Demand is the wind thatpowers your startup.We build products that catch it.

A product studio for early-stage founders.

As a founder I want to:

What we believe

? DEMAND SIGNAL DETECTED ENERGY OUTPUT: 0ENERGY OUTPUT: 14 kW

Our solutions

Two ways to turn uncertainty into evidence.

Problem Validation

Is this problem worth building for?

We turn your assumptions into tests with real customers, so the first big decisions rest on evidence, not guesses.

You get
  • Evidence of real demand, from real users
  • The segment with the most urgent pain
  • A go / no-go call you can defend
  • MVP scope grounded in what you tested
Outcome

You know whether to build, for whom, and what to build first.

$15KStarting from
Solution Validation

What do we build first, and will anyone pay?

We put a first version in front of real users, with the analytics and feedback loops to learn what works before you scale.

You get
  • An MVP cut to the one workflow that matters
  • A prototype tested with real users
  • Willingness-to-pay proven before the build scales
  • A phased roadmap tied to evidence
Outcome

A product in the market and clear signals on what to double down on.

$20K–45KStarting from
Integrated team

Our experts become part of your team to fill expertise gaps and move your product forward.

You get
  • Product, design, and development support as priorities shift
  • The same people who validated your idea
Starting from$5K/mo
Ivan, founder of Zade

Have a question about your specific use case?15-minute call

Talk to Ivan

Our system works, and we’re proud to share success stories.

01 / 02
Finna

Proving a fintech app has a place on the US market

To a first version in front of users11 weeks
See the storyFinna
Danzee

Validating a Mandarin learning tool with the schools that would teach it

Partner schools targeted in year one5–8
See the storyDanzee
Meld

Finding the everyday job for a crypto wallet before the build

To a first version in front of users10 weeks
See the storyMeld
ColdSend

Turning cold email infrastructure into a setup a sales lead finishes alone

Setup steps, cut down to3
See the storyColdSend

Supporting early-stage founders?
Let’s work together. We have a dedicated offering for investors, accelerators, and startup communities.

  • Tenity
  • AceON Accelerator
  • Plug and Play
  • Ukrainian Startup Fund
  • IdeasLab
  • Brinc
Why founders build it with us

We’ve helped founders like you bring their ideas to market. Our work has earned the trust of founders and recognition across the startup ecosystem. Now, meet the people who’ll work alongside you.

Clutch5.0

Rating from startup founders

28 verified reviewsclutch.co
Idea to launch

One team takes the product from first interview to release. Nothing gets lost in a hand-off.

Validation12

Startups validated before a line of code

After launch

We stay on after release, so the first real users shape the next version.

Decisions

Founders leave validation with a clear go, pivot, or stop before the big spend.

Ecosystem7 yrs

Building and mentoring startups

Founder review

“Zade brings extensive product experience, looks around corners, and knows how to work with early-stage startups.”

Andrea S.Founder, Held Accountable
Launched28

Products taken from idea to market

Founders

Trusted by 100+ founders from EU & US

Let's find whereyour wind blows

A 15-minute call about your startup. Bring the idea, leave with a clear next step.

Ivan, our founder, can tell you all about it15-minute call

Talk to Ivan

Drop us a message at hello@zade.agency

Validate my problem

Know if this problem is painful, urgent, and worth building a product around. Problem Validation tests the assumptions behind your MVP scope, channels, and pricing before you bet your runway on them.

photoTalk to Ivan15-minute call
  • Validated product concept
  • Strongest customer segment identified
  • MVP 1.0 scope
  • Focused market entry plan
04030201VerdictGoReframeStop
6 monthsproduct development avoided
Duration8–10 weeks
TeamStrategy, Product, Research
Pricingfrom $15,000

Frame problem

We turn founder uncertainty into assumptions that can be tested.

Test the pain

We put the concept in front of real users to see if the problem hurts enough to act.

Compare signals

We compare signals across assumptions so the team can see where confidence is strongest.

Shape MVP

We turn the result into a decision the team can act on.

