Custom software development
We help founders turn ideas into products and businesses build and improve the software they rely on. Product thinking, design and engineering, from the first decisions through launch and ongoing development.
Typical starting team: around US$15,000/month. Scope and team allocation determine the total budget. See the team & pricing
The people we work with have come from
Who We Work With
01
You want to serve customers better, make the work easier for your team or build a new capability. We help decide where custom software makes sense and how it should work with the systems you already use.
02
You have seen a problem firsthand and want to build a company around solving it. You may be leaving an industry role or starting without a technical cofounder. We help define the product, design it and build a first version for real users.
You bring knowledge of the problem and the people it affects. We bring product and engineering judgment. We also work with technical leaders who need a team to move an existing product forward.
We build web and mobile applications, SaaS products, internal tools and integrations, including AI features where they serve a clear purpose.
How We Work
01
We work through who the software is for, what they need to do and what a useful result would mean. For an existing business, we also look at how the work happens today.
02
We agree the first scope, design the experience and build the software. We check the assumptions and dependencies that could change the plan, and review working software with you.
03
We learn from real use, address what gets in the way and decide what to build next. The software needs to remain understandable and maintainable as it changes.
We work as a pod: a product manager covering design works through priorities and usable workflows with you, and two engineers build, integrate, test, and review the software. We manage the day-to-day delivery; you remain involved in business decisions and priorities.
The first conversation is about what you want to build or improve, who it is for and where you are starting. We discuss whether we can help and what we need to understand next.
“They have always been receptive to feedback, which is the most important thing for us.”
David Hanson
CIO · Apex Dental Partners
Reporting and business operations across a dental group
Read the case study
“The quality of work they deliver is very impressive and a step above their peers.”
Jonathan Hsu
CTO · Valon
Embedded engineering on a mortgage servicing platform
“Good pool of talent. Easy to work with. Their culture is in alignment with ours.”
Siddhartha Gupta
CEO · Nesh
An AI platform over oil and gas data
Read the case study
“The items were delivered on top, and any issues that arose were quickly addressed.”
Tommy Kranwinkle
Co-Founder · Kizuna
A platform helping caregivers build community visibility
Read the case studyIndustry Experience
We have deeper experience in healthcare, finance and energy, with work across commerce, agriculture, facilities and other industries.
Founder-Led
We work closely with a small number of clients, often over several years. That gives us time to learn the business and continue building as its needs change.
We hold ourselves to 5–7 engagements at a time.
Former Microsoft and Google Engineer. IIT alumnus. 9+ years of building products.
Helped build platforms contributing to $100M+ cumulative revenue. Leading a 40+ team of engineers and product builders.
Selected Work
Across healthcare, energy, finance, commerce, facilities, agriculture and other fields.
Embedded engineering on a mortgage servicing platform
Fintech
A sales platform for a solar installation business
Clean Energy
Dental network operations platform
Healthcare
Agency operating experience turned into software
E-commerce
Autonomous data processing platform
AI/ML
Debt management, Techstars-backed
Fintech
Explore and share research papers
EdTech
Trading firm in Hong Kong
Finance
Netherlands-based trading firm
Finance
AI knowledge graph for enterprises
AI/ML
Ranch management for US ranchers
AgriTech
Social recommendation platform
Social
Diversity & inclusion for enterprises
Enterprise
MVP for US-based catering chain
F&B
Facility management software
PropTech
Community visibility for caregivers
Healthcare
Social betting for sports events
Gaming
Uber for ambulance, funded by Uber
Logistics
Home mortgaging platform
Fintech
Credits for healthy spending
FintechOur Standards
We use clear code structure, automated checks and review to make changes easier to understand, test and maintain.
Commit
every change tracked
Review
every line, second look
Automated tests
verified before live
Ship
release reviewed changes
Responsibilities and boundaries
Assumptions checked before it runs
Readable and handed over
Regressions caught before release
Reviewed across screen sizes
Defects addressed early
Consistent setup and tasks
A second engineer, before merge
Our Own Work
The same practices go into what we build for ourselves, from an open-source starter to products of our own.
Our open-source starter for Flask and React applications.
A self-hosted AI SRE that investigates production issues, gathers evidence and drafts proposed fixes for human review. Nothing merges without human approval.
Your team & investment
We work as a pod: one product manager and two engineers, working directly with your business team—from understanding the problem to releasing and improving the software.
Our typical starting pod
Around $15,000/month
USD. This is a typical monthly budget, not a fixed price for the entire build. Final pricing depends on team allocation and scope.
Discuss your build and budget01
Works with your business team to decide what is worth building, and carries the user journeys, interface design, and delivery planning.
02
Build the software, connect the systems it depends on, test changes, and review each other’s work.
03
Jai works with the pod during the first few months to guide architecture and key technical decisions, included at no additional charge. This is oversight, not a fourth full-time member or unlimited access.
You remain involved in business decisions and priorities. We manage the day-to-day delivery.
We start with this pod and expand when the scope requires it. Team allocation, monthly budget, and responsibilities are agreed before kickoff.
Before work begins, you receive a scoped plan with an estimated timeline and budget for the first useful release.
For context, hiring a comparable team in the United States costs about $31,000/month in salaries alone, before recruiting, benefits, employer taxes, equipment, and ongoing people management (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 median wages: software developers and project management specialists).
The AI Question
AI can help you explore an idea, build a prototype, and accelerate development. We use it too. The investment covers the people who decide what to build, understand how it fits your business, and take responsibility for reviewing, testing, and delivering it.
01
What should the software do, for whom, and what can wait?
02
How should data, permissions, integrations, and failure handling work together?
03
Who checks the changes, releases them, and follows through when real use reveals something new?
AI helps us move faster through implementation. We use that capacity to advance the agreed priorities and validate the result. Progress is measured through working software and reviewed milestones.
Already built something with AI? Bring it. We assess what works, what needs strengthening, and what can be carried forward.
Notes
A platform helping caregivers build community visibility and connect with people seeking support.
Read case study
A secure, compliant, and modular financial foundation strengthened through senior engineering augmentation, built to handle high-volume transactions, strict regulatory controls, and rapid feature delivery without compromising stability.
Read case study
A custom web application for reporting, payroll, time management and business operations across a dental group that has grown past 45 practices.
Read case study
Engineering work on an oil and gas information platform, including data pipelines, document processing and search.
Read case studyLatest Blog
Frequently Asked Questions
Can't find what you're looking for? Book a call and we'll answer directly.
Get Started
A new product, an improvement to existing software or a better way to run part of your business. Tell us what you have in mind and where you are starting.
Talk about your projectWith Jai, Better's founder.
Join Us
We're always looking for builders who ship with care and want to help owners and founders turn what they know into working software.
