Devs post paid bounties for tools they need—founders claim and deliver.
Solo founders of devtools struggle to acquire paying customers because developers expect all tools for free and ignore marketing efforts.
Developers post specific tool requests with budgets ($50+), solo founders browse/claim bounties matching their expertise. Platform handles escrow payments and milestones to ensure fair delivery. Founders get upfront commitments from paying customers without marketing.
Solo founders building SaaS devtools targeted at developers
Reverse auction: devs hunt founders, not vice versa—100% buyer-funded leads.
supportive
Devs create detailed bounties with budget and specs.
Founders search/filter open bounties by tech stack.
Submit proposals with timelines/pricing.
Secure milestone payments via Stripe.
Progress updates and reviews.
Showcase past bounties and ratings.
Email alerts for skill matches.
Admin-mediated refunds.
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| text | No | |
| user_type | text | No |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| poster_id | uuid | No |
| title | text | No |
| budget | int | No |
| status | text | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| bounty_id | uuid | No |
| founder_id | uuid | No |
| accepted | bool | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| proposal_id | uuid | No |
| amount | int | No |
| completed | bool | No |
Relationships:
/api/bountiesList open bounties
/api/bountiesCreate bounty
/api/proposalsSubmit proposal
/api/milestones/:id/completeMark milestone done
/api/dashboard/bountiesUser-specific bounties
No escrow
5 active bounties
None
| Month | Users | Conversion | MRR | ARR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 60 | 3% | $75 | $900 |
| Month 6 | 450 | 4% | $450 | $5,400 |
Post bounties get claimed by solo founders ready to build what you need.
Reach out to 30 devs on r/forhire and r/SideProject who complain about tools, offer free bounty posting. Share MVP on IndieHackers bounty thread. Target solo founders via Twitter searches for 'building devtool'.
Scale
Generic, high fees
Devtool niche + escrow
Network effects from growing bounty/proposal volume.
AI tools create niche demands unmet by free/open-source.
Payment disputes
Clear milestone rules + insurance
Success: 5 claims
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