Lemon.io, a curated tech talent marketplace that has connected startups and SMB companies with vetted engineers since 2015, has expanded its offering beyond developer matching into one-stop tech project delivery. The extended offering now covers everything from individual developer hiring and staff augmentation to fully managed software, MVP, and AI development projects.
Lemon.io expands beyond developer matching into fully managed software delivery, helping companies access senior tech talent and end-to-end project support.
Leading the launch are three flagship services for founders and product teams that need more end-to-end support: software development, building MVPs, and AI development. Rather than simply matching clients with individual developers, these services bring together a dedicated team tailored to each product, with a dedicated product manager serving as the main point of contact and coordinating the developers and additional specialists the project requires.
"We've always focused on giving companies access to exceptional technical talent. But great developers are only one part of successfully building a product. With managed delivery, we're adding the product and leadership needed to bring that talent together around a clear goal, keep the project on track, and take it through to launch," said Aleksandr Volodarsky, CEO of Lemon.io.
The move addresses a need Lemon.io has seen among its customers: companies without a CTO or technical co-founder often need more than access to talent — they need clear scope, accountability, and someone to lead delivery. Clients explain what they need, and the dedicated product manager from Lemon.io defines the scope, budget, and team required to deliver it. Once the scope is agreed, Lemon.io takes full ownership of delivery.
Software Development: A PM-Led Team in 24–48 Hours: Through its new software development service, Lemon.io pairs clients with a delivery lead/project manager and a team of vetted senior developers — sourced specifically for the project within 24 to 48 business hours. The model is built for teams at capacity, companies with frozen headcount, and founders without a CTO who need to keep critical work moving. The custom software development service also supports cross-functional initiatives—from payments to AI and mobile—without the fixed overhead of building an in-house team.
MVP Development: From Idea to Launch in Under Three Months: For early-stage founders, Lemon.io's MVP software development service helps turn an idea into a testable product in around two to three months. Each project starts with a dedicated product manager who scopes the MVP, identifies the core user journey, and prioritizes the features needed to validate the idea. Where there are technical or product uncertainties, the team can prototype and test them before development begins, helping prevent unnecessary scope from slowing the launch. The typical scoping phase takes one to two weeks, with MVP development taking around two to three months from kickoff to release.
AI Development: Senior AI Engineers Fully Managed End-to-End: Lemon.io's AI development service gives companies access to its network of more than 1,500 senior AI engineers — specialists in machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, generative AI, and AI agents — all coordinated by a single delivery manager with an AI engineering background. Clients share their goal and data, receive a scope and budget within roughly 24 hours, and are matched with a working proof of concept in two to six weeks, or a production-ready system in two to four months.
Costs typically range from $16,000–$25,000 for a basic MVP, while more complex products in areas such as fintech, health tech, or AI can reach $40,000–$60,000+ depending on their technical and security requirements. Engineers on the AI team bill at $40 to $90 per hour, well below typical U.S. market rates of $150 to $250 per hour for comparable seniority, and every engagement includes documentation so clients can continue development in-house.
The expansion comes as the developer marketplace category continues to consolidate. Arc.dev, which operates alongside Codementor, is now owned by Toptal, according to Arc's published privacy policy. Lemon.io is taking a different approach, expanding beyond talent matching to provide product and delivery leadership alongside its existing developer network.
