Build your product with a technology partner
Some founders need more than a contractor. For a limited number of projects, Revol Source invests its engineering in exchange for equity or a share of revenue, and stays with the product as it grows.
When a technical partner makes sense
Partnership fits founders who own the market and the sales, but not the technology. It does not replace funding; it changes what you need funding for.
- You know the customer and the problem, but have no one to build and own the product
- You have early validation: paying pilots, a waitlist, letters of intent or an existing audience
- Your budget covers part of the build, not all of it
- Investors ask who is responsible for technology on your team
- You run a business with distribution and want a digital product built on top of it
- You want one team accountable for the product for years, not for one contract
Three ways to build with us
Development for equity
We build your MVP or first product version fully or partly in exchange for a stake, with vesting, milestones and IP owned by your company.
Technical partner
A long-term technical co-founder alternative: CTO role, architecture and a development team, paid partly in cash and partly in equity.
Revenue share
We build at a reduced rate and take a capped percentage of the revenue the product earns. For businesses with a clear monetization model.
What we put in, and what we expect from you
A partnership works when both sides carry real weight. We bring an engineering team that has shipped 350+ projects since 2011, product thinking and the discipline to launch. You bring the market: customers, sales, fundraising and the decisions only a founder can make. We do not take on projects where the founder expects the product to sell itself once it is built.
- From us: product scoping, design, development, QA, releases and infrastructure
- From us: honest technical advice, including when to build less
- From you: full-time commitment to the company and ownership of sales
- From you: access to customers for interviews and early testing
- From both: a written agreement that fixes contributions, rights and exit terms
What changes compared with hiring an agency
With a regular contract, the agency is paid for hours whether the product succeeds or not. In a partnership our return depends on your results, so our advice changes: we push for a smaller first release, faster feedback from real users and a technical foundation that will not need rewriting after the first round. The trade-off is that we choose projects carefully and ask for a say in technical decisions.
- Scope decisions made with the business outcome in mind
- A team that stays after launch instead of rolling off
- Code, documentation and access organised so the company, not us, owns them
- Clear rules for what happens if plans change
How we select projects
We take on a limited number of partnership projects, because each one takes a senior team for a long time. Every application is reviewed against the same criteria, and we tell you openly which of them your project does not yet meet.
- Team: at least one founder works on the company full time and owns sales and fundraising
- Commitment: the founders have invested their own time, money or reputation, not only an idea
- Market: a clear customer segment and a problem people already pay to solve
- Validated demand: interviews, pilots, pre-orders, a waitlist or an existing customer base
- Realistic plan: a first release that can be built and tested in months, and a path to revenue or the next round
- Fit with our expertise: mobile, web, AI and automation products we can build and run well
- Clean structure: a registered company or a plan to form one, with clear ownership of existing IP
How the three formats compare
| Development for equity | Technical partner | Revenue share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What we contribute | Product development, usually an MVP | Technology leadership and a development team over the long term | Development at a reduced rate |
| What we receive | A stake in the company | Cash for part of the work plus equity | A share of revenue, capped |
| Typical stage | Idea validated, before or around pre-seed | Pre-seed to Series A | Existing business or product with revenue in sight |
| Our risk | High | Medium | Medium, tied to sales |
| How long we stay | Through MVP and launch, often longer | Years, until an in-house team takes over | For an agreed term or until the cap is reached |
From application to agreement
Application
You send a short description of the product, the market, the team and what has been validated so far. We reply whether it makes sense to continue.
Intro call
A conversation with the founders about the problem, customers, plans and expectations from a partner. Both sides decide whether to go further.
Evaluation
We review materials under NDA if needed, talk to the team in more depth and outline the scope of a first release. You get our view on feasibility and on the format that fits.
Scope and terms
We agree on what each side contributes, milestones, the structure of the stake or revenue share and the exit rules. Terms depend on stage, risk and the volume of work.
Written agreement
Everything is fixed in a written agreement reviewed by both sides’ lawyers. Only then does development start.
What we bring to a partnership
Product and engineering
- Product discovery and MVP scoping
- UX/UI design
- Native iOS (Swift) and Android (Kotlin)
- React Native
- Backends and APIs: PHP/Laravel, Python
- Web apps: Vue.js, React
AI and automation
- LLM integrations
- AI agents and assistants on company data
- n8n, Make, Zapier
- Integrations with CRM, payments and accounting
Quality and operations
- Manual and automated QA
- CI/CD and cloud infrastructure
- Monitoring, backups, security updates
- App Store and Google Play releases
Technical leadership
- Architecture and technology choices
- Estimates and technical roadmap
- Technical due diligence support
- Hiring and onboarding of an in-house team
Not ready for a partnership?
Fixed scope
A defined first release for a fixed budget, if you prefer to keep 100% of the company.
Dedicated team
A team that works only on your product, paid monthly, with you setting priorities.
Time and materials
Hourly work for discovery, prototypes or tasks that are hard to scope in advance.
Reviews
We treat each client and his project with love.
Revol team continues to streamline the client’s development capabilities through their high-quality work and reliable support. They communicate effectively and exhibit a strong understanding of the client’s needs and business.
Tomas
The work from Revol, have fully met expectations and satisfied the client. Their fresh approach and ability to remain available for support have been valuable assets. Customers can bring them on for a communicative, client-oriented team to achieve their goals with.
Andrey
Frequently asked questions
Do you invest money in startups?
No. We invest engineering work, product experience and time. If your company needs cash for marketing, salaries or operations, you will still need other investors, and we can help you prepare for those conversations.
How many partnership projects do you take on?
A limited number at a time, because each partnership uses a senior team for months or years. When we are at capacity, we tell you and offer a start date or a regular contract instead.
What stage should my startup be at?
Early is fine, but not empty. We look for a validated problem and a founder who is already talking to customers. A pitch deck without any market evidence is usually too early for a partnership.
Who owns the code and the IP?
The company does. Code, designs, accounts and documentation are transferred to or created in the name of your company, and this is written into the agreement. Our stake or revenue share is what we receive in return, not the code itself.
How are the terms calculated?
They depend on the stage of the company, the volume of work, how much of it is paid in cash and how much risk we take. We do not have a fixed percentage; terms are proposed after evaluation and fixed in a written agreement.
What happens if the partnership does not work out?
Every agreement includes exit rules: how either side can leave, what happens to unvested equity or future revenue share, and how the code and access are handed over. You are never locked out of your own product.
Can we combine a partnership with a regular contract?
Yes. A common setup is a paid discovery phase first, followed by a partnership once both sides know the product and each other better.
Tell us about your project
Describe the task in a few lines. Within one working day we reply with questions or a first view on scope and cost.
Prefer email or a call?
welcome@revolsource.com
+38 097 662 23 20
Revol Software OÜ, Tallinn, Estonia. Our team is distributed around the world.
Join our team
Send your CV to career@revolsource.com