Skip to content

ROADMAP.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
574 lines (450 loc) · 13.6 KB

ROADMAP.md

File metadata and controls

574 lines (450 loc) · 13.6 KB
Raw

12-Month Execution Roadmap

Overview

This document outlines the complete 12-month execution roadmap from foundation to a fully operational payment gateway generating €50k-€100k monthly revenue.

Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)

Objectives

  • Validate customer need
  • Establish legal entity
  • Create pitch deck
  • Assemble initial team

Key Activities

Week 1: Validation & Planning

  • Schedule 15 customer interviews
  • Contact 3 fintech law firms for quotes
  • Reserve domain name and company name
  • Create 10-slide pitch deck
  • Identify potential co-founder or advisor

Week 2: Customer Discovery

  • Complete 10 customer interviews
  • Document customer pain points
  • Validate revenue model assumptions
  • Identify target customer segments
  • Gather competitive intelligence

Week 3: Legal & Financial

  • Select law firm and initiate incorporation
  • Open business bank account
  • Build detailed financial model (3-year projections)
  • Calculate unit economics (CAC, LTV)
  • Identify funding requirements

Week 4: Planning & Documentation

  • Create 12-month development roadmap
  • Define MVP feature set
  • Plan documentation completion
  • Assign team members to categories
  • Set up version control and collaboration tools

Deliverables

  • ✅ 15 customer interviews completed
  • ✅ Business incorporated
  • ✅ Pitch deck ready
  • ✅ Financial model complete
  • ✅ Development roadmap defined

Success Metrics

  • Customers confirm need for your solution
  • Law firm selected and legal work initiated
  • Financial model shows path to profitability
  • Team assembled or identified

Budget

€10,000 - €20,000

Phase 2: Documentation & Planning (Weeks 5-10)

Objectives

  • Complete technical specification
  • Finalize financial models
  • Document compliance roadmap
  • Prepare for development

Key Activities

Weeks 5-6: Critical Documentation (75 hours)

  • Architecture overview
  • Merchant onboarding procedures
  • Legal requirements
  • AML/KYC procedures

Weeks 7-8: Important Documentation (90 hours)

  • Revenue models
  • Financial projections
  • Market analysis
  • Go-to-market strategy
  • Pre-launch checklist

Weeks 9-10: Supporting Documentation (50 hours)

  • PayPal integration guide
  • Database schema
  • Settlement procedures
  • GDPR compliance

Deliverables

  • ✅ 20 new documentation files
  • ✅ Complete technical specification
  • ✅ Financial projections updated
  • ✅ Compliance procedures documented
  • ✅ Pre-launch checklist ready

Success Metrics

  • All critical documents completed
  • Team has clear technical direction
  • Financial model validated
  • Compliance roadmap defined

Budget

€15,000 - €25,000

Phase 3: Development (Weeks 11-24)

Objectives

  • Build working MVP
  • Integrate payment providers
  • Develop API
  • Complete security testing

Sprint Breakdown

Sprint 1-2: Setup & Foundation (Weeks 11-14)

  • Set up development environment
  • Configure AWS/GCP infrastructure
  • Set up CI/CD pipeline
  • Create database schema
  • Implement authentication

Sprint 3-4: Stripe Integration (Weeks 15-18)

  • Implement OAuth onboarding
  • Build merchant dashboard (basic)
  • Implement payment processing
  • Set up webhook handling
  • Create API documentation

Sprint 5-6: PayPal Integration (Weeks 19-22)

  • Implement PayPal Partner Referrals
  • Build PayPal payment flow
  • Implement PayPal webhooks
  • Test multi-provider routing
  • Create admin dashboard

Sprint 7-8: Testing & Polish (Weeks 23-24)

  • Security testing
  • Load testing
  • User acceptance testing
  • Bug fixes and optimization
  • Documentation updates

Deliverables

  • ✅ Working MVP with Stripe & PayPal
  • ✅ Merchant dashboard functional
  • ✅ API documented and tested
  • ✅ Security audit completed
  • ✅ Ready for beta testing

Success Metrics

  • 100+ successful test transactions
  • API response time <200ms
  • 99.9% uptime in staging
  • All security tests passed

Budget

€50,000 - €80,000

Phase 4: Beta Testing (Weeks 25-28)

Objectives

  • Test with real merchants
  • Collect feedback
  • Fix critical issues
  • Prepare for launch

Key Activities

Week 1: Recruit Beta Merchants

  • Identify 5-10 beta merchants
  • Onboard beta merchants
  • Provide training and support
  • Set up monitoring

Week 2-3: Beta Testing

  • Monitor system performance
  • Collect merchant feedback
  • Fix critical bugs
  • Optimize user experience
  • Document learnings

