Build fast—without breaking your startup later.
QStart Technical Guardrails™ gives you monthly senior engineering oversight—so you can ship with AI, move fast, and know your foundation is solid.
Moving Fast Has Hidden Costs
AI-assisted development and rapid shipping are powerful—but without senior oversight, you're building on quicksand.
Security Gaps
AI-generated code often misses authentication edge cases, exposes sensitive data, and creates vulnerabilities you won't catch until it's too late.
Scaling Nightmares
Quick solutions that work at 100 users fall apart at 10,000. Database queries slow down. Servers crash. Users leave.
Hidden Technical Debt
Every shortcut compounds. Before you know it, a 'simple fix' requires rewriting half your codebase.
Time Lost to Fire-Fighting
Without guardrails, you'll spend more time fixing yesterday's mistakes than building tomorrow's features.
How Technical Guardrails Works
Think of it as having a senior CTO looking over your shoulder—without the $300K salary.
Monthly Code Reviews
A senior engineer reviews your codebase, identifying risks before they become problems.
Security Audits
We check for vulnerabilities, auth issues, and data exposure—so you're not caught off guard.
Architecture Guidance
Get recommendations on structure, patterns, and scaling strategies tailored to your stage.
Ongoing Support
Async access to senior engineers for questions, decisions, and technical direction.
Is This Right For You?
We're selective about who we work with—to ensure we deliver real value.
Designed For
- Non-technical founders using AI to build
- Technical founders moving too fast to review
- Early-stage startups without a full-time CTO
- Teams using Lovable, Cursor, or similar AI tools
- Founders preparing for investor due diligence
Not a Fit
- Large enterprises with established eng teams
- Agencies or dev shops building for clients
- Projects that need full-time hands-on development
- Teams looking for staff augmentation
Simple, Transparent Pricing
Choose the level of oversight that fits your stage. All plans include cancel-anytime flexibility.
VibeGuard™
Essential oversight for early-stage startups building with AI.
- Monthly architecture review
- Security vulnerability scan
- Priority email support
- Async Slack access
- Quarterly strategy call
Fractional CTO
Builder Edition™
Full technical leadership for founders who need a CTO without the commitment.
- Everything in VibeGuard™
- Weekly code reviews
- Database & API optimization
- Investor-ready documentation
- Direct founder hotline
- Technical hiring support
Technical Guardrails™
Scale
Enterprise-grade oversight for teams scaling beyond early traction.
- Everything in Fractional CTO
- Performance optimization
- Infrastructure planning
- Compliance preparation
- Team training sessions
- On-call incident support
- Limited Availability
Availability is limited. The Technical Guardrails™ – Scale tier is intentionally capped to ensure senior-level attention and high-quality oversight for each engagement.
Why QStart Labs?
We're not a typical dev shop. We're technical founders who built this service because we wish we'd had it.
Senior Engineers Only
No juniors, no outsourcing. Every review comes from engineers with 10+ years of experience building production systems.
Built for Speed
We understand you're moving fast. Our process is designed to enhance your velocity, not slow you down.
Founder-First Mindset
We've been in your shoes. We focus on what matters: shipping features while avoiding landmines.
Proven Track Record
We've helped dozens of startups avoid costly mistakes and build foundations that scale.
Ready to Build With Confidence?
Stop worrying about what's lurking in your codebase. Get senior engineering oversight that lets you ship fast and sleep well.
Free 15-minute call · No commitment · Cancel anytime