Product Pieces ran discovery for a Canadian startup fusing its international-freight business with an Instacart-style shopping experience for expats. We shaped the requirements and an initial build estimate the founders could take to investors. Delivered by our founder, a Toptal Top 3% product manager.
The brief.
A Canadian startup had two things: an established international-freight business, and a market-changing idea: bring the convenience of Instacart-style shopping to expats, using their own freight network to move the goods. They needed the concept shaped into requirements and an initial build estimate to raise investment against.
The challenge.
Two-sided marketplaces are hard to get right; bolting one onto a logistics operation is harder still. The opportunity was real but undefined. It wasn't clear who exactly it served, what the first version actually did, or what it would cost to build. Investors would want more than a compelling vision.
What we delivered.
A discovery engagement that shaped the requirements — the expat customer, the core shopping-to-delivery journey, and how it leaned on the existing freight network — alongside an initial build estimate grounded in real scope. Enough to define the product and put a credible number in front of investors.
The result.
The founders moved from an idea to a shaped, costed concept they could raise against. Requirements defined, a build estimate behind the pitch.