Turning early app concepts into something people could use, show and fund

Early-stage founders often have a clear picture of what they want a product to feel like long before the product is defined well enough to build.

That was the position Hollabox was in when its founders came to SKYLAB. They had an idea for a location-based discovery app and visual concepts created in Photoshop. What they needed next was a bridge between the concept and a deliverable product.

Marc Thornton worked directly with the founders to shape the product, convert the visual ideas into practical user journeys and define a roadmap the development team could implement. The first version brought together mobile and web interfaces with mapping and location functionality, notifications, social features and administration tools.

Marc coordinated the specialist delivery while continuing to work with the founders on product decisions and priorities.

The other half of the job was commercial. A prototype only becomes useful to an early-stage venture if it helps the founders explain what they are building, why it matters and what the next investment will achieve. Marc therefore also helped strengthen the investment proposition and supporting materials.

By late 2016, Hollabox had secured its first £100,000 of investment to fund version two. That next version launched in 2017, and the company subsequently attracted investment from Just Eat.

We do not present those later investments as something one supplier can claim to have caused. What the project demonstrates is the milestone that good product work can create: moving from an idea and static screens to something demonstrable, usable and credible enough for the founders to take into their next commercial conversations.