Build Program

The Matter & Gas Product Build Program

Most successful software companies do not begin with a full product.

They begin with a working system that proves the idea, then evolve into a real product and eventually a scalable platform.

Matter & Gas works with founders through three stages.

Tier 1

System Prototype

Purpose

Build the first real, working version of the product. Not a mockup. Not a throwaway prototype. Not a design exercise. A real application implementing the core workflow, deployed in the founder's own infrastructure, with full source code ownership from day one.

What You Receive

Working Prototype Application

  • A functional application implementing the core product workflow
  • User interface designed for real use, not demo-only
  • Backend services, data models, and API endpoints
  • AI integrations where appropriate, with structured prompts and guardrails
  • Authentication and user account management
  • Persistent data storage with production-grade schema

Deployment in Your AWS Account

  • The system runs in the founder’s own AWS account from the start
  • Infrastructure provisioned via infrastructure-as-code (CDK/Amplify Gen 2)
  • Serverless architecture designed for low operational overhead
  • Production deployment pipeline configured and operational

Full Source Code in Your GitHub Repository

  • Complete source code delivered to the founder’s GitHub repository
  • Clean, documented codebase with consistent architecture patterns
  • No proprietary dependencies or vendor lock-in to Matter & Gas
  • Founder controls access, branching, and deployment

Production-Ready Architecture Foundation

  • The prototype is designed so it can evolve into the real product
  • Architecture patterns chosen for durability, not speed-to-demo
  • Security boundaries and access controls from the start
  • Observability hooks for monitoring and debugging

Product Blueprint

  • A written technical assessment of the system: architecture decisions, known trade-offs, and recommended next steps
  • Complexity analysis identifying where engineering risk lives
  • Operational cost projections for running the system at prototype and MVP scale

Prototype Review and Product Validation

  • A structured review session walking through the working system
  • Discussion of what the prototype proves and what questions remain
  • Explicit recommendation on whether the product is ready to evolve into a production MVP

Production MVP Build Plan

  • If the prototype validates the product, a detailed plan for the MVP build
  • Scope definition, timeline estimate, and infrastructure requirements
  • Clear boundaries on what ships in MVP vs. what waits for Platform

Infrastructure Requirements

AWS Account

The founder provides an AWS account (or creates one). Matter & Gas provisions all infrastructure within this account. The founder retains full ownership and control.

GitHub Repository

The founder provides a GitHub repository (or creates one). All source code is committed here. The founder controls access and can revoke Matter & Gas access at any time.

Typical Timeline

4–8 weeks

Typical Investment

$45k–$75k

$15k–$25k credit toward Tier 2, valid 90 days after prototype completion

Tier 2

Production MVP

Purpose

Expand the prototype into a production product real customers can use — with the infrastructure, reliability, and operational tooling required for launch.

Typical work includes

  • Extended feature development beyond the core workflow
  • Production hardening: error handling, monitoring, alerting
  • User onboarding and account management flows
  • Payment or subscription integration where applicable
  • Administrative tooling for operational visibility
  • Performance optimization and cost analysis
  • Security review and access control refinement

Typical Timeline

8–16 weeks

Typical Investment

$120k–$200k

$30k–$50k credit toward Tier 3, valid 6 months after MVP completion

Tier 3

Product Platform

Purpose

Evolve the product into a scalable platform capable of supporting a growing SaaS business.

Typical work includes

  • Multi-tenant architecture and data isolation
  • Advanced workflow automation and configuration
  • Analytics, reporting, and business intelligence features
  • Comprehensive admin system for operational management
  • API layer for third-party integrations
  • Scalability engineering and infrastructure optimization
  • Compliance and audit infrastructure where required

Typical Timeline

4–9 months

Typical Investment

$250k–$500k+

The Three Stages

The program follows a simple progression.

System Prototype
↓
Production MVP
↓
Product Platform

First prove the system works.

Then launch the product.

Then build the platform that supports the company.

If this resonates, start with your idea — and we'll pressure-test the system before anything gets built.

Start with your idea