Custom software, built by senior engineers
AI moves fast. Senior engineers make sure it holds up in production.
Custom software for teams that can’t afford a rewrite. Senior engineers who move fast with AI and don’t leave a mess, led by a founder who stays accountable for the result. We rebuilt a broken healthtech AI platform, HIPAA-aligned, in nine months.
Trusted by teams at
We get hired when the build has to work
Founders come to us with the products they can't afford to get wrong: a stalled platform, a launch with a hard deadline, a prototype that has to become the real thing. We make those land. A few of them are below, with the numbers.
Case Studies
A broken healthtech product, made live in nine months. A checkout saved three days before national TV. A prototype turned into a real platform in four. Here's what that looked like.
How a healthtech startup went from a broken product to a live, AI-powered care platform in under 9 months
A healthtech startup building a platform to manage chronic care, with no engineering team of their own.
9 months
to ship a build scoped for a full year
How DrawPillows fixed a 45-second checkout in 3 days, right before its Good Morning America launch
DrawPillows, a DTC brand that turns kids' drawings into custom-made pillows.
45s → <2s
checkout load time, even with multiple images
Hi, I'm Ali
When you bring in Launch Up Labs, I'm the one accountable for the build — not an account manager who hands you off after the kickoff call. I was an early engineer at Cylance, the AI cybersecurity company BlackBerry acquired for $1.4 billion, and went on to build large-scale systems at iHerb and January AI that serve millions of users every day.
I started Launch Up Labs to bring that same engineering to startups and scaleups. You get a small, senior team I've shipped production systems beside, working as an extension of yours — whether you're getting an MVP off the ground or scaling into growth mode.
You own 100% of your code and IP, and you get senior people who've already built at scale instead of learning on your budget. No hassle with hiring, HR, or legal, and if it's not the right fit in the first two weeks, you don't pay.
Three ways we help you ship
Whether you’re growing the team, pressure-testing a decision, or building from nothing, you get the same senior people and the same founder on the hook for the result.
Embedded Engineering Teams
Senior engineers and designers who work inside your team — your stack, your standups, your roadmap — and treat your deadline like their own. You meet and approve every person before they start, and the same people stay with you instead of rotating off. It's how a four-person team we embedded shipped a healthtech platform scoped for a full year in under nine months, with no in-house engineers to hire.
See the 9-month healthtech rescue →Book an Intro Call →
Technical Consulting
A senior second opinion before you commit budget or pick a direction. Architecture reviews, technical due diligence, and a roadmap you can defend to your board, so the expensive mistakes get caught while they're still a decision and not a system you have to unwind. You leave knowing exactly what to do next and why.
See the 3-day checkout save →Book an Intro Call →
Custom Software Projects
We scope, design, build, and ship your web or mobile product, and we own the whole thing from first call to launch. You stay close to the work the whole way and never have to project-manage us. You get a product that's live and yours — 100% of the code and IP — not a backlog you now have to maintain.
See the prototype-to-platform build →Book an Intro Call →How we work with you
The reason founders who've been burned once come back. From the first call to launch, you always know who's on it, what's happening, and what's next — without chasing anyone.
Start with a call with Ali
Thirty minutes with Ali, the founder who'll be accountable for the work. We talk through what you're shipping, where it's stuck, and whether we're the right team for it. If we're not, we'll tell you on the call.
We scope it, so you don't have to spec it
You don't need a perfect brief. We map what the work actually needs — embedded engineers, a technical advisor, or a full custom build — then come back with a plan, a timeline, and a firm number. The thinking is on us.
Meet and approve your team
You meet the exact people who'll do the work and sign off before anything starts. The people you approve are the people you get. We agree on scope, milestones, and how we'll keep you updated up front.
We ship, and keep you ahead of it
Your team starts shipping with Ali close to the work. You get a standing update and a direct line to the people building it, and if something's at risk you hear it from us first, with a plan attached.
What working together feels like
A named point of contact who answers. A written update every week, not only when you ask. Risks flagged early, with options. Replies typically within one business day. And a founder accountable for the result, from the first call to launch.