Week 4: Preparation for Launch

  • Complete compliance audit
  • Finalize legal documents
  • Prepare marketing materials
  • Train support team
  • Create launch plan

Deliverables

  • ✅ 5-10 beta merchants active
  • ✅ Feedback collected and analyzed
  • ✅ Critical issues resolved
  • ✅ Launch plan finalized
  • ✅ Team trained

Success Metrics

  • Beta merchants report positive experience
  • System handles 1000+ transactions/day
  • NPS score >40
  • All critical bugs fixed

Budget

€20,000 - €30,000

Phase 5: Compliance & Regulatory (Weeks 29-32)

Objectives

  • Achieve compliance certifications
  • Obtain regulatory approval
  • Pass security audit
  • Prepare for production

Key Activities

Week 1: Compliance Verification

  • Complete PCI DSS SAQ A
  • Verify GDPR compliance
  • Implement AML monitoring
  • Set up incident response
  • Document all procedures

Week 2: Regulatory Notification

  • Notify relevant regulators
  • Submit required documentation
  • Respond to regulator inquiries
  • Obtain necessary approvals
  • Document regulatory status

Week 3: Security Audit

  • Conduct penetration testing
  • Fix security vulnerabilities
  • Implement security recommendations
  • Document security procedures
  • Obtain security certification

Week 4: Final Preparation

  • Complete all compliance tasks
  • Verify all systems operational
  • Train team on procedures
  • Create incident response playbooks
  • Ready for launch

Deliverables

  • ✅ PCI DSS SAQ A completed
  • ✅ GDPR compliance verified
  • ✅ Security audit passed
  • ✅ Regulatory approval obtained
  • ✅ All compliance procedures documented

Success Metrics

  • All compliance requirements met
  • No security vulnerabilities
  • Regulatory approval obtained
  • Team trained on procedures

Budget

€15,000 - €25,000

Phase 6: Launch & Growth (Weeks 33-52)

Objectives

  • Go live with production system
  • Acquire initial customers
  • Optimize operations
  • Plan Series A funding

Timeline

Week 1-2: Go-Live

  • Switch to production
  • Activate monitoring and alerts
  • Launch marketing campaign
  • Announce to customers
  • Monitor system closely

Week 3-4: Early Customers

  • Onboard first 10 customers
  • Provide hands-on support
  • Collect feedback
  • Fix issues quickly
  • Celebrate wins

Month 3-4: Growth

  • Acquire 50-100 merchants
  • Optimize onboarding
  • Improve product based on feedback
  • Expand marketing efforts
  • Hire first team members

Month 4: Scale

  • Acquire 100-200 merchants
  • Optimize operations
  • Plan Series A fundraising
  • Expand feature set
  • Build strategic partnerships

Deliverables

  • ✅ Payment gateway live
  • ✅ 100+ merchants onboarded
  • ✅ €50k-€100k monthly revenue
  • ✅ Team expanded
  • ✅ Series A funding plan

Success Metrics

  • 100+ active merchants
  • €50k-€100k monthly revenue
  • <5% monthly churn
  • NPS >50
  • 99.9% uptime

Budget

€30,000 - €50,000

Timeline Summary

Phase Duration Key Milestones Budget
Phase 1: Foundation Weeks 1-4 Customer validation, legal setup, pitch deck €10k-€20k
Phase 2: Documentation Weeks 5-10 20 new documents, tech spec, compliance roadmap €15k-€25k
Phase 3: Development Weeks 11-24 Working MVP, Stripe & PayPal integration €50k-€80k
Phase 4: Beta Testing Weeks 25-28 5-10 beta merchants, feedback collected €20k-€30k
Phase 5: Compliance Weeks 29-32 PCI DSS, GDPR, security audit completed €15k-€25k
Phase 6: Launch & Growth Weeks 33-52 Go-live, 100+ merchants, €50k+ revenue €30k-€50k
TOTAL 52 weeks Fully operational payment gateway €140k-€230k

Team Composition by Phase

Phase 1: Foundation

  • 1 Founder (Full-time)

Phase 2: Documentation

  • 1 Founder (Full-time)
  • 1 Technical Lead (Part-time)
  • 1 Business Analyst (Part-time)

Phase 3: Development

  • 1 Founder (Full-time)
  • 2 Backend Engineers (Full-time)
  • 1 Frontend Engineer (Full-time)
  • 1 DevOps Engineer (Full-time)

Phase 4: Beta Testing

  • 1 Founder (Full-time)
  • 2 Backend Engineers (Full-time)
  • 1 Frontend Engineer (Full-time)
  • 1 Support Person (Full-time)

Phase 5: Compliance

  • 1 Founder (Full-time)
  • 2 Backend Engineers (Full-time)
  • 1 Compliance Officer (Full-time)
  • 1 Support Person (Full-time)

