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App Kickstart
Pitch a software idea that could change how your business runs. We pick one owner, then you work directly with us and our senior development team for two focused days to build the software you need. It's free, and when we ship, you own it.
How it works
No workshop. No mockup prize. You apply, we pick one business owner, and we build real software you own.
Share who you are and answer one question on camera, right in the page. A few minutes. No recording homework.
We review every application, talk with strong fits, and choose one business owner for this round.
Two focused days with us and our senior development team. Real software you need. Free, and yours when we ship.
How we choose
There is no scorecard contest. We pick the business and idea we can build with well in two days, and that we're proud to show in public.
You're running an established company, and the idea could change how that business runs or competes, not a hobby side project.
We build with people we enjoy working with. Your short video and our conversation matter as much as the idea itself.
There's a clear piece we can ship in about sixteen hours that teaches something real about the product.
If you win, we film the build and tell it publicly: who you are, what we built, how it went. No NDAs for this free round.
Two-day scope
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.
Proof
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.
“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
Details
The short version lives above. This is the clearer version: process, selection, what two days really mean, and the deal if you win.
While applications are open, you submit a short form and record one video answer right in the page. 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. The full public story (who you are, what we built, how it went) comes after the build as The 16-Hour Build.
We look for an established business, a personality fit we want to build with, a slice of the idea two days can actually move, and comfort being filmed as the story. 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.
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.
One honest video beats a polished pitch deck. Do not over-produce it. Phone selfie is fine.
About sixteen hours of focused senior engineering on the highest-leverage slice of your idea. Real working software you can use and learn from, including a real database when storing data is part of the idea.
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.
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.
The free round is a trade. We film the build and tell the story in public (The 16-Hour Build and related marketing): who you are, what we built, and how it went. Likeness and filming are part of that deal. There is no NDA or “keep us secret” path if you win.
If you need confidentiality, say so on the call. We can still talk about paid work. People who don’t win aren’t discarded either. Strong fits get personal outreach about a mapped build or continuing engagement.
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.
Short apply. One video answer. One free build for the business we pick.
