You have the idea. I'll build it, for free.
Have an app idea but no technical skills? Tell me the idea. I’ll build a working prototype and send you the link, before you spend $50K, give away half your company, or lose a year guessing.
Three steps. You only do the first one.
- 01Tell me the idea.Type it or send a voice note. Rough is fine. You don't need a plan, a spec, a pitch deck, or any tech words.
- 02I build it.I turn it into a working app: sign-up, saved data, the main thing it does. You get the link within 7 days.
- 03You play with it.Click through it, show friends, show customers, show investors. See it working before you spend real money on it.
Real sign-up, real database, a real link. Built with Lovable, by me. Ready to show people, not ready to launch.
You prototype to decide, instead of deciding to prototype. Agencies quote $50K and up for a first version. Here’s what apps actually cost, and why the first version shouldn’t.
A real app, not a mockup.
You get
- A working web app at its own link
- Sign-up and login that actually work
- Data that saves
- The main thing your idea does, clickable
What it isn’t, yet
- Real data (it may use sample data)
- Payments or subscriptions
- Your own domain
- Hardened security for real customer data
- Every edge case handled
- Ongoing support
It’s a first version. It exists to make the idea real enough to react to.
The idea’s been sitting there long enough.
Tell me what it is and who it’s for. Type it or say it out loud. No tech words needed. One catch: I may post about building it (never your voice note or email). If I can build it, you’ll get a link within 7 days. If I can’t, I’ll tell you why.
Why free?
Code got cheap. A first version of almost anything can be built in an afternoon now.
The real work starts after that: putting it in front of people, learning who it’s actually for, finding out if they’ll pay, getting it seen, and building the version they need. That’s versions 2 through 20, and that’s where the time and money go.
So before you spend any of yours, I’ll build the first one. You get to see and click through your idea instead of imagining it. Sometimes that’s all the push you need to go make it real.
It’s my take on what you send me. Depending on the idea it might use sample data or be a single page, but it’ll work and you can share it. If you want to keep going, book a call with me. If not, keep it. Either way, I love doing this.
Step 1 of 5
What’s the idea?
What it does and who it’s for. Rough is fine. Talking it through is even better.
Hi, I’m Lily.
I’m all about building a life you actually enjoy living, and going after the things you love.
I spent eight years building software in B2B financial services. Then the fear of staying got bigger than the fear of leaving, so I left to figure out what I really wanted to do.
Turns out one of those things is this: taking an idea someone can’t stop thinking about and turning it into something they can click. Right now that’s Be in the Field, my iPhone app, Ossur Labs, my product studio, and prototypes for people like you.
So I know the part before you start: the idea you keep coming back to, and the voice that says you’d need a developer, a budget and a plan first. You don’t. That’s why I build the first version for free.
I believe everyone is creative. Some people just haven’t been handed the tools yet.
A 60-minute scope session.
We go through your prototype together and figure out what comes after version 1: who it’s for first, how to get it in front of them, and what the next version actually needs. You leave with a written plan: what to build next, roughly what it costs, and the fastest way to test it with real people. If we build it together, the $300 comes off the price.
The honest answers.
Anything else, email lily@ossurlabs.com. The fine print is in the terms, in plain English.
Is it really free?
- Yes. No card, no catch. Code got cheap: a first version takes me an afternoon now. The real work is everything after it, and that's where I can help if you want to keep going. If not, keep the app.
I have an app idea but no technical skills. Is this for me?
- That's exactly who it's for. You don't need to code, write a spec, or know what a database is. Tell me the idea, typed or as a voice note, and you get a link to a working version. If you want to keep editing it yourself later, I can hand the project over to your own account.
Will you steal my idea?
- No. Ideas are rarely the hard part; building, selling and sticking with it are. The idea stays yours and so does the prototype. I may talk about building it in public, which is why I ask you not to send anything secret.
Do I need an NDA?
- I don't sign NDAs for free prototypes, and I'd rather be upfront about it: I may share screenshots or recordings of what I build. If your idea truly needs to stay confidential, this isn't the right fit. Voice notes are the exception: only I hear them.
Do I own the code?
- Yes. You own the idea and the prototype. Ask and I'll move the project into your own account so you can keep building, with me or with anyone else.
Why not just hire a developer or an agency?
- You might, later. Agencies usually quote $50K or more for a first version, and some developers ask for part of your company. A free prototype lets you see the idea working first, so you only spend real money once you know what you're building.
What kinds of ideas work best?
- Web apps: tools, trackers, dashboards, directories, booking flows, simple marketplaces, internal tools for a business. Not a fit: native iPhone apps, hardware, games, or anything that needs payments on day one.
Do you build every idea?
- I build a handful each week. If I can't get to yours, I'll tell you. I won't leave you hanging.
Who is Lily Russo?
- Lily Russo is a product builder and founder based in Los Angeles. She is the founder of Ossur Labs, a product studio that takes founders from idea to MVP, and the maker of Be in the Field, an iPhone app of daily tracks in your own voice. After eight years building software in B2B financial services, she left to go after the work she loves, builds free prototypes of other people's app ideas, and shares it all as it happens.
What is Ossur Labs?
- Ossur Labs is a product studio founded by Lily Russo. It turns repeated customer problems, fuzzy ideas, and manual workflows into MVPs that founders can test, sell, or launch. It also funds her own products, including Be in the Field.