Curve16 weeks

Advanced Project Management with EVM Intelligence

From unclear concept to enterprise-ready SaaS, a project management platform that brings Earned Value Management to modern teams.

Product strategy
UI/UX design
Web development
Backend development
DevOps
Growth engineering
Technical consulting
Brand identity

Curve, Advanced Project Management with EVM Intelligence

$250KSeed Round Raised in 6 months

We partnered with Curve to transform a complex project management methodology (Earned Value Management) into an intuitive SaaS platform, taking them from concept to $50K MRR in just 16 weeks.

Timeline: 16 weeks
Team: 3 Engineers, 1 Designer, 1 Product Strategist

The challenge

Existing project management tools were either too simple (basic task tracking) or too complex (enterprise software requiring weeks of training). Amin needed to make enterprise-grade EVM accessible to modern teams without the learning curve.

Amin Ghadhab came to us with a vision but no clear product roadmap. He had worked in project management for years and saw a critical gap: existing tools were either too simple (basic task tracking) or too complex (enterprise PM software requiring weeks of training).

His insight. Earned Value Management (EVM), a methodology used by NASA, Fortune 500 companies, and government contractors, could be made accessible to modern teams if the complexity was abstracted away.

The problem

No clear product scope (EVM has 50+ formulas, which to include?)
Uncertain target market (startups vs. agencies vs. enterprises?)
Limited runway (needed to launch and prove traction in 4 months)
Technical complexity (real-time calculations, data visualization, integrations)

With no technical co-founder and a tight timeline, Amin needed a partner who could help define the product, build it right, and position it for growth.

What changed

$250K: Seed Round RaisedOversubscribed by 2x
40%: Faster Project Planningvs. traditional spreadsheet methods
$50K: Monthly RevenueAchieved in 6 months post-launch
34: Paying CustomersProfessional services firms
99.8%: Uptime Since LaunchEnterprise-grade reliability
4.8/5: Customer SatisfactionBased on NPS surveys

Hortensia didn't just build Curve, they helped us discover what Curve should be.
When I came to them, I had a vision but couldn't articulate the product. They ran a discovery process that clarified everything: who we're building for, what problem we're solving, and which features actually matter.
The build quality was exceptional. We launched on time with zero critical bugs, and the technical foundation they built has scaled beautifully as we've grown. But what set them apart was their product thinking, they pushed back on features that didn't serve our users and championed others I hadn't considered.
Eighteen months later, we're processing $50K MRR, serving 200+ agencies, and the core architecture Hortensia built hasn't needed a rewrite. That's partnership, not just development.

Amin GhadhabCEO & Founder, Curve

Strategy

We started with a 3-week product discovery sprint. Through interviews with Amin's network of project managers, agency owners, and consultants, we identified three critical insights:

The "EVM Paradox". Teams wanted EVM's power but couldn't afford the overhead. Our solution: automate 90% of EVM calculations in the background.

Target Market Clarity. Instead of "project management for everyone," we focused on professional services firms who bill by the hour and need accurate project health metrics.

MVP Scope. We identified 12 core features that would differentiate Curve from tools like Monday.com or Asana, and cut 23 features Amin originally wanted. Ruthless prioritization meant shipping in 16 weeks, not 9 months.

Key decisions

Web-first, desktop second. Launch web app, add Electron desktop wrapper post-launch
Stripe-first monetization. Built-in payment processing from day one
Real-time everything. Live updates via WebSockets for team collaboration
Visual-first EVM. Graphs and dashboards, not spreadsheets

Design

Curve needed to feel professional but approachable, not as intimidating as Microsoft Project, not as casual as Trello.

