Which strategy service should we start with?

It depends on the question you need answered. If you run an established business and want to know where AI or automation would pay back, start with the AI readiness assessment — £3,000 for one week. If you have a product idea that needs proving, a discovery sprint from £4,000 fits better. If you're weighing tools, architecture or someone else's proposal, technology consulting is the one. A short call will settle it either way.

What do we walk away with at the end of validation?

A costed plan you can act on — with us or anyone else. Depending on the service, that's a ranked list of AI opportunities with estimated ROIs, a validated product plan with honest scope and price, or a clickable Figma prototype readied for user testing. Everything is yours to keep. Sometimes the deliverable is an honest 'not yet' — the cheapest result we offer, and we mean that as a feature.

How long does validation take before we can make a decision?

Days, not months. The AI readiness assessment runs over one week; a discovery sprint takes one to two, a little longer if you extend it to a clickable prototype. That's deliberate — validation should be a small, fast spend that tells you whether the larger one is worth making. If the build then goes ahead, it typically runs around three months from design to launch.

If we decide to go ahead and build, what does that look like?

The plan converts into a scoped, fixed-price build agreed before anything starts — follow-on builds from our assessments start from £8,000. The same team carries the work into our product development and AI & automation services, so nothing is lost in a handover. And because you own the research and the plan outright, you're equally free to take it to another team instead.

Why pay for validation instead of going straight to build quotes?

Because a quote against an unvalidated idea is a guess dressed as a number. Validation puts the real user problem, the honest scope and the actual cost on the table first, so the build quote that follows is one you can hold us to. Across 50+ projects since 2019, the discovery-first ones have run smoother — and when a sprint ends in 'don't build it', that answer is far cheaper than a failed build.

Can you train our team as part of the strategy work?

Yes — AI literacy workshops sit in this same group, from £3,000 for a team training programme. They're hands-on sessions built around your actual workflows: what AI can and can't do, how to use it safely with company data, and prompting that holds up. They pair well with a readiness assessment — the assessment finds the opportunities, and the training means your staff can run with them.

Idea & Product Validation UK

Strategy & Validation

Prove an idea is worth building — and get a costed plan — before engineering starts.

AI readiness assessment One week, three calls, and a map of where AI and automation will save you the most time and money.
Product discovery A structured sprint that turns a rough idea into a validated, costed product plan.
Technology consulting Independent advice on tools, architecture and roadmap, from engineers who build.
AI literacy workshops Hands-on AI training for your staff — what it can and can't do, and how to use it safely.
AI strategy consulting A use-case shortlist and a costed AI roadmap, agreed before you spend on a build.
Rebuild discovery A fixed-price discovery for one outgrown system — rebuild, rewrite or refactor, decided before you build.
Legacy modernisation An estate-wide assessment and costed 6 R's roadmap — which legacy systems to leave, replatform or replace.

Ideas we put to the test first

Validation looks different on every project — a safety app that hit 1,500 downloads within 3 months of launch, a clickable prototype readied for user testing before any code was written, and a purpose-built iPad tool we prototyped for a client's surveyors to draw measured floorplans on site.

Becon

A smart personal safety app that watches over everyday journeys, checks in automatically when something seems wrong, and alerts your chosen contacts if you can't respond.
Read more
Workitude

The design and interactive prototype for Workitude, an employee wellbeing app. CodeLeap shaped the UI, built a clickable Figma prototype and set it up for user testing before any development began.
Read more
NicheCom

NicheCom, which produces floorplans at scale for estate agents, partnered with CodeLeap to prototype a purpose-built iPad app for their field surveyors.
Read more

See more case studies

Our approach

The method our strategy services share — evidence before budget, tools we use daily, and a plain recommendation at the end, even when it's 'don't'.

ROI-first shortlisting

Every idea and use case gets a cost and a saving attached before it gets a place in any plan — payback ranks the list.
Discovery sprints

1–2 weeks of structured research from £4,000 — user evidence, honest scope and a costed plan instead of months of guessing.
Figma prototypes

Ideas become clickable Figma prototypes readied for user testing — evidence from behaviour, not meeting-room consensus.
OpenAI & Claude

AI use cases get prototyped on the OpenAI models we've shipped with, and on Anthropic's Claude where it fits — capability tested, not assumed.
Fixed-price scopes

Every engagement is a fixed price agreed upfront — advice billed by the meter has a way of running long.
Costed roadmaps

Recommendations arrive with £ estimates and payback periods — decisions become arithmetic your board can check.
An honest 'not yet'

Some engagements end in a recommendation not to build — the cheapest outcome we sell, and we mean it.
And much more

This is what comes up most often, not a limit. Bring us something that isn't on this list and we'll get up to speed on it — working with something new is the job, not an obstacle.

