Nowii launched mobile app MVP in 3 months while getting 3x value for money in contrast to London based agencies

How a London green-travel startup shipped a cross-platform mobile MVP with CTO planning, UX/UI, iOS & Android development, AWS cloud, and thorough QA.

Industry: Travel | Green Tech | Marketing
Type: Startup
Client: Nowii Rewards
Technology: Mobile
Location: London, UK

Context

Travel · Green Tech · Mobile MVP

Ismaeel, founder of Nowii Rewards, a startup based in London, wanted to build a SaaS startup to combat climate change by encouraging eco-friendly transportation choices and carve a niche in this underserved space by being the first mover to capture the market.

The Problem

Without a technical co-founder, the path from idea to shippable product was blocked:

Navigating uber complex death-valley of designing and building SaaS product without a technical co-founder
Needed to build a mobile application that connects commuters, travel operators and affiliate marketers across England to incentivize commuters to take greener travel choices and access premium discounts

Investors, travel operators and affiliate marketers were not willing to partner on the basis of just an idea — the founder needed a working product to unlock first-mover advantage.

Transformation

Before

Feeling stuck and losing time without technical co-founder
Investors, travel operators and affiliate marketers were not willing to partner with him on the basis of just an idea
Losing time to secure first mover advantage

After

Cross-platform mobile app launched in 3 months
Free to focus on his Go-to-Market strategy and execution
100+ partnerships formed
150% increase in funding
3x higher value for money
Patent filed to secure first mover advantage

This was not a design exercise.

It was a shippable mobile MVP under first-mover pressure.

The Approach

We applied our Visibility-First Product Execution approach to reduce uncertainty early.

Execution Steps

1Act as CTO and devise product plan
2Transform idea to app blueprint through user-experience (UX) design
3Give app visual identity through User-Interface design
4Build cloud architecture, frontend and backend of the iOS and Android app
5Provide running support and expand product

From there, execution scaled steadily over 3 months.

Outcome Stats

With CARTE BLANCHE

100+ Partnerships Formed

Achieved by shipping a credible cross-platform MVP that travel operators and affiliates could evaluate.

150% Increase in Funding

Achieved by turning an idea into a working product investors could diligence.

300% Value for Money

Achieved versus London-based agency alternatives through a lean, end-to-end product team.

3-Month Mobile MVP

Achieved by sequencing CTO planning, UX/UI, iOS & Android, AWS, and QA as one program.

Deliverables

MVP Design & DevelopmentUX/UI DesignMobile App DevelopmentAWS Cloud ArchitectureTesting/QA

“Carte Blanche have designed an app that has an amazing UI, coupled with an intuitive and smooth UX. The MVP has been successfully coded and works exactly as intended. The testing by the team prior to delivery was very thorough and ensured that the functionality of the app was near impeccable.”