Applications for this Round are closed.

Get custom software for freeand scale your business.

Pitch a tool that could change how your business runs. We pick one owner, then you work directly with us and our senior team for two focused days. We start by taking that job off your plate. Working software you can use. Not a mockup.

  • Free, and you own what we ship
  • Two focused days
  • Directly with our senior team

That's $3,200 of team time. You pay $0. See the breakdown

Pitch your software idea. Spend two days building it with our senior team. 100% free. Apply now.

Three steps. One free build.

No workshop. No mockup prize. You apply, we pick one business owner, and we build real software you own.

  1. 01

    Apply

    Tell us who you are and the software idea. Applying takes less than five minutes.

  2. 02

    We pick one

    We review every application, talk with strong fits, and choose one business owner for this round.

  3. 03

    We build

    Two focused days with us and our senior development team. Real software you need. Free, and yours when we ship.

What we're looking for

There is no scorecard contest. We pick the business and idea we can build with well in two days.

  1. A real business

    You're running an established company, and the idea could change how that business runs or competes, not a hobby side project.

  2. A good working fit

    We build with people we enjoy working with. Your application and our conversation matter as much as the idea itself.

  3. Something two days can move

    There's a clear piece we can ship in about sixteen hours that teaches something real about the product.

What two days can (and cannot) mean

We build real software you need and own, not a throwaway demo. Two days are for the piece that matters most. Everything else can wait until you're ready to keep going.

In these two days

Useful, working software.

  • Features people can actually use

    Screens and flows you can click through for real, not a slide deck of what might exist later.

  • Real data when the idea needs it

    If your product has to store information, we build with a real database you can keep and access, not fake demo data.

  • The piece that teaches the most

    We focus on the highest-leverage slice so you learn whether this software works for the business.

Usually waits

On purpose, not because we can't.

  • The entire product in a weekend

    Two days will not ship every screen, integration, and edge case. We cut so the important part gets finished.

  • Login and account plumbing first

    Sign-in systems often wait. They burn time without teaching what we need to learn about your product.

  • Pretty pictures instead of software

    You get working software, not a design costume. What we skip now is follow-on work you can add as you grow.

We won't charge you.

We put two developers, a designer, and a project manager on one idea for two focused days. Paying clients would be billed $3,200 for that time.

The reason is simple. Applications are how we meet owners we might want to keep building with. You get the two days. We get a real working relationship with a business we'd be proud of.

The software is yours when we ship. If you want to keep going after that, we can talk. There is no obligation.

Your order

Price

  • Two developers

    $2,000

  • Designer

    $700

  • Project manager

    $500

Subtotal

$3,200

Free App Kickstart offer

−$3,200

Total

$0

Built by people who ship custom software

We're a custom software company. We build apps, tools, and systems for established service businesses: the same senior team our paying clients work with.

  • 2017

    Founded

    Building custom software for business owners since day one.

  • 1,000+

    Companies worked alongside

    Operators and owners we've mentored, coached, or built with.

  • ~16 hrs

    Focused Kickstart Build

    Two days of senior engineering on the slice that teaches the most.

John Rake, principal at GorillaBot Labs
I lead GorillaBot Labs. I've been developing software for 15+ years: launching projects for clients, shipping products end to end, and mentoring thousands of companies. SaaS, GovTech, AI, and the messy middle of real businesses. If you win App Kickstart, you work with me and our senior engineering team the same way our paying clients do: clear scope, real code, honest feedback.

John Rake, Principal, GorillaBot Labs

Questions worth answering before you apply

The short version lives above. This is the clearer version: process, selection, what two days really mean, and what happens if you win.

How does the process work?

While applications are open, you apply and tell us your software idea. Applying takes less than five minutes. We review every application. Strong fits get a conversation with us so we can feel the idea and the working relationship.

Then we pick one winner for this round, scope what two days can ship, and build. After we choose, we post that a winner was selected.

How do you choose a winner?

We look for an established business, a personality fit we want to build with, and a slice of the idea two days can actually move. There is no public scorecard and no points rubric.

We talk with strong fits before we decide. Selection is usually clear by the time the window closes. A few leftover conversations may finish just after.

How do I improve my chances?

Be concrete about the problem and why it matters to the business. Show up as someone we would enjoy building with. Pick an idea where a focused slice can teach something real in about sixteen hours.

What does “two days” actually mean?

About sixteen hours of focused work with our senior team: two developers, a designer, and a project manager. Real working software you can use and learn from, including a real database when storing data is part of the idea.

That time is $3,200 if you were a paying client. The winner pays $0.

It is not a finished company, and it is not a throwaway mockup. Work that burns time without teaching product truth (login and account plumbing often lands here) usually waits for later paid work. We cut on purpose so the important part gets finished.

What does the build look like?

You are treated like a paying client. We kick off, lock scope for the two days, build with you in the loop, review working software on day two, and ship.

The software is yours when we deliver. If you want to keep going after the free build, we talk about what comes next. There is no obligation to continue, and no pressure baked into the free round.

What’s in it for GorillaBot Labs?

We get to build something real with a business we'd be proud to work with, and the applications are how we meet owners who might become clients.

The software is yours if you win. People who don’t win aren’t discarded. Strong fits get personal outreach about a mapped build or continuing engagement.

What if applications are closed?

Leave your email and phone so we can reach you. When the next round opens, we’ll tell you so you can apply with a fresh idea.

We don’t roll old applications forward. Ideas go stale between rounds. A new application captures what you care about now.

Applications are closed for this Round

Leave your email and phone. We will tell you when the next Application Window opens so you can Apply with a fresh Software Idea.