to ensure you’re not just satisfied but confident in what we deliver. Many of our clients come to us after bad experiences elsewhere, and they stay with us because we make things right. If you’d like, we are happy to send you any references so you can hear directly from them on how we work and decide whether we are a good fit for you.
What do you think is the biggest development pitfall?
The biggest pitfall we see is trying to build too much, too soon. It’s tempting to sprint towards the finish line, but without validation, you risk building something nobody wants—and wasting a lot of money in the process. Instead, we recommend starting small. Test your idea. Gather feedback. Build confidence in your product before scaling. It’s not about slowing down; it’s about ensuring every step forward is the right one.
Cost & Budgeting
How much do you cost?
The short answer is, book a call with us to get the most accurate quote. The answer can vary tremendously depending on your goals.
We are a bespoke, thoughtful service and want to be entirely transparent with our prices. We know others have promised fixed pricings and timeframes, but we aim to deliver exceptional value for what you invest instead of being the cheapest or the fastest.
We are a bespoke, thoughtful service and want to be entirely transparent with our prices. We know others have promised fixed pricings and timeframes, but we aim to deliver exceptional value for what you invest instead of being the cheapest or the fastest.
How do you determine the cost of building my product?
Determining the cost of building your product involves diving deeper into the overall solution and your strategy over the next 6–12 months. Here’s how we approach it:
Baseline Functionality:
Must-haves: Features essential for your product to work effectively.
Nice-to-haves: Additional features that would add value but aren’t critical.
Ambitious targets: Aspirational features to consider if time and budget allow. This baseline helps us establish a focused foundation for your product.
Lean Approach to Launch: Our goal is to help you launch as quickly as possible with a lean MVP. This means focusing on essential features to get your product into the hands of users—whether internal or beta users—so you can begin collecting feedback.
Iterative Development: Once the MVP is live, the feedback loop between users and product development becomes critical. Instead of building a large list of features upfront, we prioritize based on user feedback. This ensures you’re focusing on what truly matters to your users and adapting your roadmap as needed. Using that feedback helps guide the rest of the development over time. We also understand that budgets vary, and we’ll work with you to ensure the project fits your financial constraints as much as possible. Your needs and vision will guide the project as much as we lead it, ensuring a collaborative approach that aligns with your goals.
Baseline Functionality:
Must-haves: Features essential for your product to work effectively.
Nice-to-haves: Additional features that would add value but aren’t critical.
Ambitious targets: Aspirational features to consider if time and budget allow. This baseline helps us establish a focused foundation for your product.
Lean Approach to Launch: Our goal is to help you launch as quickly as possible with a lean MVP. This means focusing on essential features to get your product into the hands of users—whether internal or beta users—so you can begin collecting feedback.
Iterative Development: Once the MVP is live, the feedback loop between users and product development becomes critical. Instead of building a large list of features upfront, we prioritize based on user feedback. This ensures you’re focusing on what truly matters to your users and adapting your roadmap as needed. Using that feedback helps guide the rest of the development over time. We also understand that budgets vary, and we’ll work with you to ensure the project fits your financial constraints as much as possible. Your needs and vision will guide the project as much as we lead it, ensuring a collaborative approach that aligns with your goals.
We have a small budget—can you work with that, and how do you approach managing it?
We work within the constraints defined by our partners. If you’re starting with a smaller budget, we’ll assemble an optimal team to meet your objectives while staying cost-effective. As we help you achieve your goals and you raise more funding, the team can scale in line with your growth. We’re also flexible—if needed, we can assist with transitioning to an in-house team, ensuring smooth roll-offs. Our goal is to support your growth while providing flexibility and value at every stage of your journey.
Design & Development
Do I need a design phase before building my MVP?
Most of the time, yes—and here’s why. Jumping straight into building without a clear design can lead to costly mistakes. Without a well-thought-out design, it’s easy to run into issues like unclear user flows, functionality gaps, or features that don’t resonate with your audience. These problems are much easier (and cheaper) to solve on paper than in code. The design phase isn’t just about making your product look good; it’s about creating a blueprint that guides development and ensures everyone—from you to your users to the engineers—knows exactly what’s being built and why. We’ll collaborate with you to refine your vision and create an intuitive, user-friendly interface that’s ready for development. It’s a one-off investment that will save you time, money, and stress down the line.
I created my own wireframes and designs. I’d like them to be refined and properly designed. What are the next steps, and how much would it cost?
That’s a great starting point! Here’s how we can help:
Initial Review: Share your wireframes with us (we’re happy to sign an NDA if needed), and we’ll review them to understand your vision and key objectives.
Estimation: Our designer will assess the scope of work and provide an estimate based on the number of screens and their complexity.
Flexible Costing: We typically work on a cost-per-screen basis, allowing us to adapt the scope to your budget while ensuring a professional outcome. This process ensures your designs are refined, visually engaging, and ready to move into the next stage of development.
Initial Review: Share your wireframes with us (we’re happy to sign an NDA if needed), and we’ll review them to understand your vision and key objectives.
Estimation: Our designer will assess the scope of work and provide an estimate based on the number of screens and their complexity.
Flexible Costing: We typically work on a cost-per-screen basis, allowing us to adapt the scope to your budget while ensuring a professional outcome. This process ensures your designs are refined, visually engaging, and ready to move into the next stage of development.
