Software development for startups, from prototype to Series A
Aideveloper designs and builds MVPs, AI-native products and investor-ready platforms for Australian founders. You get a senior product team in Fortitude Valley, plain advice on scope and funding, and full ownership of your code.
Book a founder discovery callSee how we workWho we work with
We work best with founders who have a real problem and real users in mind, and who need a technical partner who will say "not yet" when a feature can wait.
Pre-seed and non-technical founders
You have the domain knowledge and early customer conversations, but no technical co-founder. We turn the idea into a prototype you can put in front of users and investors.
Seed-stage teams
You have funding and a deadline. We build the MVP, launch it and set up the analytics so you can show traction, not just features.
Series A and accelerator cohorts
You need to harden a product built in a hurry, pass technical due diligence or grow an in-house team. We review, refactor and hand over cleanly.
How we work with startups
Each stage ends with something you own and can use, so you can pause, raise or switch providers between stages.
Discovery (1 to 2 weeks)
We map the riskiest assumptions, the users, the one job the MVP must do well and what can be left out. You get a written scope, a technical approach and a build estimate.Clickable prototype
A designed, clickable prototype you can test with customers and show investors before any production code is written. Cheap to change, and often the best fundraising asset at pre-seed.MVP sprint
Short, fixed-length sprints with a working build at the end of each one. You see progress weekly in a staging environment, not in a status report.Launch
App store and web release, monitoring, error tracking, analytics and backups. We set up hosting in your accounts, in Australian regions where data residency matters.Scale-up
Performance, security hardening, integrations and new features driven by usage data. When you're ready to hire, we help recruit and onboard your own engineers.
Fractional CTO
A few days a month of senior technical leadership: architecture decisions, vendor and hiring advice, board and investor questions, and reviewing work from other developers.
Technical co-founder style engagement
For founders who want a long-term technical partner rather than a supplier. We discuss each one case by case, including how the commercial arrangement is structured.
AI-native MVPs
Many startups now pitch an AI product. The hard part is making it reliable, affordable to run and safe with customer data. We have built these patterns in production.
AI agents
Agents that take actions in other systems, such as triaging enquiries, drafting quotes or updating records, with approval steps where a person should decide. More on AI agents.
RAG and cited answers
Retrieval-augmented generation over your documents, with answers that cite their sources and say "I don't know" instead of guessing.
Computer vision
Image and video models for inspection, reading equipment screens and recognising objects, tested on your own data before you commit to building.
We also tell you when a feature doesn't need AI. A rules engine or a good form is often faster, cheaper and easier to explain to investors.
You own the IP and the code
- Intellectual property in the work you pay for is assigned to your company in our agreement, which investors will check.
- Code lives in a repository your company owns from day one, with us added as collaborators.
- Cloud, app store, domain and third-party accounts are opened in your company's name.
- Documentation and a handover session come as standard, so another team can take over.
- Any open-source or pre-existing components we use are listed, with their licences.
Fixed scope or time and materials
Both work. The right choice depends on how certain the scope is.
| Fixed scope | Time and materials | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Discovery, prototypes and a tightly defined MVP | Post-launch iteration and products still finding their fit |
| You get | An agreed price for an agreed list of features | A capped monthly budget and freedom to reprioritise every sprint |
| Trade-off | Changes go through a change request | Less certainty on the final total |
We quote after discovery, once the scope is clear. Ask us for an estimate on the contact page.
Funding-aware advice
How you plan and document the build can affect what government support you can claim. We keep records that support those claims and work alongside your accountant or R&D adviser.
R&D Tax Incentive
Eligible companies can claim a tax offset for eligible R&D activities, and must register those activities each income year. Routine software development is generally excluded, so contemporaneous records of experiments and technical uncertainty matter. See business.gov.au and the ATO.
Industry Growth Program
Advice and grants for innovative SMEs in National Reconstruction Fund priority areas. At October 2026 it is paused to new applications, according to business.gov.au. Check there for its current status.
Queensland support
Queensland startup programs and grant rounds open and close through the year. We'll point you to current rounds at Advance Queensland and plan the build around their timing.
This is general information, not tax or financial advice. Get advice from a registered tax agent or R&D adviser about your situation.
Investor-ready technical due diligence
Before a raise or an acquisition, investors often ask someone to look under the bonnet. We can do the review for you first, or answer investors' questions on your behalf.
- Architecture, scalability and hosting costs at 10 times today's usage
- Security, access control and how customer data is handled under the Privacy Act
- Code quality, test coverage, dependency and licence risks
- Who owns the IP, accounts and repositories
- For AI products: model choices, evaluation, cost per request and vendor lock-in
- A prioritised list of fixes, in plain English for the board
Products we've built and launched
We build our own products as well as clients', so we've made the same trade-offs founders face.
Machine Pilot
Our own industrial AI product. It brings PLC exports, manuals, SOPs and drawings together so operators can ask plain-language questions and get cited answers. machinepilot.app
RideScore Active Schools
A beacon-based active school travel app pilot that rewards kids for riding and scooting to school, built end to end by Smarterapps Ai. See projects
Rideshare platform
A rider app, a driver app and an operations console for a rideshare startup, built so a lean team can run it. The client isn't named, by agreement. Read the case study
Puntsave
An Australian fintech product designed and built end to end, where losing stakes go into the user's own locked savings, with responsible-gambling tools from day one. See projects
Who you'll work with
Aideveloper is led by Craig Aitken, who has led digital product businesses in Queensland since 2003. Our team did its first machine learning work in 2017. Craig mentors early-stage founders through Bond University's Transformer program, and we're based in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, so you can meet us in person.
Startup development FAQ
How long does it take to build an MVP?
It depends on scope. Discovery usually takes 1 to 2 weeks and a clickable prototype follows soon after. We give you a timeline for the MVP once discovery has set the scope, and we'll suggest cutting features to hit a launch date before we suggest pushing the date back.
Do I own the code and IP?
Yes. IP in the work you pay for is assigned to your company, and the repository and cloud accounts sit in your company's name from day one.
Can you be our technical co-founder?
We offer fractional CTO and technical co-founder style engagements for founders who want a long-term technical partner. We discuss the structure case by case after discovery.
Can my startup claim the R&D Tax Incentive on development costs?
Some software R&D can qualify, but routine development generally doesn't. Check business.gov.au and the ATO, and get advice from a registered tax agent. We keep records that help your adviser assess a claim. This isn't tax advice.
Do you build AI startups?
Yes. We build AI agents, RAG systems with cited answers and computer vision. We also tell you when AI isn't needed for a feature.
Fixed price or hourly?
Fixed scope suits discovery, prototypes and a tight MVP. Time and materials with a monthly cap suits iteration after launch. We quote after discovery.
Do you only work with Brisbane startups?
We're in Fortitude Valley and enjoy meeting Brisbane founders in person, but we work with startups across Australia.
Tell us what you're building
A 30-minute call to talk through your idea, your stage and the fastest way to get it in front of users.
Book a founder discovery call