Can True Cedar build a web app MVP in five days?

For appropriately scoped projects, True Cedar targets a working web application MVP in as little as five business days. Integrations, data migration, security, compliance, complexity and scope can increase the timeline.

How much does a custom web application MVP cost?

For appropriately scoped MVPs, True Cedar targets less than $10,000 for a web application and less than $15,000 for a mobile application. Final pricing depends on scope, integrations, data, security, compliance and technical requirements.

Does True Cedar replace legacy software and expensive SaaS products?

Yes. True Cedar helps organizations assess, rebuild and replace outdated internal applications, spreadsheet-driven workflows, and SaaS products that no longer fit the business.

AI-powered software development

Software development has changed.

Q: Where is True Cedar located?

True Cedar LLC is based in Austin, Texas and works with organizations across the United States and globally.

Build the software your business actually needs—without the old timeline, oversized team, or six-figure starting point. True Cedar uses AI-accelerated development to move from business problem to working software in days, then iterates from something real.

Tell Us What You Want to Build See How We Build

For appropriately scoped projects, our target is a working web MVP in as little as 5 business days for under $10,000, or a mobile MVP in as little as 10 business days for under $15,000. Scope, integrations, migration, security, compliance and technical requirements can affect pricing and schedule.

The opportunity

The economics of custom software are different now.

AI doesn't remove the need for experienced engineering. It compresses the repetitive work, accelerates iteration, and allows small experienced teams to produce far more software. That changes the build-vs-buy decision.

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Replace the old app

Modernize an internal application that is fragile, difficult to maintain, or holding the business back.

Escape expensive SaaS

If you pay for dozens of features but use only a few, a right-sized custom application may deserve another look.

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Graduate from spreadsheets

Turn a spreadsheet-and-email workflow into a secure system with roles, records, workflows, reporting and audit history.

What we build

Software around your business—not the other way around.

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Custom Web Applications

Customer portals, internal tools, workflow systems, dashboards, CRMs, reporting applications and business-specific platforms.

AI-Enabled Applications

Production software that uses AI where it creates practical value—search, summarization, document intelligence, decision support and intelligent workflows.

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Automation & AI Agents

Durable AI agents and automations connected to the systems your organization already uses, with appropriate controls and human review.

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Application Integration

Connect systems so information moves accurately between CRM, data platforms, cloud services and internal tools.

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Legacy App Rebuilds

Rebuild or replace aging applications with modern architecture, better usability and a supportable technology stack.

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Mobile MVPs

Validate mobile ideas quickly with a focused MVP before committing to a larger product roadmap.

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Websites & Digital Advertising

Marketing sites, landing pages and paid campaigns built to generate qualified pipeline — with conversion tracking wired in from the start.

Recent work

Shipped, not theorized.

A few of the things we have built recently, and how quickly they went live.

Nationwide paving contractor

AI bidding agent, integrated with Zoho

< 1 week to delivery

An AI bidding agent built and integrated directly into the Zoho environment the business already runs on.

Enterprise rollout

AI portal for 500 users

< 2 weeks to delivery

A production AI portal delivered and rolled out to a user base of 500.

Financial services

Client portal for a firm with 350 clients

< 2 weeks to delivery

A client-facing portal built and delivered for a financial services firm with a 350-client base.

Large law firm

HIPAA-compliant AI agent solution

HIPAA compliance-scoped delivery

An AI agent solution designed and delivered against HIPAA requirements.

Selected recent engagements. Client names withheld. Timelines reflect these specific projects and are not a guarantee for every scope.

Our process

Start small. Build fast. Learn from reality.

The goal isn't to cram an enterprise platform into five days. It's to identify the smallest version that solves the important problem, build it quickly, put it in front of real users, and then invest where the evidence says to invest.

Clarify the problem

We identify the business outcome, the core workflow, the users and the minimum scope that creates meaningful value.

Build the MVP

We use AI-accelerated engineering, experienced architecture and rapid feedback loops to get working software into your hands.

Iterate and scale

We harden, integrate, expand and optimize based on real usage instead of theoretical requirements.

The $10K software test

Is your software problem worth revisiting?

If any of these are true, the answer may be yes.

You spend more than $10K–$20K per year working around the problem.

That can include software subscriptions, manual labor, errors, duplicate entry, maintenance, consultant hours and lost opportunities.

Your software forces the business into the wrong workflow.

Technology should support the operation—not require a maze of spreadsheets and side processes to compensate for the system.

You abandoned a custom build because the old quote was too high.

If the quote is a few years old, the assumptions behind it may be obsolete. It is worth running the numbers again.

Only one person understands the spreadsheet.

If a critical workflow depends on a fragile workbook or a single employee's institutional knowledge, you already have an application problem.

Stephen Backholm, founder of True Cedar LLC

Founder-led technology consulting

Experienced technology leadership. Directly involved.

True Cedar was founded in 2011 to help organizations align business and technology. Founder Stephen Backholm has more than 20 years of experience working with large and small organizations and remains personally involved in client engagements.

Before focusing full time on True Cedar, Stephen spent five years as Director of Innovation & Technology for the Washington State Investment Board, where his responsibilities included AI and data strategy, cybersecurity and cloud transition. True Cedar's approach remains business-first: right-size the technology, communicate clearly, and focus investment where it creates measurable value.

About True Cedar

Common questions

What companies ask us first.

Can you really build a web app in five days?

For the right project, yes. Five days is a target for an appropriately scoped working MVP—not a guarantee for every application. Complex integrations, data migration, regulated data, security requirements, advanced workflows and changing scope can extend the timeline.

What can fit inside a sub-$10K web MVP?

Depending on scope: secure user accounts, role-based access, dashboards, forms, customer or member records, workflows, reporting, search, document handling, admin tools and basic integrations. We define the minimum valuable product before committing to the build.

Is AI-generated software secure and maintainable?

AI accelerates engineering; it does not replace engineering discipline. We design architecture, review code, test behavior, use appropriate authentication and authorization, and right-size security for the data and risk profile of the application.

Do you work only with companies in Austin?

No. True Cedar is based in Austin, Texas and works with organizations across the United States and globally.

Have a software problem you've been putting off?

Tell us what you want to build, replace or automate. We'll tell you whether it looks like a good fit for an AI-accelerated approach.

Discuss Your Project