We have got wireframes and designs. Where do we go from here?
If you already have wireframes and designs, you’re off to a great start. The next step is to ensure they’re ready for development. Here’s what we’ll do:
Review and validate your designs: We’ll go through your wireframes to confirm they’re technically feasible and aligned with your goals.
Refine and optimise: If necessary, we’ll make suggestions to improve usability, functionality, or scalability.
Create a development roadmap: Based on your designs, we’ll define the technical requirements, estimate timelines, and assemble the right team to bring your vision to life. This process ensures that your designs are more than just static visuals—they become actionable blueprints for a successful build.
Review and validate your designs: We’ll go through your wireframes to confirm they’re technically feasible and aligned with your goals.
Refine and optimise: If necessary, we’ll make suggestions to improve usability, functionality, or scalability.
Create a development roadmap: Based on your designs, we’ll define the technical requirements, estimate timelines, and assemble the right team to bring your vision to life. This process ensures that your designs are more than just static visuals—they become actionable blueprints for a successful build.
Project Process
How long would it take to build my MVP?
It really depends on the scope of your requirements and the business. We have done anything from a few days to a few months. We are aware of many others promising fixed, shorter timeframes, but we prioritize doing things right over rushing the process and risking costly mistakes later.
Here’s how we make it happen: First, we ensure that your scope is clear and focused. Building an MVP means prioritizing the most critical features that demonstrate your product’s value while leaving room for iteration later. Our team is built for speed without compromising quality. We use agile processes to deliver working versions of your product in cycles, so you can see progress and provide feedback throughout the build.
It’s important to note that timelines depend on the complexity of your project. During our discovery phase, we’ll refine your requirements to ensure the timeline is realistic and aligned with your goals. If adjustments are needed, we’ll be transparent and work with you to find the best solution.
We have successfully delivered MVPs in short timeframes when we’re confident the quality of our work won’t be compromised. Book a call with us to discuss your unique project and find out how quickly we can help you achieve your goals.
Here’s how we make it happen: First, we ensure that your scope is clear and focused. Building an MVP means prioritizing the most critical features that demonstrate your product’s value while leaving room for iteration later. Our team is built for speed without compromising quality. We use agile processes to deliver working versions of your product in cycles, so you can see progress and provide feedback throughout the build.
It’s important to note that timelines depend on the complexity of your project. During our discovery phase, we’ll refine your requirements to ensure the timeline is realistic and aligned with your goals. If adjustments are needed, we’ll be transparent and work with you to find the best solution.
We have successfully delivered MVPs in short timeframes when we’re confident the quality of our work won’t be compromised. Book a call with us to discuss your unique project and find out how quickly we can help you achieve your goals.
What happens after I sign up?
We don’t just dive in and start building. That’s a fast way to burn time and money. First, we’ll go through a discovery process together (1–2 weeks). During this time, we’ll refine your vision, figure out exactly what’s needed, and create a clear roadmap. It’s about setting the foundation, so every decision we make is grounded in understanding—not guesswork.
What happens during the design phase?
The design phase is where your idea takes shape. We’ll create an intuitive, user-friendly design that not only looks good but functions well. This isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about creating something you can confidently present to users, investors, or stakeholders.
What if my product needs to change after we start building?
Change is inevitable. The question is how you handle it. Our approach is iterative, which means we build in cycles, gathering feedback and making adjustments as we go. This minimises risk, keeps costs in check, and ensures the final product is aligned with your evolving vision. We know startups move fast, and we’re built to move with you.
Can you help us transition to an in-house team when we’re ready?
Absolutely. We understand that many founders aim to build an in-house team once they gain traction, and we’re here to ensure that transition is smooth and successful. Here’s how we can help:
Interim Expertise: We can bring in fractional CTOs as an interim solution to provide technical leadership and strategic guidance until your in-house team is fully established.
Resource Augmentation: While you build your team, we can continue to provide skilled specialists to fill gaps, ensuring momentum and continuity in your product development.
Recruitment Support: We’ll assist you in running the recruitment process for your first hires, leveraging our expertise to find and onboard the right talent for your vision.
Knowledge Transfer: We’ll work closely with your new team, providing training and documentation to ensure they’re equipped to take full ownership of the product.
Gradual Offboarding: To minimize disruption, we’ll step back incrementally, ensuring a seamless handover as your in-house team takes charge.
Our goal is to set you up for long-term success, ensuring your product thrives under your own team’s leadership while maintaining the quality and vision we’ve helped you establish. Book a call to discuss how we can tailor this transition to your needs.
Interim Expertise: We can bring in fractional CTOs as an interim solution to provide technical leadership and strategic guidance until your in-house team is fully established.
Resource Augmentation: While you build your team, we can continue to provide skilled specialists to fill gaps, ensuring momentum and continuity in your product development.
Recruitment Support: We’ll assist you in running the recruitment process for your first hires, leveraging our expertise to find and onboard the right talent for your vision.
Knowledge Transfer: We’ll work closely with your new team, providing training and documentation to ensure they’re equipped to take full ownership of the product.
Gradual Offboarding: To minimize disruption, we’ll step back incrementally, ensuring a seamless handover as your in-house team takes charge.
Our goal is to set you up for long-term success, ensuring your product thrives under your own team’s leadership while maintaining the quality and vision we’ve helped you establish. Book a call to discuss how we can tailor this transition to your needs.