Vouched for by the engineers who've shipped beside Ali
Engineering and product leaders from January AI, iHerb, and Cylance — straight from LinkedIn.
I had the pleasure of working with Ali at January AI on various projects, including adopting micro-services event-driven-architecture for AI-based technology. He consistently impressed me with his strong work ethic and dedication to delivering high-quality results. Ali's diverse technical expertise was crucial for our cloud-based distributed AI systems. His code was consistently well-documented and delivered on time, exceeding expectations.
Ali's strong work ethic, technical expertise, and problem-solving skills make him well-equipped to succeed in his entrepreneurial endeavor. I have no doubt he will achieve great things, and I recommend him to anyone seeking a talented, driven and impactful individual.
Maher Hanafi
VP of Engineering, January AI
I'd recommend Ali anytime. He brings a lot of energy and knowledge to any project. There are some people that you work with that you just know you can count on to get something done, even if it is something brand new.
Ali is a person that understands technology - which makes him very good at understanding system capabilities, workflows, and design.
Ali is also a great person in general. If I was asked to come up with a development team from scratch, he would definitely be one of the first people I contacted.
Adam Trimeloni
Principal Engineer / Product Architect
Ali was ambitious, hungry, and driven. He’d get things done even if it meant he had to learn new skills and work outside of his comfort zone. Agency and grit aren’t teachable. I was lucky to find Ali.
Ye Cheng
VP of Engineering, Cylance
Ali was an invaluable member of iHerb’s Orders scrum team which I led. He worked independently and always went the extra mile working late nights with counterparts from China. He fully understood and applied the Agile principles: self-managing and delivering on his commitments at the end of each and every sprint. He challenged himself by taking on new and complex tasks. He was a great team player. Given another opportunity, I will certainly work with him again.
Meyrick Lombos
Senior Project Manager, iHerb
Field Notes
Short, first-person notes from Ali on building software that holds up.
Healthcare software breaks differently
Why HIPAA, clinical workflows, and AI in care don't forgive the shortcuts that pass elsewhere.
Read the note →AI moves fast. Someone still has to own what ships.
Why senior judgment matters more now, not less.
Read the note →When embedded engineering is the wrong call — and I'll tell you
We turn down work that isn't a fit. Here's when.
Read the note →Launch Up Labs FAQs
Straight answers to what founders and engineering leaders ask us most — pricing, how we engage, vetting, and what happens if it's not a fit. Still have a question? Let's talk.
Three ways. Embedded engineering: senior engineers or designers working inside your team, billed monthly, with the same senior people staying on your team for as long as you need them. Custom projects: fixed-scope builds with a defined deliverable and timeline. Technical consulting: an advisory retainer or one-off architecture/due-diligence engagement. Most clients start with one and expand.
We scope every engagement to the outcome you're after, then give you a firm number on the intro call — no surprise hours. Embedded senior engineers start at $1,900/month each, depending on seniority and stack. Custom projects are quoted per scope after a short call. Technical consulting is $150/hour, with architecture reviews and technical due diligence from $2,000 and advisory retainers from $2,000/month. Most teams invest at about the level of a single senior hire and get people who've already shipped at scale.
For embedded engineering, we typically match you with the right person and have them working inside your team within about two weeks. Consulting engagements can often start within days. Custom projects begin with a short scoping phase, and we typically ship an MVP within 30 days.
There is no bench. Every engineer we embed is senior, vetted on both technical depth and communication. You meet and approve anyone before they join your team, and if the fit isn't right, we'll sort it out quickly with no long-term lock-in.
You own 100% of the code and IP we produce for you. Engagements are flexible with short notice periods, and if a team-member fit isn't right we'll sort it out quickly — backed by a 14-day money-back guarantee. If it's not working in the first two weeks, you don't pay.
Tell us what you're trying to ship
We take on a limited number of engagements at a time, so every intro call is a real conversation about your build. Book 30 minutes with Ali, tell him what you're shipping, and he'll come to the call having actually looked at it. You'll leave knowing whether we're the right team, either way.
14-day money-back guarantee · You own 100% of the IP · Typical reply within one business day