--- rootPath: "../" learnPath: "../learn/index.html" visionPath: "../vision/index.html" --- {% extends "base.njk" %} {% block title %}Houston for Startups — Ship the Claude Code for your industry{% endblock %} {% block meta %} {% endblock %} {% block favicon %}{% endblock %} {% block inlineStyles %}
{% endblock %} {% block body %} {% include "nav-startups.njk" %}

# Ship the Claude Code for

Claude Code changed how developers work. Every other industry is next. Houston is the platform where you build yours.

Join the waitlist See how it works
The shift
Every AI product today hits the same ceiling.
01

### The AI is caged

Engineers hardcode workflows. The AI can only do what those workflows allow. Everything else is a feature request.

02

### Edge cases pile up

Every user need the engineer didn't anticipate is a dead end. The AI is capable. The app won't let it help.

03

### AI-native flips it

The AI isn't a feature inside the app. It operates the app. It can do everything the user can, and things nobody coded for.

04

### Claude Code made it real

Claude answers questions. Claude Code reads files, writes code, runs commands. That's the architecture Houston is built on.

In practice
Same job. Two different architectures.
Turn bank statement PDFs into a clean Excel workbook.
AI as a feature
SimpleBooks

User uploads a PDF. The app sends it to Claude via API. Claude extracts the transactions. The app runs Python to format a workbook. The user downloads the result.

Works great. Until:

- The user wants a new column
- One client needs a different format
- A bank changes their PDF layout

Each one is a feature request. Each one waits for an engineer.

AI-native
SmartBooks

User drops the PDF into a chat. Claude Code reads it, runs the app's Python scripts, and produces a workbook.

When something changes:

- New column? The user says so. Done.
- Different format? Claude Code edits the script.
- New PDF layout? The AI adapts on the spot.

No feature request. No engineer. No wait.

The platform
Houston is where you build
AI-native products.
You bring the domain expertise. Houston handles everything else.
01

### You define

Your prompts, your workflows, your industry knowledge. The domain expertise that makes your product worth paying for. That's all you bring.

02

### Houston gives you

Chat, board, memory, skills, files, connections. 1000+ integrations. The full AI-native workspace, built and tested. Ready to ship.

03

### Your customers get

A branded product they interact with daily. An AI that adapts to their edge cases. An agent that gets better the more they use it.

1
evening

### We built a tax product on Houston.

We had six months of traditional development. Hundreds of AI workflows and edge cases hardcoded into code.

One evening of rebuilding on Houston and we had what six months couldn't produce. Not because we wrote more code. Because the AI handled every edge case without anyone shipping a new button.

How it works
Three steps to a product.
You don't need a full-stack team.
You need domain expertise and an afternoon.
1

### Define your agent

Write a manifest and your prompts. Pick the tabs your users need. Chat, board, files, connections. Houston provides all of them.

2

### Test locally

Import your agent into Houston. Use it yourself. Iterate on the prompts and workflows until the product feels right.

3

### Deploy to your customers

Houston Cloud runs your product 24/7. Your brand, your domain. We handle hosting, infrastructure, and scaling.

Pricing
Build free. Pay when you deploy.
Open source

### Build and test locally

The full platform. Define your agents, test them on your machine, iterate until they're right. Free forever.

- Desktop app with all features
- 1000+ integrations
- Full source code on GitHub

View on GitHub
Managed

### Houston Cloud

Deploy your product to your customers. Your brand, your domain. We handle hosting, infrastructure, and scaling.

- Agents run 24/7
- Custom branding and domain
- Client management dashboard
- Scales to all your customers

Join the waitlist
Go deeper

### The thesis behind AI-native workspaces.

Read the essay on why every workspace is getting rebuilt and what Houston changes about it.

Read the essay Join the waitlist
{% include "footer-startups.njk" %}
{% endblock %}