Software development for startups:
designed and built by the same senior team

If you need engineers inside your own team under your own technical lead, that is a dedicated team or staff augmentation — a different product, sold by different vendors. Our comparison of staff augmentation, dev shops and product studios says where each fits.

How does that compare with other ways a startup can buy software development?

2026 ranges for a comparable first version, by who builds it, rounded to bands. The large vendors on page one for this query publish wider numbers still: ScienceSoft puts MVP development at $40,000–$300,000 over 2–6 months, and Belitsoft gives 2–6 months to launch and no price at all.

What moves the number and what is not included are on the pricing page. Where the money goes inside a build — scoping 5–10%, design 20–25%, engineering 50–60%, QA and handover 10–15% — and what it costs to run after launch is in software development cost, broken down and web app development cost by product type.

1. 01 · Day 0

   Scoping call

   30 minutes. You bring the problem, the constraint, and whatever exists — a deck, a Figma file, a spreadsheet, a no-code prototype, or a live product and its repository.

2. 02 · Within 5 working days

   Written scope + fixed price

   Modules, screens, states, integrations, weeks, and one number. Nothing starts until you have this in writing.

3. 03 · Week 1 →

   Design, one to two weeks ahead of code

   Flows, screens, every state, and a design system engineering builds against. Designed by the people who will build it, so there is nothing to hand off.

4. 04 · Week 2 →

   Build with weekly demos

   A signed-in, deployed build every week from week two. TypeScript end to end, in your GitHub organization from the first commit.

5. 05 · Week 6 – 12

   Ship, run, hand over

   Production deploy, monitoring, documentation, and the accounts. You own the repository, the design files, and the infrastructure.

The week-by-week version of a Standard build, with what design and engineering are each doing, is in the MVP development process.

Vendors recommend the model they sell — including us. The longer treatment, with the failure modes and their contract fixes, is in outsourcing software development for startups; the like-for-like read across ten vendors is our comparison of MVP development companies.

All work →

• The repository, in your GitHub organization, with the full commit history
• The production deployment and monitoring, in your accounts, with the bill in your name
• The design files and the coded design system (tokens, components) used to build it
• Documentation: how it is deployed, how it is run, what every module does
• Every third-party account (payments, email, analytics) created under your ownership

A next version is bought exactly like a first one: the change list becomes a written scope with its cost and weeks before any work starts, so the number only moves when you decide it should.

How much does software development for startups cost with Kinetico?

A first version is $15,000–$50,000, fixed after one scoping call: Lean (1 role, one core workflow) $15k–$22k over 6 weeks; Standard (2 roles, admin, payments or 2 integrations) $22k–$35k over 8 weeks; Full (3 roles, billing, notifications, reporting) $35k–$50k over 10–12 weeks. Later versions and builds from an approved design are quoted the same way — a written scope and one number, not an hourly rate.

How long does it take to build a startup's first product?

6–12 weeks from kickoff to a product your users can sign into: 6 for Lean, 8 for Standard, 10–12 for Full. Design runs one to two weeks ahead of engineering inside the same team, and you see a deployed, signed-in build every week from week two.

Do you build from designs we already have?

Yes. Kinetico takes a product from an idea or from an approved design. If you bring a Figma file, we engineer from it, design the states it is missing (empty, error, edge, loading) and put the design system into the repository so the product cannot drift from the design. It is scoped like any other build: a written scope and a fixed price within 5 working days.

Do you continue development after the first version ships?

Yes, as scoped versions rather than a retainer. Each next version — new roles, integrations, billing changes, whatever usage taught you — is written up with its cost and weeks before any work starts. No retainer is required to keep the product running in between, and because the stack is standard, you can also hire your own engineers into the repository at any point.

Do you offer dedicated developers or staff augmentation?

No. Kinetico sells outcomes — a designed, built, deployed and handed-over version at a fixed price — not engineers by the month. Staff augmentation works when you have a technical lead to direct it; if you do, a dedicated-team vendor is the right shape, and our comparison of staff augmentation, dev shops and product studios explains where each fits.

Who owns the code, the design and the infrastructure?

You do. Kinetico works in your GitHub organization from the first commit; the production deployment, monitoring, third-party accounts, design files and documentation are in your name at handover, with no licence or lock-in.

Do you work with startups in the US and Europe from Nepal?

Yes. Kinetico is in Pokhara, Nepal (UTC+5:45) and works with founders in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Scoping, weekly demos and reviews are scheduled inside your working hours; the build runs asynchronously in between, and you talk to the people doing the work.

What do you need from us to start?

The problem you are solving, the constraint (budget and date), and whatever exists — a deck, a Figma file, a spreadsheet, a no-code prototype, or a live product and its repository. One 30-minute scoping call produces a written scope and a fixed price; you decide from there.

Prefer email? hello@kinetico.agency