Vaporware is a B2B software
startup studio.
We partner with founders to build high-growth companies.

FAQ

• 
  Will Vaporware develop my app idea?

  If it's a B2B SaaS product, we can build it, but the question is "should we?". We focus on solving the problem as the market demands, and are not tied particular solutions. Before starting this process, it's important to know that most ideas change, sometimes drastically, during the early market research and validation phases.

• 
  Does Vaporware take equity?

  We sometimes discount our fees in exchange for common shares. We typically join seed investment rounds as investors after traction is gained. We can connect you with idea-stage angel investors, but we don't recommend raising on an idea as it will often over-dilute your ownership.

• 
  How much does it cost?

  Our goal is to do the most with the least. We start engagements, with the research phase, at $20K, but our successful founders often spend more than $400K to successfully get to traction, a healthy valuation, and raise a seed round. There are lower-priced options to get to market and traction, but we've found that founders waste years and hundreds of thousands persuing the wrong venture.

  Reach out if you need help modeling cash flow. We're happy to chat with founders who need discounts to ease cash flow in exchange for equity, but have to be mindful of what future investment rounds look like.

• 
  How long does it take?

  While speed depends on the idea and market, we've unified the team building and eliminated false-starts and handoff between team members to move as quickly as possible. We've invalidated go-to-market ideas in just 2 weeks. The fastest we've gotten to funding is 6 months, but most startups take a year or more as sales cycles dictate most B2B software adoption.

• 
  How many startups does Vaporware work with at a time?

  As a focused team, we're actively testing, building, selling, and fundraising 3 startups at a time. Once startups start raise and scale, we often continue to support them for several months.

• 
  Does Vaporware have a fund?

  Studios that also have funds usually work on spinning out their own idea, taking a founder's share (30-70%) of the startup. Most don't even develop the products themselves.

  We work with founders who own a problem and have some ideas, so they keep 100% of their company until they're ready to fund raise and the terms are in their favor. We're happy to chat with founders who need discounts to ease cash flow in exchange for equity, but have to be mindful of what future investment rounds look like.

• 
  How is Vaporware different from an accelerator or incubator?

  Our focus is on doing the startup validation and execution, not teaching you how to do it. If you want to learn how to do this stuff on your own, there are hundreds of resources and some amazing programs locally that can teach you.

  We adapt our framework for launching high-growth startups to your particular business requirements. That means you won't be part of a large cohort or have a demo day. We'll work towards actual outcomes and results instead.

• 
  Is Vaporware a technical co-founder?

  We often play a technical co-founder role for many business founders. We're also a product, sales, marketing, design, and financial co-founder. Better yet? We're all that in one. We bring this variety of experience and perspective as a cohesive team to all the startups we work on.

• 
  Is Vaporware a development firm?

  Development firms write code for business requirements. While that's a step in our process, we focus holistically on taking products to market. If you just need a team of devs to do what you tell them, we're not the right fit.

• 
  Do I have to be in (or move to) Raleigh to work with Vaporware?

  Not at all. The majority of the founders we work with are from all over the US. It's helpful to collaborate in person occasionally, but thanks to tools like Miro and Slack, virtual can be better.