Keen as Mustard
- Scope
- Flutter dating app, React landing page, React + Node.js admin panel and Node.js backend
- Delivery
- 100+ screens, delivered on time in 6 months; the client paused the store launch for personal reasons
Solutions
MVP development for startups
WakeUp Monster helps founders turn an app idea into a first product they can test with real users: user stories, Figma design, a Flutter app for iOS and Android, a backend, an admin panel and a landing page to collect early signups. You work directly with our founder, receive a proposal within 3-5 days of the first call, and typical delivery runs 3-6 months.
Discuss Your ProjectBy the WakeUp Monster team · Updated
- First step
- Free discovery call with Rajat Khoware, Founder
- Proposal
- Scope, timeline, milestones and user stories in 3-5 days
- Typical delivery
- 3-6 months, depending on scope
- Track record
- No project delivered late
- Clients so far
- Sydney and Melbourne, Australia; we also take on projects from founders in India, the UAE and the UK
What should an MVP include?
An MVP should include the smallest set of features that lets real users do the one thing your product promises, plus the tools you need to run it and learn from it. For most app startups that means an app, a backend, an admin panel and a way to collect early users.
- A user story document that defines what each type of user can do
- Figma designs for every screen, signed off before code
- A Flutter app that runs on iOS and Android
- A backend and APIs (Node.js or Laravel, with Firebase and AWS)
- An admin panel so your team can manage users and content
- A landing page to explain the product and collect signups
- Test builds through TestFlight and Google Play Internal Testing
- Store submission, handover documentation and post-launch support
| Component | Why it matters for an MVP | Example from our work |
|---|---|---|
| Landing page | Tests demand and builds a waiting list before the app is in the stores | Keen as Mustard, a Sydney dating app: its React landing page collected 500+ pre-launch signups |
| Admin panel | Lets a small founding team run the product without a developer on call | In Lalah, admins use the admin panel to review each community restaurant submission before it is published |
| Test builds | Puts the real app in people's hands early, so problems surface before launch | 546 internal testers used Keen as Mustard through TestFlight and Play Internal Testing |
| Backend and APIs | Holds users, content and subscription logic so the app can grow past version one | Keen as Mustard's Node.js backend has 50+ API endpoints, with RevenueCat subscriptions |
| Infrastructure setup | Founders without a technical setup need a domain, email and hosting as well as code | For Lalah we bought the domain, set up Google Workspace and built the AWS infrastructure |
Not every MVP needs every row. A product testing a single idea may start with a landing page and a lean app, while a marketplace or community product usually needs an admin panel from day one. We decide this with you during scoping, in writing, before design starts.
How do we scope an MVP?
We scope an MVP through a free discovery call with the founder, then a written proposal with user stories within 3-5 days. The user stories define what goes into version one.
On the discovery call, Rajat Khoware, Founder, asks about the business objective, who the first users are and what they must be able to do. There is no sales team and no questionnaire form. If your idea is outside what we build, such as blockchain or Web3 products, games, enterprise ERP or training AI models, or if there is no clear business objective yet, we say so on the call.
Within 3-5 days you receive a proposal with the scope, timeline, milestones and a user story document. User stories describe what each type of user can do, for example "a diner can submit a restaurant" and "an admin can approve a submission". They give you, our designers and our developers one shared description of version one, and they make trade-offs visible: adding a feature means adding stories and revisiting the timeline together.
What are the steps from idea to launch?
Every WakeUp Monster MVP follows six steps: discovery call, proposal and user stories, Figma design, development sprints, testing and QA, then launch and support. You see the design before any code and real test builds during development.
- 01
Discovery call with the founder
A free call with Rajat Khoware, Founder, about your idea, users and business objective. If we are not the right fit, we say so.
- 02
Proposal and user stories in 3-5 days
Scope, timeline, milestones and a user story document that defines version one of your product.
- 03
Design in Figma
Our lead UI/UX designer designs every screen, and we iterate until you sign off. No code is written until the design is approved.
- 04
Development sprints
Milestone-based delivery with weekly progress updates. Test builds go out through TestFlight and Google Play Internal Testing so you use the app as it grows.
- 05
Testing and QA
Structured internal QA with edge cases fixed, then you test on your own device before launch.
- 06
Launch and beyond
App Store and Play Store submission, full handover documentation, post-launch support and bug fixes, and optional marketing campaigns.
Our app development process guide explains each step in more detail, including what founders need to prepare. Typical delivery is 3-6 months, depending on scope; your proposal sets out the timeline and milestones for your own product.
What happens if something changes mid-build?
Change is normal in a first product, and the process is built to absorb it. On Keen as Mustard, the product had to be renamed months into development, and we rebranded it fully without a change order or a paused sprint.
Keen as Mustard, a Sydney dating app, began as "Match at First Swipe". About four months into development, the founders learned that name could not be trademarked. We rebranded the product fully, with a new name, logo, palette and identity, without a change order or a paused sprint, and still delivered the app on time in 6 months.
Smaller changes happen on every project: a screen that tests badly, a feature that matters more than expected, a market detail that shifts. Because scope lives in user stories and progress is visible in weekly updates and test builds, changes are discussed early and their effect on the timeline is agreed openly rather than discovered at the end.
What does the founder handle, and what do we handle?
