AppGenie
Cursor for Product Managers
An AI native product development platform that facilitates the creation and maintenance of quality software.
Ian Lancaster | Founder · ian@appgenie.ai
YC S26 Applicant
Pre-Seed
The Full Vision
One Platform, Every Stage
AppGenie assists with the entire software development lifecycle — replacing fragmented tools across every stage of the product development process.
Strategy
Product strategy
Research
Product and user research
Ideas & Features
Prioritization, requirements
UX & UI Design
User interface and experience
Delivery
Release, deployment
Tests
Automated testing
Analytics & Monitors
Insights, performance tracking
Docs & Support
Documentation, help
The Problem
Intent Gets Lost at Every Handoff
Product teams waste weeks translating intent into specs that developers then reinterpret. Misalignments compound into rework, bugs, trust erosion, and real business costs.
Product Owner
Translates customer conversations into requirements
Designer
Interprets requirements visually
Engineer
Reinterprets through tickets, constrained by technical realities
QA
Infers what should be tested to validate original intent
Where We Start
The Feature Hierarchy Is the Foundation
The full vision is broad. We start where it matters most: the feature hierarchy.
Define what the product does in detail → automatically generate end-to-end tests that validate it → no room for mistakes when building the software.
The feature hierarchy is the core data model that everything else builds on.
The Solution
From Plain Language to Executable Tests
AppGenie lets teams define features, model UX flows, and write scenarios in plain language. The platform compiles these into structured specs and automatically generates end-to-end tests.
One continuous pipeline from product intent to validated, working software.
Coding agents like Claude Code and Cursor read from AppGenie via MCP and validate against the generated tests — closing the loop from intent to working software.
How It Works
Five Steps to Executable Specs
01
Scaffold Features
Drag-and-drop interface for building a feature hierarchy
02
Define Stories & Flows
User stories, UX flows, and scenarios for each feature
03
Build Test Instructions
Reference the sitemap and page object model
04
Compile to Gherkin
Scenarios become executable Gherkin specs automatically
05
AI Generates Tests
Playwright tests that validate each scenario
PMs describe their product to the Genie Assistant, and it builds out the feature hierarchy and design-linked BDD scenarios for them.
Key Innovation
Self-Healing Tests
On the first run, the Playwright MCP opens a browser, figures out how to accomplish the Gherkin scenario, writes its own E2E test, and caches it.
First Run
AI-powered, uses tokens to author the test
Subsequent Runs
Cached, fast, zero token cost
On Failure
AI agent diagnoses and fixes automatically
Product managers define features in enough detail that the tests generate themselves. Developers never write E2E tests — they satisfy them.
Developer Experience
Hybrid Web + Desktop Application
AppGenie ships as both a web app and an Electron desktop app. The desktop app has the unique advantage of running tests directly against localhost for features in active development.
1
Run Side-by-Side
Desktop app runs next to the IDE during development. Web app handles everything else.
2
See Failing Tests
A defined feature shows a failing test — the spec is the target
3
Write Code Until Green
Implementation code until the test passes
Core Technology
Every Action Is an Agent Tool
Every action a user can take on the platform is also exposed as a tool for internal and external AI agents — connected via MCP.
Genie Assistant
Describe your product → it scaffolds the entire feature hierarchy in natural language
MCP Server
Coding agents (Claude Code, Cursor) connect via MCP to read feature definitions, run generated tests, and write data back
CI/CD Pipelines
Trigger test runs and automation via API
Multi-Agent Collaboration
Multiple agents share a live, consistent view via real-time PowerSync sync
AppGenie is the source of truth. Coding agents are the builders. MCP is the bridge.
Competitive Landscape
Why This Wins
The workflow is the moat.
AppGenie is the only platform that connects product intent → executable specs → self-healing tests → generated code. End to end.
AppGenie doesn't replace coding agents. It's the layer they're missing. Define the intent, generate the tests, and let existing agents build and validate against them via MCP.
Under the Hood
Technical Differentiation
Local-First Architecture
PowerSync sync, works offline, instant UI — real-time updates across 100% of the UI
Event Sourcing
Full undo/redo, audit trail, every action traceable
Electron Desktop App
Runs Playwright tests directly on localhost
Self-Healing Tests
AI-generated, cached, automatically maintained
Multi-Agent Ready
MCP server, Claude integration, agent-friendly UI
Enterprise Tenant Architecture
Organizations, row-level security, and isolated multi-tenant data
This is not a prototype. This is production-grade infrastructure.
Market Opportunity
At the Convergence of Three Massive Markets
$30B+
Dev Tools
Software development tools by 2035 (from $7.5B today). Source: Business Research Insights, 2025
$21B
Test Automation
Test automation market today, growing at 17% CAGR. Source: Fortune Business Insights, 2025
$5B+
PM Software
growing 10-15% annually. Source: Verified Market Research, 2025
AppGenie sits at the intersection where these three markets converge — product definition, test automation, and dev tooling unified into a single workflow.
Business Model
Land and Expand
Individual
$20–30/month
Team / Enterprise
$50–80/seat/month
Growth Strategy
- Module-based upselling: Core platform free or low cost, AI features as premium tier
- Land with product teams → expand into engineering orgs
YC Validation
A Direct Answer to YC's Request for Startups
"Imagine a tool where you… ask 'what should we build next?' and get the outline of a new feature… The tool would also propose specific changes to your product's UI, data model, and workflows, and would break down the development tasks so they could be handled by your favorite coding agent."— Andrew Miklas, YC Partner
YC published a Request for Startups specifically calling for "Cursor for Product Managers." AppGenie is a direct answer. Application is in review for S26.
Founder
Ian Lancaster
BuildOps
Led frontend engineering from 5 customers → $1B+ valuation
Principal Engineer
8+ years in Denver tech ecosystem
Education
BS Business Administration & Marketing, CU Denver · Turing School of Software & Design
AppGenie MVP
Built solo: monorepo, local-first DB, AI agents, Hybrid Web / Electron app
Open Role
Looking for a Business Co-Founder
I stay laser-focused on customers and product. You drive growth and run the business.
You Own
- Sales & enterprise GTM
- Marketing & demand generation
- Fundraising & investor relations
- Board management & corporate governance
- HR, legal & business operations
Ideal Background
- Former founder or early startup operator
- Has sold to developers or engineering teams
- Comfortable leading investor conversations
- Direct, low-ego, moves fast
Equity: 15–25%, standard 4-year vesting
The Ultimate Vision
The Orchestration Layer for AI-Driven Development
The MVP is done
This isn't an idea. It's a product.
AI agents are crossing the threshold
From "helpful" to "primary author" of code
How teams communicate "what to build" must change
YC is actively looking for someone to build this
AppGenie is the foundation
Point A: precise definition. Point B: reliable validation. Coding agents bridge A to B. AppGenie provides both endpoints.