PixelPayChase

End 90-day indie game invoice delays with AI-powered automated chasing.

Score: 7.6/10UKMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

Freelancers working with indie game studios endure rampant 90+ day payment delays on invoices, devastating cash flow and forcing them to take unwanted side gigs.

Solution

Freelancers upload invoices and studio details; the platform sends smart reminders, escalates to studio contacts, and tracks responses. Get paid faster without awkward follow-ups, with dashboards showing payment probabilities and cash flow forecasts.

Target Audience

Freelancers (e.g., artists, programmers, designers) contracting with indie game studios

Differentiator

Indie game studio-specific contact database and AI-tailored reminder scripts that reference game dev milestones.

Brand Voice

supportive

Features

Invoice Upload & Tracking

must-have12h

Upload PDF invoices, auto-extract details, track status in real-time dashboard.

AI Reminder Scheduler

must-have15h

Automated email/Slack reminders with game-dev templates at optimal intervals.

Studio Directory Search

must-have10h

Search curated indie studio contacts, auto-populate for reminders.

Payment Probability Score

must-have18h

AI score predicts payment likelihood based on studio history and responses.

Cash Flow Dashboard

must-have8h

Visualize upcoming payments, delays, and forecasts.

Response Tracker

nice-to-have6h

Log all replies, auto-categorize as paid/partial/ghosted.

Bulk Invoice Import

nice-to-have5h

CSV upload for multiple invoices.

Custom Reminder Templates

nice-to-have4h

User-editable templates with variables.

Total Build Time: 78 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo
stripe_idtextYes
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • invoices.user_id -> users.id

invoices

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
studio_nametextNo
amountintNo
due_datetimestampNo
statustextNo
pdf_urltextYes

Relationships:

  • user_id -> users.id
  • reminders.invoice_id -> invoices.id

studios

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
nametextNo
contact_emailtextYes
avg_delay_daysintYes

Relationships:

  • invoices.studio_name matches studios.name

reminders

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
invoice_iduuidNo
sent_attimestampYes
responsetextYes

Relationships:

  • invoice_id -> invoices.id

API Endpoints

POST
/api/invoices

Create new invoice

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/invoices/:id

Get invoice details

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/reminders/send/:invoiceId

Send reminder

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/studios/search

Search studios

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/dashboard

User dashboard data

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + shadcn/ui
Backend
Next.js API routes
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
Resend for emailsOpenAI API for AI scoring

Build Timeline

Week 1: Core auth and DB setup

20h
  • User signup/login
  • Basic DB schema

Week 2: Invoice CRUD

25h
  • Upload/track invoices
  • Dashboard wireframe

Week 3: Reminders engine

25h
  • AI templates
  • Email sending

Week 4: Studio directory + scoring

20h
  • Search UI
  • Probability calc

Week 5: Polish + payments

15h
  • Stripe integration
  • Responsive design

Week 6: Testing + launch

10h
  • E2E tests
  • Landing page
Total Timeline: 6 weeks • 125 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No AI scoring

  • 1 invoice
  • Basic reminders

Pro

$8/mo
  • Unlimited invoices
  • AI reminders + scoring
  • Studio directory

Studio Pro

$25/mo
  • All Pro + team seats
  • Custom integrations
  • Priority support

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 11003%$24$288
Month 68008%$512$6,144

Unit Economics

$15
CAC
$288
LTV
5%
Churn
88%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 19.2xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Chase Indie Game Payments on Autopilot

Stop waiting 90+ days. AI reminders get your invoices paid faster.

Feature Highlights

Auto-reminders to studios
Payment probability AI
Game dev studio database
Cash flow dashboard

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"Saved me 60 days on a $5k invoice! - Artist @itch.io"
"Finally no more awkward emails. - Pixel dev"

First Three Customers

Post in r/gamedevclassifieds and r/INAT with a free beta offer; DM 10 freelancers from recent itch.io game credits; share MVP video in IndieHackers Discord game dev channel.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/gamedevr/freelanceIndieHackersItch.io forums

SEO Keywords

indie game invoice reminderfreelance game dev paymentschase studio invoicesgame freelance cash flow

Competitive Analysis

Invoice Ninja

invoiceninja.com
$10/mo
Strength

General invoicing

Weakness

No automation or game niche

Our Advantage

AI chasing + indie studio focus

FreshBooks

freshbooks.com
$19/mo
Strength

Accounting features

Weakness

Generic reminders

Our Advantage

Game-specific DB and predictions

🏰 Moat Strategy

Curated indie studio contact database grows with user contributions, creating data network effects.

⏰ Why Now?

Indie game boom post-Steam success stories, but payment pains rising with more solo devs contracting out.

Risks & Mitigation

marketmedium severity

Low adoption if freelancers prefer manual chase

Mitigation

Validate with 20 interviews pre-build

technicallow severity

Email deliverability issues

Mitigation

Use Resend + warm-up

executionmedium severity

Slow studio directory build

Mitigation

Seed with public data from itch.io/Steam

Validation Roadmap

pre-build7 days

Interview 15 freelancers on Reddit/Discord

Success: 10+ confirm pain + WOYLP

mvp14 days

Beta with 5 users, track reminder sends

Success: 80% report faster payments

launch3 days

PH launch, aim 200 signups

Success: 5% conv to paid

Pivot Options

  • Broaden to all creative freelancers
  • Add accounting export
  • B2B for studios to pay faster

Quick Stats

Build Time
125h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$500
Market Size
$250.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
4
API Endpoints
5
PixelPayChase - Complete Startup Blueprint | Startup Tribunal