Saffron Works Apps for startups
Your first version,built properly.
You have an idea and need a real product in front of real users, without hiring a team or burning your runway. Saffron Works designs and builds MVPs for founders, with an experienced product manager helping you decide what to build first.
Sound familiar?
You can’t code, and hiring is a big bet.
A technical co-founder or an in-house team is a huge commitment before you even know the idea works.
Agency quotes don’t fit your budget.
Traditional agencies price for long projects and big teams, when what you need is something to test, quickly.
You’re not sure what to build first.
The feature list keeps growing. You need someone to help you cut it down to what actually proves the idea.
What you get.
Not just code. A first version shaped by product thinking, built so it can grow if it works.
- 01
Product thinking
Help deciding what goes in the first version and what waits, so you spend on what tests the idea.
- 02
A clickable prototype
Something to put in front of users, co-founders or investors before the build starts.
- 03
A real, working app
Web, iPhone or Android, designed and engineered to a standard you can build a business on.
- 04
Weekly progress
Something new to try every week, so you can change direction early and cheaply.
- 05
Ready for what’s next
Clean, documented work that a future in-house team can pick up and carry on.
Do it yourself, or bring us in?
No-code tools are great for some ideas, and we’ll say so. Here’s when working with a studio makes more sense.
Try no-code first if…
- You want to test demand with a landing page or simple form
- Your idea fits neatly into an existing template
- You have more time than budget right now
Work with us if…
- You need a native iPhone or Android app
- Your idea doesn’t fit a template, or has outgrown one
- You want product advice as well as a build
- You need something investors and users will take seriously
Product people, not just developers
We’ve been on your side of the table.
Saffron Works is run by Nick Cross, who has spent more than six years as a product manager, shaping software used by major European banks and security tools for fast-growing tech companies. Deciding what to build, and what not to, is the day job.
We’ve also taken our own apps, erm, Sapling and Felt, from idea to the App Store. We know what a first version needs, and what it doesn’t.
See our apps →How it works.
Shape
We work through your idea, your users and your budget, and agree what the first version needs to prove.
Prototype
A clickable prototype you can test with real people before committing to the build.
Build
AI-assisted engineering in short cycles, with something to try every week and every line reviewed.
Launch & learn
Live on the web or app stores, then improved with what real usage tells you.
Questions.
What is an MVP?
A minimum viable product: the smallest version of your app that real people can use and that tells you whether the idea works. It’s not a rough demo. It should be good enough that users take it seriously.
I don’t have a technical background. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Plenty of founders don’t. We’ll explain decisions in plain English and you’ll see real progress every week.
How do you keep costs down?
By building less, and building faster. We help you cut the first version to what matters, and we use AI throughout our process to speed up routine work, with an experienced engineer reviewing everything.
Can you sign an NDA?
Yes. Happy to sign a reasonable NDA before you share the details of your idea.
What happens if the MVP works?
Then we keep going with you: adding features, improving it from real usage, or helping hand it over to your own team when you hire one.
Got a startup idea?
Let’s talk it through.
Based in Saffron Walden. Happy to meet in person around Saffron Walden, Cambridge, Essex and Hertfordshire, or by video anywhere in the UK.