From idea to production, with a CTO in the room.
Dr James Cannan helps you scope the product, builds the first version properly, and stays on as your technical advisor. Much of what a technical co-founder brings, without giving away half the company.
If it is not the right fit, James will tell you on the first call.
You own the code and the IP from day one.
James has built with
Mentix
- TMCx
- 20+ years
- writing code since 2005
- PhD
- Computer Science, hands on the code
- Founding engineer
- on Mentix and SERVE medical platforms
- One partner
- from first prototype to launch and hiring
How it works
You bring the business. We build it with you.
Most founders do not need another supplier. They need someone on their side who can make the technical calls and stay involved until the product is earning.
- Step 1
Validate
Pressure-test the idea with real users before anything is built. Cut what does not matter.
Week 1 - Step 2
Prototype
A working version in days, so you can show investors and customers something real.
Weeks 1 to 3 - Step 3
Build
The first production release on web and mobile, with security, limits, and the foundations in place. AI tools where they help.
Weeks 3 to 12 - Step 4
Launch
Store and web launch, analytics, and support for real users.
Launch week - Step 5
Scale
Hire or partner for the longer-term team, with James as interim CTO until it can run on its own.
Ongoing
What you bring
- The problem, the customers, and the domain knowledge
- Decisions on business, pricing, and brand
- Time each week to test and give feedback
What James brings
- Product, architecture, and the technical decisions
- Design and build across mobile, web, and AI
- Trusted delivery partners when the team needs to grow
The era of vibe coding
We can all vibe code now. Building it right still takes experience.
AI tools get you to a working prototype in days. James uses them every day and knows exactly where they fall over: missed API limits, user access rights done wrong, and architecture that works for 100 users but falls apart at 10,000. Skip that, and you are borrowing against your own codebase. The repayments arrive as security holes and rewrites.
Vibe coded demo
Viable product
Keys in the browser
Secrets server side
No limits on AI calls
Rate limits and usage caps
Open database rules
Locked down, backed up
Breaks quietly
Monitored and alerted
Rewrite on first hire
Clean handover
Selected work
Recent builds, from first idea to handover.
Medical platforms James shipped as founding engineer, plus client and own-product work through Unique Interactions. Scroll through and pick one to open.
Mentix
Streaming is solved. Mentorship is not.
Surgical mentorship on demand: trainee, mentor, and sponsor portals, live guidance, competency records, and Mentix TV. From clinical requirements to a working platform surgeons could use.
- 3 weeks
- to first prototype
- < 3 months
- to full platform
- 1 engineer
- end to end
Built by James as founding engineer at The Utopia Studio, with Dr Amyn Haji and the Mentix team.
Read the Mentix case notes
MiniMe Squad
Your photo becomes a tiny hero.
A photo becomes a tiny game character, then your squad defends the house from bugs and ten bosses. James's test bed for the newest AI tools, from photo-to-character generation to AI-made films.
- 100
- levels
- 10
- bosses
- 114
- test suites
Published by Unique Interactions Ltd. A course on how it was built is coming soon.
See the MiniMe story →
Compare Wealth Managers
Sales and ops systems behind a wealth comparison platform: call analysis, follow-ups, meeting summaries, CRM cleanup. The team reported getting half their day back.
- 50%+
- sales efficiency
- 15+ hrs
- saved each week
- 1 team
- got their day back
Client engagement through Unique Interactions.
Read the case notes →
Will AI Replace Me
A public tool that maps AI risk across jobs. Started as research into where automation really lands, and now used by people checking their own roles.
Live at willaireplaceme.io
Open the tool ↗
Dr James Cannan
Founder, engineer, interim CTO
About James
You work with James directly, from first call to launch.
Unique Interactions is Dr James Cannan's company. He is a technical founder, engineer, and interim CTO, and has been writing code since 2005, including health and medical products where getting it wrong is not an option.
Founders bring him in when the next technical call could cost six months, when a prototype needs to become something people pay for, or when they need someone who has done it before. Hardware accelerators in Shenzhen, medical tech in Houston, venture studio builds, research that touched NASA. Unique Interactions is how he works with clients.
Still builds
PhD Computer Science. Hands on the code and the architecture, not just the deck.
Has done it before
Accelerators, health tech, and production launches. He knows what breaks after the demo.
Close to every product
Stays involved until the product is earning, instead of handing it to a junior team.
India build partners
Expert oversight. A delivery team we already trust.
When the build needs more hands, you do not have to gamble on a random outsource firm. Unique Interactions partners with a senior India team James has shipped with across multiple projects. James oversees the product, and they add capacity at a cost that makes longer builds possible.
Expert in the loop
James scopes the work, sets the architecture, and stays on quality and deadlines. You are not left managing a remote team alone.
Vetted across projects
Not a marketplace hire. A partner team Unique Interactions has already delivered with more than once, so the working rhythm is proven.
Built for the budget
Lower-cost development capacity for the heavy lift, without giving up a senior technical lead who knows what good looks like.
Fit check
Is this right for you?
Honest answers on both sides save months. If it is not a fit, James will say so on the first call.
A good fit
- Non-technical founder with a real problem and customers who feel it
- You want a technical partner, not a ticket-taking supplier
- Health or medical platforms, or anything that needs a high standard
- Budget set aside and ready to start within about six months
Probably not
- Cheapest possible build with no involvement from you
- Template site by Friday
- An idea you would not spend your own money on yet
- You want a sales pitch rather than a working product
FAQ
Questions founders ask first
Anything else, ask James directly. You will get a straight answer.
I have already vibe coded a prototype. Can you work with it?
Yes, and it is a good starting point. We keep what users validated, then add what a real product needs: authentication, usage and API limits, security, a proper data model, and tests. The readiness check on the Prototype to Product page shows the gaps in two minutes.
Do you work with non-technical founders?
That is most of the work. Trade-offs are explained in plain business terms, and the technical decisions are made with you, so you always know what is being built and why.
What does working together look like?
From validating the idea through to launch, with James involved throughout. It can be a fixed scope, interim CTO, or a mix, agreed before any work starts.
Can you take over a Lovable or Replit prototype?
Yes. We keep what users validated, and rebuild authentication, data model, security, and tests so it survives real traffic.
Who owns the IP?
You do. Code lives in your repositories and accounts from day one.
Do you still help with operations automation?
Yes. AI automation is where Unique Interactions started, and it is still part of the work. Compare Wealth Managers is a good example. The AI automation page has the detail, a free playbook, and a self-serve diagnostic.
How does the India partner team work?
James scopes the work and stays on architecture and quality. Day-to-day build sits with an India team Unique Interactions has already shipped with on multiple projects. You get expert oversight and lower-cost delivery. Fees and any referral arrangement are clear before you start.
Talk it through with James.
A 30-minute call with James. You leave knowing what to do next: prototype, build, CTO support, or a partner introduction.