Overview
A tech startup approached us with a bold ambition: to transform the fragmented rental process into a seamless, digital experience — for both landlords and tenants. With no technical team in place and a vision still taking shape, they needed a partner who could lead from the ground up: shaping the idea, designing the product, and executing delivery all the way to a functioning, investor-ready platform.
Our Approach
We started from scratch — with no backlog, no codebase, and a loosely defined product concept. Preux initially provided a product lead, a UX architect and a technical architect to guide ideation, shape the product strategy, and design an investor-friendly prototype. Our early work focused not just on usability, but on future signalling — surfacing core capabilities that would later anchor the pitch narrative. We also provided CXO advisory to support the founder and team in innovation, technical leadership and crafting the UX identifying opportunities and risks.
Following this, we assembled a core delivery team tailored to the next milestone: a working MVP suitable for investor demos and early user traction. This team was dedicated to the project and included:
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2 Backend Developers
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1 Frontend Developer
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1 Full Stack Engineer
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1 QA Engineer
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1 Business Analyst
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Ongoing CXO advisory
In addition to this we were able to scale up and down with extra input from senior engineers and UX/UI team members from our own team.
The product itself focused on real functionality, not just visual polish. It allowed landlords and renters to sign up, manage listings, arrange viewings, complete contracts, and process payments entirely online. Additional features included KYC and background checks, smart admin tooling, and a promotions system — all accessible via a clean, web-first interface.
We worked closely with the client on investor preparation — shaping the pitch deck, supporting demo sessions, incorporating feedback from advisors and prospective users, and ensuring that the MVP could stand up to real scrutiny. Regular strategy calls, embedded product guidance, and direct UX flow architecture supported the founder’s evolving vision — often turning initial ideas into stronger, scalable foundations.
When challenges emerged — including documentation gaps inherited from a previous vendor, external decision-makers changing mid-project, and budget constraints imposed by multiple parallel partners — we brought calm, structure, and clarity. We introduced tighter scope tracking, documentation processes, and decision alignment rituals that kept delivery on course despite the turbulence. We worked with the client to find the right partners and collaborators, to adjust the team composition with evolving project needs and support the interviewing of client-side hires.
Ultimately, the MVP secured entry into a leading accelerator and was used to attract early platform users. Once that goal was met, the product was transitioned to a new vendor to support its next phase of scale. Some fractional CXO advisory continued over the transition period.
Results
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Idea to prototype in weeks — Designed and delivered a future-facing product concept to support investor engagement
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MVP launched and used — Core platform live with onboarding, listings, contracting, payments, and compliance features
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Investor-backed — Secured a spot in a top-tier accelerator with working software as the centrepiece of the pitch
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Validated platform — Attracted early users and structured feedback to guide future roadmap
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Successful handover — Smooth transition of product and documentation to long-term delivery partner
The chosen technology enabled rapid development, modular architecture, clean data validation, and a highly responsive web interface — all essential for a multi-role real estate platform operating in a compliance-aware environment.