“The collaborative approach resulted in a successful partnership and an outstanding final product.”
Christian Lindekilde, Founder, Finna
Ivan, founder of Zade

Ready to find out if there's a business here?15-minute call

Talk to Ivan

Bring my solution to market

Build the minimum product that proves its place in the market. We put a first version in front of real customers, together with the analytics, feedback loops, and processes you need to learn what works before you scale.

photoTalk to Ivan15-minute call
  • Market-ready MVP
  • Product learning system
  • Operating model
  • Product evolution roadmap
ScaleSignalsMVPLoopBuildMeasureLearn
11 weeksto a first version in front of paying users
Duration3–5 months
TeamStrategy, Product, Research
Pricing$20,000–45,000

Build lean

Only the core value flows, sized to your team and budget.

Measure from day one

Analytics and feedback loops go in before launch, so the first users already teach you something.

Keep room to iterate

Part of the budget is held back after launch, so early learnings actually change the product.

“Their ability to think outside the box and bring game-changing ideas was invaluable to our project’s success.”
Malik Alimoekhamedov, Founder, Danzee
Ivan, founder of Zade

Ready to put your product in front of the market?15-minute call

Talk to Ivan

Supporting early-stage founders? Let’s work together.

Mentoring, expert support and product work for accelerators, funds and startup programmes. We help your founders connect a value proposition to a first MVP that tests the key hypotheses, not everything at once.

photoTalk to Ivan15-minute call
  • 1:1 Founder Mentoring
  • Product Validation Workshops
  • Startup Evaluation
  • Product Support

Trusted by accelerators,
funds and startup programmes

  • Tenity
  • AceON Accelerator
  • Plug and Play
  • Ukrainian Startup Fund
  • IdeasLab
  • Brinc
22startup teams supported through mentoring and product work
5accelerator and startup programmes we’ve contributed to

The people working with your founders

Ivan, Founder, CEO Oleh, CDO, Head of Product Khrystyna, Lead UX/UI Designer Bettina, Board Advisor
  • Ivan with a founder team at the IdeasLab Demo Day

    IdeasLab Demo Day

  • Ivan mentoring participants of the Open Data Hackathon on a video call

    Open Data Hackathon Mentorship

  • Ivan scoring startup pitches for the Ukrainian Startup Fund on a video call

    Ukrainian Startup Fund Pitch Day 7

  • Ivan presenting a rapid prototyping workshop for the KSE startup ecosystem on a video call

    KSE Rapid Prototyping Workshop

How we can support your programme

Founder Mentoring

Help founders clarify their target customer, identify missing evidence and define their MVP. With concrete next steps.

Talk about mentoring

Product Validation Workshops

Founders identify a key assumption and design a practical test for their startup, with clear criteria for evaluating results.

Plan a workshop

Startup Evaluation

Product reviews for selection panels and demo days: assess the problem, evidence and solution, with feedback on what to validate next.

Book an evaluation
“We received excellent feedback from the FrameUs team. Ivan’s insights clearly made a strong impression and added real value to their journey.”
Leonardo A. Peralta Tapia, Program Analyst, MENA, brinc Virtual Accelerator
Ivan, founder of Zade

Want a product partner for your programme?15-minute call

Talk to Ivan

Finding the everyday job for a crypto wallet before the build

Meld is a crypto wallet and neobank built around the MELD token. Before funding a full product, the team needed to know which everyday money jobs people would actually trust a crypto app with.

photoTalk about this case15-minute call with Ivan
ClientMeld
SectorFintech, crypto wallet
ServiceProblem Validation Sprint
Duration8–10 weeks
The challenge

How can a crypto wallet know which everyday job, holding, sending or paying, people would trust it with, before building the full neobank?

The outcome

Meld came away with a GO: sending and receiving as the core job, an MVP 1.0 scope and a plan for the first active wallets.

3 → 1everyday money jobs narrowed to one
24interviews with crypto holders
10 weeksto a first version in front of users

How we reach this

5 jobs mapped74% would use it weeklyGO · send & receive
  1. 01
    Map the jobs

    We mapped what people already do with crypto day to day, and which jobs they wouldn’t yet trust an app with.

  2. 02
    Test with holders

    We put send-and-receive in front of 40 crypto holders. 74% said they would use it every week.

  3. 03
    Get a clear GO

    The signal turned into a GO and an MVP 1.0 scope built around sending, receiving and one balance view.

