Why Founders Trust Boro Dev Agency to Ship High-Stakes Products

Hiring a development agency should be simple — but it rarely is.

As founders, we go into those contracts assuming it's about code quality or hourly rates. What we don’t always account for is the complex, human side of working with an external team: misaligned incentives, investor expectations, and the blurry line between vendor and partner.

That’s why I invited Kurt Willis, co-founder of Boro Dev Agency, onto the show. He’s not a SaaS founder — but he’s on the other side of the table every day, negotiating with startups, fielding founder stress, and learning how to build trust in a space where so much can go wrong.

Key Takeaways

• Boro Dev Agency is built on a community of 600+ developers and tech leads
• The agency was born from a grassroots dev meetup that grew into a movement
• Walking away from misaligned deals has helped them establish long-term trust
• Founders often underestimate the impact investors have on agency negotiations
• You can only get two of three: fast, cheap, or high quality — never all at once

From Coffee Shop Meetup to 600+ Dev Community

Kurt and his brother didn’t set out to start a dev agency. They started a meetup — seven people in a small town outside Nashville. Fast forward a few years, and that community became 600+ developers, designers, PMs, and fractional CTOs.

“We built the agency on top of that community. Every time we got together, someone asked, ‘Do you know anyone hiring?’ So we created a company to funnel work into the network.”

Because of that foundation, Boro isn’t just sourcing developers — they’re curating tech teams with local roots and a high bar for quality and culture fit.

What Founders Miss in Dev Agency Negotiations

One of the most valuable parts of our conversation was about walking away.

“We were in talks for almost a year with one company. Eventually, we had to say: we’re out. That moment actually brought them back to the table — and reset the relationship.”

Too often, founders enter dev relationships thinking the leverage is all one-sided. But the best agencies don’t want just any deal — they want good partners. And setting clear boundaries upfront can actually build trust.

But the real challenge? Investors.

The Hidden Complexity: Your Investors Are in the Room Too

“There were three different investors. One was technical. One was silent. One was hands-on. All of them had different needs — and we had to manage expectations across the board.”

If you’re a founder negotiating with an agency, your investors aren’t just in the background — they shape timelines, expectations, and how those vendors perceive your business.

Kurt’s advice? Be transparent early. Let the agency know:

• Who’s involved
• How hands-on they’ll be
• What success looks like from the investor’s POV

The goal isn’t just alignment — it’s risk management on both sides.

The Quality Triangle: Pick Two

Kurt closed the episode with a reminder every founder needs:

“You can only have two: fast, cheap, or high quality. If you want fast and great, it won’t be cheap. If you want cheap and great, it won’t be fast.”

And if your agency says they can deliver all three? That’s a red flag.

What matters more is having a partner who understands your business, can flex to your budget, and brings the right team to the table — not just bodies on a dev board.

Why Boro Is Built to Flex

Because they’ve built such a deep bench of local talent, Boro can adjust to nearly any size project — without compromising on quality. It’s not about scale. It’s about fit.

“We’re not trying to be the biggest agency. We want to be the most trusted. The one founders come to when they’re serious about building something real.”

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