Building Europe's first legal home-cooking marketplace
Smako is a Polish FoodTech startup connecting people who want authentic homemade meals with verified local cooks. We joined the team as founding designers, working end-to-end: from research and concept validation to a fully tested, investor-ready MVP.
Millions of Europeans cook at home, but there's no simple, legal way to turn that into income. Meanwhile, people who want authentic homemade meals have nowhere safe to find them. Smako set out to solve both sides of this problem at once. Before launch, they needed a product that could prove the concept to investors and feel ready for real users on day one. We designed it and led the development team throughout, bridging design and execution.
Solution
We led the full product design process for both sides of the marketplace: the customer app and the cook app. For customers: a clean, trust-first experience for discovering local cooks, browsing meals, and ordering — as simple as texting a neighbor. For cooks: an intuitive toolset for managing their menu, availability, and orders, designed for people who aren't necessarily tech-savvy.
Outcome
Smako came to us with a concept. They left with a fully interactive MVP — designed, tested, and ready to pitch. The product gave the team a tangible, credible artifact to present to investors, turning an abstract idea into something people could actually experience.