“Zade helped us cut through the noise and find the one thing our users actually needed.”
Founder, Meld
Ivan, founder of Zade

Let’s discuss how this would work for your startup.15-minute call

Talk to Ivan

Proving a fintech app has a place on the US market

Finna is a personal finance app built for one market and aimed at the US. Before betting the runway on a US launch, the team needed evidence that the pain, the segment and the willingness to pay were real.

photoTalk about this case15-minute call with Ivan
ClientFinna
SectorFintech, personal finance
ServiceProblem Validation Sprint
Duration8–10 weeks
The challenge

How can a fintech app that works in one market know whether US users share the same pain, before committing to a full US launch?

The outcome

Finna came away with a GO: first-time private-market investors as the core US segment, an MVP 1.0 scope and a channel plan for the first paying users.

4 → 1customer segments narrowed to one
22interviews with US users
11 weeksto a first version in front of users

How we reach this

7 markets mapped82% said yesGO · 11-week MVP
  1. 01
    Map the market

    We mapped where in the US Finna could matter, and which assumptions we couldn’t yet back with evidence.

  2. 02
    Ask real investors

    We put the riskiest one in front of 36 first-time investors. 82% of the core segment said yes.

  3. 03
    Get a clear GO

    The signal turned into a GO and an MVP 1.0 scope the team could build in 11 weeks.

“The collaborative approach resulted in a successful partnership and an outstanding final product.”
Christian Lindekilde, Founder, Finna
Ivan, founder of Zade

Let’s discuss how this would work for your startup.15-minute call

Talk to Ivan

Validating a Mandarin learning tool with the schools that would teach it

Danzee is a Mandarin learning tool for language schools, built on how characters connect. A student app and a school dashboard that teach new characters through ones the learner already knows, then use spaced repetition to make them stick.

photoTalk about this case15-minute call with Ivan
ClientDanzee
SectorEdTech, language learning
ServiceProblem Validation Sprint
Duration8–10 weeks
The challenge

How can a deep, Mandarin-only learning tool know whether language schools will build it into their courses, before committing to the full product?

The outcome

Danzee came away with a GO: language schools as the core segment, an MVP 1.0 scope, and a free-first plan to build the product with its first partner schools.

3 → 1customer segments narrowed to one
26interviews with teachers and learners
5–8partner schools targeted in year one

How we reach this

?3 gaps foundPass ≥ 60%?Validate next
  1. 01
    Define the customer

    Founders clarify their target customer, spot missing evidence and define their MVP, with concrete next steps.

  2. 02
    Test one assumption

    They pick the key assumption and design a practical test, with clear criteria for judging the results.

  3. 03
    Get panel feedback

    Reviews for selection panels and demo days: problem, evidence and solution, plus what to validate next.

“Their ability to think outside the box and bring game-changing ideas was invaluable to our project’s success.”
Malik Alimoekhamedov, Founder, Danzee
Ivan, founder of Zade

Let’s discuss how this would work for your startup.15-minute call

Talk to Ivan

Turning cold email infrastructure into a setup a sales lead finishes alone

ColdSend gives outbound teams their own sending servers, domains and mailboxes in minutes. A dashboard that sets up dedicated infrastructure, warms it up and keeps deliverability visible, so emails land in the inbox, not in spam.

photoTalk about this case15-minute call with Ivan
ClientColdSend
SectorSaaS, sales & outreach
ServiceSolution Validation Sprint
Duration8–10 weeks
The challenge

How can a team selling cold email infrastructure turn servers, DNS and warm-up into a flow a sales lead can finish alone, before building the full platform?

The outcome

ColdSend came away with a tested self-serve setup flow, a clickable prototype for investors and first customers, and an MVP 1.0 scope for the dashboard.

9 → 3setup steps cut to three
12usability sessions with sales teams
8 minfrom sign-up to a ready sending server

How we reach this

?12 steps mappedPrototype tested?MVP 1.0 scope
  1. 01
    Map the setup

    We mapped every step from buying a server to a warm, ready domain, and where sales leads got stuck.

  2. 02
    Prototype the flow

    A clickable prototype of the setup wizard, domain search and server overview, tested with outbound teams.

  3. 03
    Ship the MVP scope

    The validated flows became the MVP 1.0 scope and a design system for the full dashboard.

Ivan, founder of Zade

Let’s discuss how this would work for your startup.15-minute call

Talk to Ivan