You own the business decisions and test the product; WakeUp Monster handles design, engineering, QA and launch. Quick answers from you help keep an MVP on schedule.
| Area | Founder | WakeUp Monster |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | The business objective and who the first users are | Turning that objective into user stories and a scoped proposal |
| Decisions | Approving scope, designs and trade-offs | Laying out options and their effect on the timeline |
| Communication | Replying to questions and reviews within 24-48 hours | Weekly progress updates and one point of contact, the founder |
| Design | Feedback and sign-off in Figma | Every screen, plus brand identity if needed |
| Build | Trying test builds on your own device | Flutter app, backend, admin panel and landing page |
| Quality | Final testing before launch | Structured internal QA and bug fixing |
| Launch | The go-live decision and final approval | Store submission, handover documentation and post-launch support |
You don't need a technical co-founder to work with us. You do need to make product decisions quickly and stay close to the build. Our guide on how to choose an app development agency covers the other questions worth asking any partner before you sign.
Which products have we built for founders?
We publish three detailed case studies with honest status: one delivered app, one development-complete app and one live website. Every client so far has come through referral or a personal connection, and no project has been delivered late.
Keen as Mustard is a Flutter dating app with 100+ screens, a Node.js backend with 50+ API endpoints, RevenueCat subscriptions, Firebase real-time features, a React landing page and a React + Node.js admin panel. A 6-person team delivered it on time in 6 months; the client paused the store launch for personal reasons. Our dating app development page covers this kind of product.
Lalah is a halal food discovery app with around 40 screens across four products. A 5-person team completed development in 4 months; it is development complete and ready for launch, on hold after the client's investor pulled out. Our food discovery app development page covers this kind of product.
DESA Consulting, our first client, is a 12-page WordPress and Elementor website for a multidisciplinary medical centre in Melbourne. It is live and takes patient bookings through HotDoc.
"We have truly enjoyed this project so much and learnt a great deal from you during this process. We cannot talk highly enough about you and have thoroughly enjoyed working with you." Josie, Co-Founder, Keen as Mustard, Sydney, Australia
Relevant project proof
Lalah
- Scope
- Flutter food discovery app, React landing page, React + Node.js admin panel and Node.js backend
- Delivery
- Around 40 screens, development complete in 4 months and ready for launch; on hold after the client's investor pulled out
DESA Consulting
- Scope
- 12-page WordPress + Elementor medical centre website with HotDoc online booking
- Delivery
- Under three months; live and taking patient bookings
A good fit when
- •You have an app idea and a clear business objective, but no in-house tech team.
- •You want one team for design, app, backend, admin panel and launch.
- •You can make product decisions and reply within 24-48 hours.
- •You want to work directly with the founder rather than an account manager.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build an MVP?
A typical WakeUp Monster app project takes 3-6 months, depending on scope. Lalah, a food discovery app with around 40 screens, took 4 months of development. Keen as Mustard, a larger dating app with 100+ screens, took 6 months. Your proposal, delivered within 3-5 days of the discovery call, sets out the timeline and milestones for your own scope.
Do I need a technical co-founder to build an MVP?
Not to work with WakeUp Monster. We handle design, the Flutter app, the backend, the admin panel, QA and store submission, and our founder makes the architecture decisions. What you do need is time and attention: you make the product decisions, review designs and test builds, and reply to questions within 24-48 hours.
Can you help me validate my idea before building the full app?
Yes. A landing page is a common first step for testing demand. For Keen as Mustard, a Sydney dating app, the React landing page collected 500+ pre-launch signups while the app was still in development. We can scope a landing page alongside or ahead of the app, so you have early users to talk to before launch.
Do you build web MVPs as well as apps?
Yes. WakeUp Monster builds websites and web products in React and WordPress, including landing pages, admin panels and WooCommerce stores. Our healthcare website for DESA Consulting, a Melbourne medical centre, is a 12-page WordPress site that takes patient bookings through HotDoc. Many app MVPs also include a React landing page and admin panel.
What if my idea changes during the build?
We plan for it. Scope lives in user stories, so a change means updating the stories and agreeing the effect on the timeline together. On Keen as Mustard, the product could not be trademarked under its first name, and we rebranded it fully without a change order or a paused sprint, and still delivered on time.
What happens after my MVP launches?
WakeUp Monster submits the app to the App Store and Google Play, hands over full documentation, and provides post-launch support and bug fixes. Our team can also run optional marketing campaigns, including Meta Ads, Google Ads and App Store Optimization, to bring in your first users. We don't disappear after delivery.
Who will I work with day to day?
You work with Rajat Khoware, Founder of WakeUp Monster, who runs the discovery call, stays your single point of contact and personally reviews every deliverable. Behind him, one team of 10+ people covers design, development, backend, testing and marketing, so you never coordinate between separate vendors for your MVP.
Keep exploring
Our app development processThe six steps from discovery call to launch, in detail.How to choose an app development agencyQuestions to ask any partner before you sign.Mobile app developmentFlutter apps for iOS and Android, with backend and admin panel.Dating app developmentWhat we learned building Keen as Mustard, a Sydney dating app.Food discovery app developmentMaps, listings and community submissions, from the Lalah build.All solutionsDating, healthcare, food discovery and startup MVPs.
Available worldwide
Have an app idea and no tech team?
Book a free discovery call with Rajat Khoware, Founder. Within 3-5 days you get a proposal with scope, timeline, milestones and user stories, and if we are not the right fit, we will tell you.
Discuss Your Project