Clients Success Stories
Buzze
Neighborhood EV Charging App
Startup App, Product Development, and Long-Term Staff Augmentation.
Buzze
Overview
Buzze is a mobile app and EV charging platform designed to solve the “charging challenged” problem for electric vehicle (EV) drivers, especially renters and multifamily residents who lack convenient home charging options. The platform connects drivers to available Level 2 chargers at nearby locations, making EV charging more accessible, affordable, and community-driven.
The Challenge
When Buzze’s founder, Aaron, first approached Founders Workshop, he had a strong vision for the product but wasn’t ready to hire a CTO or product lead. He believed he needed that hire before moving forward, which posed two problems:
- Risk of a premature hire: A full-time CTO or product manager early on would likely require significant equity for an unproven role.
- Incomplete validation: Although some business idea validation had been done, there was no formal customer research to confirm actual user needs or prioritize features.
The result? A good concept without a roadmap, product clarity, or an actionable MVP plan.
How Founders Workshop Helped
Discovery and Customer Research
Founders Workshop kicked off with a structured Discovery phase. Rather than jumping straight into building, our Chief Product Officer led a disciplined research process to:
- Conduct formal interviews with prospective users and stakeholders, uncovering real pain points about EV charging access.
- Validate assumptions about usage patterns, target audiences, and feature prioritization.
MVP Definition and Launch
With validated insights, Founders Workshop helped define a Minimum Viable Product that:
- Focused the app on core value — connecting drivers to chargers with simple scheduling and payment flows.
- Reflected real user language, needs, and priorities from research.
- Provided a tangible product that could be tested in market with early adopters.
Evolving with Emerging Opportunities
Shortly after launch, Buzze identified a strategic opportunity in the EV charging space — demand from multifamily properties that lacked charging infrastructure. Founders Workshop adapted the app’s capabilities to support this emerging use case, helping Buzze position itself not just as a peer-to-peer charging app, but as a broader solution for multifamily EV charging.
Long-Term Development Support
As Buzze matured and built internal product leadership, Founders Workshop transitioned into a Staff Augmentation engagement. For over a year we:
- Provided design and development resources to accelerate feature development and maintain product velocity.
- Worked as an extension of the Buzze team, aligning with their product roadmap and technical priorities.
- Supported complex areas like scheduling, payment workflows, and administrative dashboards for property owners.
In January 2026, Founders Workshop successfully placed a full-time software engineer directly within Buzze’s organization to further internalize development capacity.
The Outcome
Validated Product and Market Fit
Through rigorous discovery and iterative development, Buzze confirmed real demand among EV drivers and property owners alike, avoiding premature technical commitments and expensive hires.
Adaptability to Market Needs
By pivoting quickly to support multifamily properties — where early charging adoption was strongest — Buzze expanded the product’s relevance and business opportunity. (Buzze)
Sustainable Growth Path
The phased engagement (Discovery → MVP → Staff Augmentation → Internal hire) enabled Buzze to grow development capacity in step with business needs, preserving runway and equity.
Team Scalability
Founders Workshop’s support helped Buzze bridge early product leadership gaps without sacrificing technical quality or strategic alignment.
What This Means for Founders
Founders Workshop doesn’t just build software — we help founders validate ideas, discover real user needs, and scale development intelligently. Buzze’s journey reflects a structured, research-driven path from concept to product and beyond, aligning execution with evolving business signals.
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