Project Discovery Service


Camera Product Idea Validation with Project Discovery Service


We know that founders care much about the costs, time, feasibility, investors and buyers. Rhonda Software Discovery Service provides a valuable support for startups, helping them realize camera product ideas without spending too much time, effort and money.


“Hardware is Hard” and hardware startups, like no others, need the help of a professional, experienced team both at the very beginning and during the product development life cycle.  Avoiding known, common mistakes that kill startups, will significantly increase the startup's chances for success.

We know the hiding places of those deep-sea rocks and we will help you avoid wrecking yourself when stumbling upon them.

rhonda software smart camera ai startup prototype software
Broad decision-making chart


Let’s face it, not every startup becomes a unicorn, and we all know that in general ~90% of startups fail. While there are various reasons for failure, many of which are hard to predict, there are known variables one can control.

Product-Market Fit

Every product starts with a great idea but the structure, level, and depth of the initial requirements might put the entire project at a massive risk. There will be no choice but to postpone the innovative project. This is especially true for companies with a smaller budget, and it is also particularly costly for innovative products that are looking to beat the competition and enter the market faster. At Rhonda Software, we help startups develop products from the initial idea and identify problems early, to help achieve Product-Market fit.

The Cost of Human Resources

Maintaining a full-time in-house engineering team is expensive and requires significant up-front HR-related expenses.  Outsourcing the engineering team is where Rhonda Software can help with dedicated expert resources, assigned to optimize and level up the efficiency of a team engaged.

Underestimating Development Costs

Hidden costs, patents and license fees have buried many startups. A hardware startup can quickly run up patent expenses in the hundreds of thousands of dollars!

Low-volume manufacturing requires significant up-front investment and in the early stages it can be very risky. Rhonda Software resources include professional laboratories, equipment, pre-designed solutions, off-the-shelf Ambarella-based SoM platforms to provide risk-free, low-volume development and production options at minimal costs.

In addition to that, Rhonda’s extensive, global partner ecosystem provides access to the buying power, which helps reduce expenses for prototyping and hardware Proof of Concept.

rhonda software  global partner ecosystem
Rhonda Software's global partner ecosystem

Rhonda Software's expertise in optimizing BOM (Bill of Material) costs is gained with hundreds of developed projects. We take into account the longevity of each hardware component and select the most optimal solution to align with the long-term vision. Our industrial design partners serve as a fundamental building block in helping to create the best design aesthetics at a reasonable price.

Underestimating the costs required during the camera research and design phase results in founders falling for cheap deals in the camera design market. The stories where founders end up exceeding their initial budgets by several folds, without achieving the final goal -  are very real. Our objective is to optimize the development ROI while offering hard-to-find engineering experience, knowledge, and expertise. The technology developed by Rhonda Software serves as a foundational block for helping startups design and build their own IP. By leveraging Rhonda Software's HW platforms, startups can significantly expedite development, save costs and avoid risks. 

Cash Flow and Financing

We understand startup's budget limitations, and this is why we offer flexible and personalized, either royalty, milestones or stage-based payment options. This helps bring the idea to life one step at a time.

We know that most startups require external funding and might engage different types of investors at different stages. We help startups understand the mindsets of those investors and how to best formulate their pitch and product development plan to secure the next round of funding. We encourage startups to perform a proof-of-concept (POC) to localize any hidden or unforeseen risks that can manifest in production. A minimum viable product (MVP) is often used in connection with crowdfunding via platforms like “Kickstarter” or “Indiegogo”.

Gone are the days when business angels gave money only for ideas.  These days investors do not trust HW startups without a strong team of engineers and experts behind them. Rhonda Software engineering is here to defend your idea with you.

Even with well-defined requirements, it is highly practical to document detailed system requirements to inform technical and business decisions, optimize the development budget, evaluate risks and limitations, and ultimately avoid very costly mistakes during the concept development/prototyping phases.

The good news is that here at Rhonda Software we love the engineering part and the technical complexity of camera making. We love solving problems that often arise during the development phase, which potentially (and let's be frank) very often close or freeze projects because they were not taken into consideration.

rhonda software project discovery service
Project Discovery Service: the path from Idea to MVP

How to engage with Rhonda Software to obtain Discovery Service


1. Bring your idea to us! This could be a high-level requirement along with concept drawing

2. We will review and evaluate your idea to see if and how we can help

3. When we agree to move forward, we will propose a Discovery project to evaluate the feasibility and risks

4. The “Discovery” will last ~30-60 days

5. We will assign a team consisting of a project manager, system architect, experts and engineers who are most qualified and highly effective in determining how to realize the full potential of your idea

6. The project team will collaborate with you on a regular basis, report results, and seek solutions

7. Upon commencement of the “Discovery" you will receive professional, comprehensive, presentation-ready material that will allow you to move forward with your decision-making:

  • Detailed Statement of Work for POC, Prototyping or Production
  • System Requirements and Architecture Specification
  • System Architecture & Interaction Diagrams
  • Confirmed feasibility of requested Camera features
  • Bill of Materials Costs
  • Budget and Schedule Estimate Delivery

Rhonda Software is a full-service, trusted Ambarella design partner with over 25 years of experience and hundreds of successfully completed camera projects. We have worked with dozens of startups helping them to breathe life into their camera product ideas, grow their business, saving excessive time, effort and financial resources. Let’s transform your new camera idea into reality!

Talk to our tech leads today to evaluate your idea.