What our clients are saying

Real reviews from clients we have delivered for, on Clutch and elsewhere.

4.9 via Clutch

The enthusiasm, understanding of our mission, and passion from the first few minutes of the call were the deciding factors in choosing CodeLeap. Within 3 months of our app launching, we had over 1,500 downloads, appeared in leading publications from Forbes, The Metro, Marie Claire, Women's Fitness and many more, and started raising further investment.

Charlie CEO, Becon
They are incredibly diligent in the quality of work they produce, and go above and beyond when it comes to solving issues faced within the project, and to ensure we meet strict project deadlines. You never feel like you are one of many clients, and they ensure they are always there to help with any need you have, no matter how big or small.

Amelia Parmiter Marketing Manager, AWS - Marble
CodeLeap made me feel like my options were limitless in terms of what could be achieved, which was critical to me as we were creating something very unique. I'm glad I chose Codeleap over a large corporation as the personable approach resulted in a smooth and pleasant experience.

James CEO, Bearable
Working with CodeLeap was a very good experience from both a professional and personal point of view. These people know what they are doing and are both efficient and clever and made a good partner. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend CodeLeap.

John CEO, Neurometrics-Diab
CodeLeap adds so much value and goes above and beyond what I expected. CodeLeap's team is very flexible with all the different requests we've put in front of them. They've also been great with the whole business side of things, and being able to forecast for this industry is really helpful. Overall, I'm completely satisfied with their work — they've been incredibly helpful.

Johanne CEO, Cherry
Their flexibility and focus on quality were outstanding.

Mike Fenna CTO, Kite Insights
Marcelo has been wonderful throughout the process and we are very happy.

Amrit Director, Energy Company
Absolutely FANTASTIC. This is very much what I had in mind. We're very pleased with your team, thank you all very much.

Rich Director, Legal Company

See all reviews on Clutch

Recognised by the industry

Independent rankings from Clutch, The Manifest, SME News and the National Digital Awards.

Flexible, transparent pricing

AI readiness assessment

1 week programme
- 3 calls with our most experienced leaders
- Your data, workflows and team skills mapped
- Research and proposal package to keep
- Honest verdict where AI isn't worth it
- Fixed price, no obligation to build
£3,000
Book a free consultation
Discovery sprint

1–2 weeks
- User and market research
- The smallest useful product defined
- A validated, costed product plan
- An honest call if it isn't viable yet
- Everything yours, whoever builds it
From £4,000
Book a free consultation
Other CodeLeap services

One team · every stage
Contact us

Any questions? We're here to answer

Everything you might want to know before starting a project with us.

It depends on the question you need answered. If you run an established business and want to know where AI or automation would pay back, start with the AI readiness assessment — £3,000 for one week. If you have a product idea that needs proving, a discovery sprint from £4,000 fits better. If you're weighing tools, architecture or someone else's proposal, technology consulting is the one. A short call will settle it either way.
A costed plan you can act on — with us or anyone else. Depending on the service, that's a ranked list of AI opportunities with estimated ROIs, a validated product plan with honest scope and price, or a clickable Figma prototype readied for user testing. Everything is yours to keep. Sometimes the deliverable is an honest 'not yet' — the cheapest result we offer, and we mean that as a feature.
Days, not months. The AI readiness assessment runs over one week; a discovery sprint takes one to two, a little longer if you extend it to a clickable prototype. That's deliberate — validation should be a small, fast spend that tells you whether the larger one is worth making. If the build then goes ahead, it typically runs around three months from design to launch.
The plan converts into a scoped, fixed-price build agreed before anything starts — follow-on builds from our assessments start from £8,000. The same team carries the work into our product development and AI & automation services, so nothing is lost in a handover. And because you own the research and the plan outright, you're equally free to take it to another team instead.
Because a quote against an unvalidated idea is a guess dressed as a number. Validation puts the real user problem, the honest scope and the actual cost on the table first, so the build quote that follows is one you can hold us to. Across 50+ projects since 2019, the discovery-first ones have run smoother — and when a sprint ends in 'don't build it', that answer is far cheaper than a failed build.
Yes — AI literacy workshops sit in this same group, from £3,000 for a team training programme. They're hands-on sessions built around your actual workflows: what AI can and can't do, how to use it safely with company data, and prompting that holds up. They pair well with a readiness assessment — the assessment finds the opportunities, and the training means your staff can run with them.