Hili
6-month timeline compressed to 3 months for app launch
The Challenge
Hili had a 6-month timeline to launch their mobile app but needed to compress it significantly to capture market opportunity. They required both mobile expertise and strategic guidance to make the right technical decisions.
The Approach
- 01Re-architected initial prototype for production scalability
- 02Built cross-platform mobile app with React Native
- 03Implemented robust backend API with Node.js and AWS infrastructure
- 04Established CI/CD pipeline for rapid iteration
Tech Stack
Results
"Mish didn't just code—he became our technical co-founder for 3 months. His strategic decisions saved us from major architectural mistakes."— Hili CEO
The Full Story
The Situation
Hili had an ambitious vision for a mobile-first platform connecting people through shared experiences. Their initial prototype showed promise, but turning it into a production-ready app felt like climbing a mountain.
The founding team had domain expertise but needed technical leadership to navigate the build phase. Previous estimates put launch at 6+ months away—too slow for a market that was heating up fast.
The Constraints
- Timeline: Needed to launch in time for a key market window
- Platform: iOS and Android required simultaneously
- Team: Non-technical founders who needed to understand and own the technical direction
- Scale: Architecture needed to handle growth without immediate rewrites
The Approach
Rather than just building, I embedded as a fractional CTO—making strategic decisions alongside the founders while driving hands-on execution.
Foundation Phase (Weeks 1-3)
- Technical discovery and architecture design
- React Native project setup with proper patterns
- Backend API design with Node.js and Express
- Database schema design for future scalability
Build Phase (Weeks 4-9)
- Core feature development in weekly sprints
- CI/CD pipeline with GitHub Actions for rapid iteration
- Regular architecture reviews to prevent tech debt accumulation
- Direct founder collaboration on product decisions
Polish & Launch Phase (Weeks 10-12)
- Performance optimization and testing
- App Store and Play Store submission process
- Production monitoring and alerting setup
- Knowledge transfer and documentation
What We Built
A production-ready mobile application featuring:
- Cross-platform iOS and Android apps from a single React Native codebase
- Real-time features with WebSocket integration
- Push notifications with deep linking
- Offline-capable architecture
- Analytics and crash reporting integration
The Tech Decisions
Why React Native? Time-to-market was critical, and the feature set didn't require native-only capabilities. React Native let us ship to both platforms with a small team.
Why not Expo? The app required custom native modules and precise control over the build process. Bare React Native gave us that flexibility.
Backend architecture: Node.js was chosen for its ecosystem and the team's familiarity. We designed the API with REST principles but kept endpoints minimal—focusing on what the app actually needed rather than building for hypothetical future requirements.
Results
Hili launched on schedule and captured their market window. The architecture proved solid—supporting growth without requiring significant rewrites in the following months.
More importantly, the founders came out of the engagement with a deep understanding of their technical foundation. They could confidently interview engineering candidates and make informed technical decisions moving forward.
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