StarterStep
StarterStep LLC is an Irving, Texas-based professional services firm co-founded by Jake Dempsey and Brian Knorr that helps companies build scalable full-stack software products, delivers coaching and mentoring to engineering teams, and provides strategic planning from experienced entrepreneurs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersIrving, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What StarterStep does
StarterStep LLC is a privately held professional services firm headquartered in Irving, Texas, that helps companies build and scale software products. It was co-founded by Jake Dempsey and Brian Knorr and operates with a team of 1-10 employees. The firm delivers three service lines: full-stack product development (taking clients "from whiteboard to revenue" by building scalable applications), coaching and mentoring for engineering teams, and strategic planning reviews conducted by experienced entrepreneurs. Six enterprise client engagements are publicly cited as build references, spanning outdoor e-commerce (Backcountry), contingent workforce management (ZeroChaos), oil and gas distribution (Oily Tools), talent assessment (YouScience), fashion retail customization (Ralph Lauren/RL CYO), and vacation rental distribution (LeisureLink).
The underlying technology approach is described as "progressive technologies" with multi-stack flexibility, and the firm emphasizes collaborative selection of tooling rather than a proprietary platform. Notable technical assets are the iOS applications delivered for clients (distributed via the Apple App Store) and the founders' mobile development experience — Brian Knorr is positioned as the senior mobile architect. There are no patents, registered trademarks, certifications, public APIs, SDKs, or disclosed integrations in the source material.
The business model is purely professional-services based: revenue is generated per engagement across product development, coaching/mentoring, and strategic planning streams. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, with no documented paid marketing, channel partnerships, or referral programs. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, no external funding has been raised, and there is no parent company or subsidiary structure. The firm operates only from its Irving, Texas headquarters and shows no social media footprint, no regulatory actions, and no material commercial expansion signals beyond its existing service triad and case-study portfolio.
StarterStep firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- StarterStep
- Legal name
- StarterStep LLC
- Website
- https://starterstep.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- StarterStep LLC is an Irving, Texas-based professional services firm co-founded by Jake Dempsey and Brian Knorr that helps companies build scalable full-stack software products, delivers coaching and mentoring to engineering teams, and provides strategic planning from experienced entrepreneurs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
StarterStep industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Unclassified
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Platform Engineering & Internal Developer Platforms (IDP) (BPAEAKAC)
Keywords
Where StarterStep is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Irving
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
StarterStep business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Professional Services - Product Development: Custom software development services helping companies go from whiteboard to revenue, building scalable full stack products.
- Coaching/Mentoring Services: Professional coaching and mentoring services tailored to fit client needs, helping teams improve their capabilities.
- Strategic Planning Services: Consulting services with experienced entrepreneurs who provide strategic guidance and product planning assistance.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
StarterStep product offering
Product offeringCore offering
No source data was provided in the input to describe StarterStep's core offerings.
Product overview
StarterStep LLC is a technology services firm offering three core service offerings: Product Development (full-stack application design and build), Coaching/Mentoring (professional team development), and Strategic Planning (product concept evaluation and business strategy). The company does not operate a product platform; instead, it provides professional services using progressive technologies to help clients build scalable solutions and accelerate time to market. Example applications the company has built for clients include Backcountry (outdoor gear e-commerce), ZeroChaos (workforce management), Oily Tools (distributor earnings and business tools), YouScience (talent optimization), RL CYO (retail customization), and LeisureLink (vacation rental distribution).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use StarterStep
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
StarterStep technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
StarterStep partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights2 records
StarterStep competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Accenture: Accenture is the largest global IT services and digital transformation firm, with practices spanning custom software development, technology strategy, and team enablement. It competes with StarterStep only for the largest enterprise deals but defines the upper bound of the market StarterStep participates in.
- IDEO: IDEO is a globally renowned design and innovation consultancy that helps corporates and startups stress-test and build new products. StarterStep's strategic planning + product development bundle competes for similar "experienced entrepreneurs reviewing your next big thing" engagements, though IDEO operates at much larger scale.
Emerging players
- Andela: Andela provides talent matching, team augmentation, and technical coaching for engineering organizations, mirroring StarterStep's combined product-build + team coaching offering for companies needing to scale development capacity quickly.
- Pluralsight: Pluralsight is a technology skills platform that provides coaching, assessments, and learning paths for engineering teams — directly comparable to StarterStep's Coaching/Mentoring service line for technology teams.
Direct peers
- Atomic Object: Atomic Object is a US-based custom software product development consultancy that designs and builds full-stack applications for clients across industries. It mirrors StarterStep's "whiteboard to revenue" product development model with a similar boutique, founder-led delivery style.
- Underdog Studios: Underdog is a small US boutique engineering and product development shop that builds custom mobile and web apps for startups and enterprises. It is a close structural match in size, stack flexibility, and direct-to-client engagement style.
- Bounteous: Bounteous is a digital product agency that partners with brands to build custom web, mobile, and e-commerce experiences. It competes directly with StarterStep for enterprise digital product builds in retail and consumer, the same verticals where StarterStep has marquee wins like Backcountry and Ralph Lauren.
- Slalom: Slalom is a global consulting firm with deep practices in technology, product development, and team coaching/strategy work for enterprise clients. Overlap with StarterStep is strongest in the product-build + strategic advisory bundle aimed at mid-market and enterprise customers.
- Thoughtworks: Thoughtworks is a global technology consultancy specializing in custom software product development, platform engineering, and digital strategy for enterprise clients. It is a scaled version of StarterStep's core offering — full-stack product development with strategic advisory — competing for many of the same enterprise engagements.
- Pivotal Labs: Pivotal Labs pioneered the "build the product with you" consulting model — embedding engineers with client teams to ship full-stack applications — which is structurally identical to StarterStep's "augment your existing team" product development offering.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat1 record
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
StarterStep social profiles
Digital presenceStarterStep financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
StarterStep leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
StarterStep funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
StarterStep M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about StarterStep
What does StarterStep do?
No source data was provided in the input to describe StarterStep's core offerings.
Is StarterStep a public or private company?
StarterStep is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was StarterStep founded?
StarterStep was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is StarterStep based?
StarterStep is headquartered in Irving, United States, in the North America region.
How does StarterStep make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Professional Services - Product Development is the primary driver. The others are coaching/Mentoring Services and strategic Planning Services.
Who are StarterStep's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Accenture and IDEO. Emerging players are Andela and Pluralsight. Direct peers are Atomic Object, Underdog Studios, Bounteous, Slalom, Thoughtworks and Pivotal Labs.
Does StarterStep have an API?
No public API is recorded for StarterStep.
What industry is StarterStep in?
StarterStep's product category is Unclassified. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAKAC, Platform Engineering & Internal Developer Platforms (IDP). Its NAICS code is 61171.