Path to Product

From POC to shipped.

Four phases, 18 months, $132K seed. Honest timeline, honest economics. We're in Phase 1 right now — the site you're reading is the validation artifact.

Same job. Right form. You get paid.

  1. Phase 01 · we are here

    60 days · $0 (founder time)

    Validate

    Ship complio.nltlabs.ai (you're on it). Drive 500 waitlist signups across the 5 launch states via ContractorMag and ARI newsletter intros. Run 3 owner-operator interviews across plumbing/HVAC/roofing.

    Timeline
    60 days
    Cost
    $0 (founder time)
    Go signal
    ≥500 waitlist signups across 5 launch states · 2 of 3 interviewees confirm $39/mo willingness-to-pay

  2. Phase 02

    90 days · $21,500

    UPL & Templates

    Engage 5 launch-state attorneys (CA, TX, FL, NY, IL) at $2,500 each for UPL opinion letters. Run a full clause-library legal review at $1,800 per state. Build template library v1: subcontractor agreement, lien waiver, change order.

    Timeline
    90 days
    Cost
    $21,500
    Go signal
    5 attorney-signed UPL letters in hand · 3 doc types complete and reviewed in all 5 launch states

  3. Phase 03

    45 days · $4,500

    MVP build

    Founder + 1 contractor build the doc generator (Next.js + Postgres + S3). Wire Stripe billing. Ship onboarding flow and intake forms. 10 design-partner contractors generate real docs end-to-end.

    Timeline
    45 days
    Cost
    $4,500
    Go signal
    10 design-partner contractors generating real docs end-to-end · ≥40% week-4 active retention

  4. Phase 04

    90 days · $116,000

    Launch & seed

    Public launch in 5 states. ContractorMag advertising. Scope Jobber API integration. Queue the 50-state expansion playbook at $1.8K of attorney spend per state. Close seed round.

    Timeline
    90 days
    Cost
    $116,000
    Go signal
    100 paying subscribers (~$46K ARR run rate) · seed round closed

Capital required

We're raising $132,000 to cover the full 18-month timeline. Largest line items: founder runway ($72K / 6 months), 5-state attorney engagement ($21.5K), and a 50-state expansion attorney reserve for the next 10 states ($18K). Full line-item breakdown lives on the For Investors page.

Why this sequence

Phase 1 (validate) is $0 because the wedge could be wrong — we'd rather discover that with 500 owner-operators on the waitlist than with a $132K check on the table. Phase 2 (UPL + templates) is the dominant risk-retirement work: scrivener-mode framing only stands up if attorney-signed UPL opinions back it. Phase 3 (MVP) is intentionally narrow — three doc types, five states — so we don't burn capital chasing scope. Phase 4 (launch) is when the capital starts working: ContractorMag advertising, Jobber API integration, queued 50-state expansion at $1.8K of attorney spend per state.