Phase 6: Launch & Growth

  • 1 Founder (Full-time)
  • 3 Backend Engineers (Full-time)
  • 1 Frontend Engineer (Full-time)
  • 1 Support Person (Full-time)
  • 1 Marketing Manager (Full-time)

Critical Success Factors

1. Customer Validation

  • Validate that customers actually need your solution
  • Get early customer feedback
  • Iterate based on feedback

2. Technical Excellence

  • Build a robust, scalable system
  • Implement security best practices
  • Monitor and optimize performance

3. Regulatory Compliance

  • Understand and follow all regulations
  • Document all procedures
  • Work with legal and compliance experts

4. Team Quality

  • Hire experienced developers
  • Build a strong compliance team
  • Invest in customer support

5. Market Execution

  • Execute GTM strategy effectively
  • Build partnerships
  • Generate word-of-mouth

Risk Mitigation

Risk Probability Impact Mitigation
Regulatory rejection Medium High Work with legal experts, engage early
Technology delays Medium Medium Use agile methodology, hire experienced team
Customer acquisition Medium High Validate market, build partnerships
Competition High Medium Focus on differentiation, move fast
Team turnover Low High Build strong culture, competitive compensation

Decision Gates

Phase 1 Gate (End of Week 4)

Go/No-Go Decision: Should we proceed with development?

Criteria:

  • ✅ 10+ customers confirm need
  • ✅ Regulatory path clear
  • ✅ Financial model shows profitability
  • ✅ Team assembled or identified

Phase 3 Gate (End of Week 24)

Go/No-Go Decision: Should we proceed to beta testing?

Criteria:

  • ✅ MVP complete and tested
  • ✅ 100+ successful test transactions
  • ✅ Security audit passed
  • ✅ API documentation complete

Phase 4 Gate (End of Week 28)

Go/No-Go Decision: Should we proceed to launch?

Criteria:

  • ✅ Beta merchants report positive experience
  • ✅ System handles 1000+ transactions/day
  • ✅ All critical bugs fixed
  • ✅ Compliance audit passed

Phase 5 Gate (End of Week 32)

Go/No-Go Decision: Should we go live?

Criteria:

  • ✅ All compliance requirements met
  • ✅ Security audit passed
  • ✅ Regulatory approval obtained
  • ✅ Team trained on procedures

Monthly Milestones

Month Milestone
Month 1 Customer validation, legal setup, pitch deck
Month 2 Documentation complete, development starts
Month 3 MVP core features complete
Month 4 Stripe & PayPal integration complete
Month 5 Testing & optimization complete
Month 6 Beta testing with 5-10 merchants
Month 7 Compliance & regulatory approval
Month 8 Security audit & final preparation
Month 9 Go-live & first customers
Month 10 50-100 merchants acquired
Month 11 100-200 merchants, Series A planning
Month 12 €50k-€100k monthly revenue

Success Looks Like

End of Phase 1

  • Validated customer need
  • Legal entity established
  • Pitch deck ready
  • Team assembled
  • Funding secured

End of Phase 2

  • 20 new documentation files
  • Technical specification complete
  • Financial model validated
  • Compliance roadmap defined
  • Development ready to start

End of Phase 3

  • Working MVP
  • Stripe & PayPal integrated
  • API documented
  • Security tested
  • Ready for beta

End of Phase 4

  • 5-10 beta merchants active
  • Positive feedback collected
  • Critical issues resolved
  • Team trained
  • Launch plan ready

End of Phase 5

  • All compliance requirements met
  • Security audit passed
  • Regulatory approval obtained
  • Team procedures documented
  • Ready to go live

End of Phase 6

  • Payment gateway live
  • 100+ merchants onboarded
  • €50k-€100k monthly revenue
  • Team expanded
  • Series A funding plan

Next Immediate Actions

This Week (9-14 hours)

  1. Customer Conversations (2-3 hours)

    • Email 5 potential customers
    • Schedule 3 calls
    • Ask about payment challenges

  2. Legal Foundation (2-3 hours)

    • Contact 3 fintech law firms
    • Get quotes for incorporation
    • Make decision by end of week

  3. Pitch Deck (4-6 hours)

    • Create 10-slide presentation
    • Use our business plan as source
    • Practice your pitch

  4. Team Assembly (1-2 hours)

    • Identify potential co-founder
    • Find technical advisor
    • Build your support network

Conclusion

You now have a complete roadmap from concept to a fully operational payment gateway generating €50k-€100k monthly revenue. The journey is 12 months, requires €140k-€230k investment, and demands focus and execution.

The key to success:

  1. Validate customer need early
  2. Build a strong team
  3. Execute with discipline
  4. Stay compliant
  5. Focus on customer success

You're ready. Let's go.

Document Version: 1.0
Last Updated: June 2026
Prepared For: Founders Ready to Execute