Design highlights

Dashboard-First Design

Every user lands on a personalized dashboard showing their projects' health at a glance
Color-coded health indicators (one look = know if projects are on track)
Quick actions (add task, log time, update status) without navigating away

EVM Simplified

Instead of showing raw EVM numbers (CPI, SPI), we translated to plain English:
"Project is 15% over budget" (instead of "CPI. 0.85")
"You'll finish 2 weeks late at current pace" (instead of "SPI: 0.92")
Tooltip explanations for users who want to learn EVM concepts

Design System

Built component library in Figma (100+ components)
Consistent spacing, typography, colors across all screens
Dark mode support (many PM teams work late hours)

Mobile-Responsive

While we didn't build native mobile apps, the web app works beautifully on mobile
Optimized for common use cases (log time, check project status, update tasks)

Build

We chose React + Django for a specific reason. React's component model meant we could build reusable UI elements (project cards, Gantt charts, EVM dashboards) that would work across web and desktop. Django gave us the robustness needed for complex EVM calculations and multi-tenant architecture.

Technical highlights

Real-Time EVM Engine

Built custom calculation engine in Django that runs EVM formulas (CPI, SPI, EAC, VAC) automatically
Caches results in Redis for sub-100ms response times
Updates in real-time as team members log hours or update tasks

Advanced Project Visualization

Custom Gantt chart component (didn't use library, needed specific EVM overlays)
Live burn-down/burn-up charts
S-curve visualization for project health
Color-coded variance indicators (red = over budget, green = under budget)

Stripe Integration

Multi-tier subscription model (Starter, Professional, Enterprise)
Usage-based billing for overage (beyond project/user limits)
Self-service upgrade/downgrade
Handled SCA (Strong Customer Authentication) for European clients

Desktop App Wrapper

Electron shell around React app
Offline mode with SQLite local cache
Auto-sync when connection restored
Native OS notifications

Grow

Most agencies hand off the product and disappear. We stayed to help Amin launch, attract early customers, and set up systems for sustainable growth.

Launch strategy

Beta program. Recruited 12 agencies to test Curve for free in exchange for feedback

Product Hunt launch. Coordinated launch for maximum visibility

Content marketing. Wrote 5 blog posts on EVM, project management, agency profitability

SEO foundation. Optimized for keywords like "project management for agencies," "EVM software"

Email drip campaign. Automated onboarding sequence for new signups

Growth tactics

Freemium model. Free for 1 project, upgrade for more (lowered barrier to entry)
Referral program. 20% discount for both referrer and referee (viral loop)
Agency partnerships. Partnered with 3 agency communities to offer exclusive deals
Demo videos. Created 10 short tutorials (< 3 min each) showing key features

Inside the product

The main dashboard showing project health at a glance with EVM metrics
Real-time Earned Value Management analytics and burn-down charts
Interactive Gantt chart with EVM overlays and task dependencies
Track projects on the go with the responsive mobile experience
Real-time collaboration features for distributed teams
Comprehensive design system with 100+ reusable components
Intuitive project planning interface with drag-and-drop scheduling
Detailed performance metrics and cost variance analysis

The Pivot That Changed Everything

Three weeks into discovery, we realized Amin was targeting the wrong market. He wanted to build for "everyone who manages projects." But our interviews revealed that professional services firms, agencies, consultants, freelancers, had the most acute pain.

They bill by the hour. Every hour over budget comes directly out of profit. EVM wasn't just nice-to-have, it was existential for their business model.

This insight changed everything. the pricing model, the feature set, even the visual design. We built for project managers who live in spreadsheets and bill by the hour, not casual task trackers who just want to organize their to-dos.

That conversation saved us from building a product nobody needed. We would have built a generic PM tool and drowned in a sea of competitors.

What we'd tell the next founder

Ruthless Prioritization Wins
We cut 23 features from the original scope. The result? A focused MVP that shipped in 16 weeks instead of 9 months. Every feature cut was a bullet dodged.
Complexity Can Be Hidden
EVM has 50+ formulas. Users see simple health indicators like "Project is 15% over budget." The magic happens in the background, complexity abstracted, value delivered.
Discovery Before Development
The 3-week discovery sprint cost $15K but saved $100K+ in avoided wrong turns. We validated the target market before writing a single line of production code.

The stack

React 18
TypeScript
Django 4.2
PostgreSQL 15
Redis
Stripe API
Electron
AWS
Docker
Tailwind CSS

Next projectStellifyRedefining Music Discovery and Engagement