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Shipping FFN's Presales Engine Two Days Early

By Thakur Prashanth · October 31, 2026 · 12 min read

Shipping FFN's Presales Engine Two Days Early

Build Theory Enterprise built a complete presales system for Founders First Network (FFN) in 29 days. It went live on 13 October 2026, two days before the 15 October deadline. Three Build Theory fellows did the build, with Nymisha, Director at Poditivity and Build Theory, overseeing the technical side.

At a glance

  • Client: Founders First Network (FFN), which runs a programme called Validation Lab

  • Built by: Build Theory Enterprise, with Build Theory fellows Divya Sree, Prachothan and Madhupriya

  • Technical oversight: Nymisha, Director at Poditivity and Build Theory

  • Build started: 14 September 2026

  • Delivered: 13 October 2026, against a 15 October deadline

  • Scope: the presales funnel, from the moment a lead arrives to payment

  • Owner: FFN. Repository ownership sits with Manikanta, FFN's technical contact

  • Stack: TypeScript, React, Next.js and PostgreSQL on Supabase, hosted on Netlify

The problem: leads moved between people and tools

FFN runs Validation Lab, a programme for founders. Its presales ran through several people and several tools. A lead could start on LinkedIn, move to a qualification call, then a discovery call and pitch, then a run of follow-ups over WhatsApp, LinkedIn, decks and free trials. Leads who wanted only the community sat in a separate Excel sheet. Converted leads went into a Customer Tracker.

Each step worked on its own. The gaps were in the handoffs. It was hard to see which stage a lead was in, who owed the next message, and what had already been sent.

What Build Theory Enterprise built

One system for the whole presales funnel. Every application becomes a lead, every lead moves through the stages Lead, MQL, SQL, Customer and Advocate, and each applicant also gets a personalised hub page built from a template for their track, so the proof they read is relevant to them. Here are the five screens the FFN team works from.

Dashboard

See applications, pipeline conversion, calls and hub engagement for the whole programme on a single screen.

FFN presales dashboard showing new applications, form completion, pipeline by stage, calls this week and hub engagement

Leads board

Every applicant sits on a Kanban by stage, with effort score and call status on each card, so the team knows who to call next.

FFN leads board with applicants in Lead, MQL, SQL and Customer columns, each card showing effort score and call status

Lead detail

One founder's whole story in one place: stage, effort score, calls, and a composer to email them.

FFN lead detail page showing stage, effort score, call history and an email composer

Hub engagement

See which sections of their personalised hub a founder read, how long they stayed, and when they clicked to book a call.

FFN hub engagement view showing time spent per section, an activity timeline and the booking link clicks

Form builder

Build the application as a visual flow that branches on the founder's answers, so each stage gets the right follow-up questions.

What runs behind the screens

  • An email sent when a form is submitted and at each stage, from stage-wise templates.

  • A calendar booking link, so leads book discovery calls themselves.

  • A daily digest to Google Chat and a weekly summary of the funnel.

What was left for phase two

Version one covered the presales funnel only. WhatsApp messaging was planned, but FFN decided mid-build that it is not needed in this version. Top-of-funnel lead generation, post-payment delivery and automated lead scoring were not part of it. The nurture and drip engine, which turns the stage-wise templates into timed sequences, moves to phase two. Version one focused on getting every lead into the system, moving them through stages, and sending the right follow-up at the right time.

How it was built

Three Build Theory fellows carried out the build: Divya Sree, Prachothan and Madhupriya. Nymisha provided technical oversight. They worked on a live client system, with review at each step. The stack is TypeScript, React, Next.js and PostgreSQL on Supabase, hosted on Netlify.

Timeline

  • 14 September 2026: build starts, targeting go-live on 15 October.

  • 5 October 2026: user acceptance testing with the FFN team, followed by the additions they asked for.

  • 12–13 October 2026: live on FFN's own Netlify. Sujatha is set up as super admin.

  • 13 October 2026: system delivered, two days before the deadline.

  • After handover: repository ownership transferred to Manikanta, FFN's technical contact.

FFN owns it

The system runs on FFN's own Netlify. Sujatha is set up as super admin. After handover, repository ownership was transferred to Manikanta, FFN's technical contact, so the code now sits with FFN.

What FFN's team says

This is gonna make our life a lot easier thank you Team Build Theory and their Builders for continuous updates and fast delivery customised to us

Sujatha, Program Manager, Founders First Network

Build a system like this for your team

FFN's system went from build start to delivery in 29 days. If your leads also move between people, sheets and chats, email buildtheory@edupodx.com and describe how they move today: who they talk to, which tools you use, where things get lost. Three or four lines is enough. We will tell you whether a system like this fits and what it would cover. Writing to us does not commit you to anything.

Frequently asked questions

What is Build Theory Enterprise?

Build Theory Enterprise is the arm of Build Theory that builds two kinds of work: internal operational systems for small and medium businesses and founder organisations, and production AI features inside clients' existing apps. Build Theory is the AI-native founder fellowship run under Poditivity.

Who built the FFN presales engine?

Three Build Theory fellows, Divya Sree, Prachothan and Madhupriya, built the system under the technical oversight of Nymisha, Director at Poditivity and Build Theory.

When was the FFN presales engine delivered?

The system went live on 13 October 2026, two days before the 15 October deadline and 29 days after the build started on 14 September 2026.

What does the FFN presales engine do?

It tracks every presales lead from first contact to payment. It runs stage-wise email follow-ups, lets leads book discovery calls, shows which parts of a personalised hub each founder read, and reports on the funnel through a dashboard, a daily digest and a weekly summary.

Who owns the FFN presales engine?

FFN owns it. It runs on FFN's own Netlify, and repository ownership was transferred to Manikanta, FFN's technical contact, after handover.

Which tools does the system use?

It is built with TypeScript, React, Next.js and PostgreSQL on Supabase, and hosted on Netlify.

Is this system available to other organisations?

Build Theory Enterprise builds custom systems for individual clients. To discuss a system for your team, email buildtheory@edupodx.com.

About the organisations

  • Build Theory is an AI-native founder fellowship run under Poditivity. Its Enterprise arm builds operational systems for clients.

  • Poditivity Advertising and Education Pvt. Ltd. is a Hyderabad-based company.

  • Founders First Network (FFN) runs Validation Lab, a programme for founders.

Contact: buildtheory@edupodx.com · edupodx.com

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