THE PROBLEM WE SOLVE

Off-the-shelf software
almost fits. Almost.

You bought a SaaS subscription that gets you 70% of the way there. The remaining 30% is the part that actually matters to your business — and you can't change it. So you build workarounds in Excel and your team stops using the system you paid for.

Generic where it should be specific

The SaaS works for "any business". Yours isn't any business. The fields, workflows, and reports don't match how you actually work.

Excel is the real system

Everyone exports to Excel and operates from there. The "system" is just an inbox.

Per-seat pricing kills

Monthly fees scale with team size. As you grow, the cost compounds and the tool becomes the largest expense after payroll.

You don't own anything

The data is theirs. The roadmap is theirs. If they raise prices or shut down, you're stranded.

Integration limbo

It doesn't talk to your accounting system. Or your WhatsApp. Or your supplier portal. So nothing flows.

STEP 0 · MANDATORY

Discovery phase.
Always first.

Custom software is too expensive to estimate by guessing. We do a paid discovery phase first — 5-10 hours of deep dive into your requirements. The output is a technical spec document and a fixed quote. Both yours to keep, even if you don't proceed with the build.

DISCOVERY

5-10 hour deep dive

FOUNDING / STANDARD

6,500 / 10,000 EGP

Stakeholder interviews (you + key team members)
Workflow mapping (current → desired state)
Technical architecture design
Integration plan (existing systems)
Data model + schema sketch
Security + access model
Phased rollout plan
Fixed price quote for the build
1 week. Cost credited to build if you proceed.

BUILD TIERS

After discovery,
you choose scale.

Three rough tiers. Final price comes from discovery — but here's where most projects land.

TIER 01 · MVP SHIP FAST

MVP Build

Single-user app. Real, but lean.

Single-user app, 5-10 screens, basic CRUD operations. The smallest version that can actually be used by you or your team.

Price80,000 – 150,000 EGP

Mandatory retainer8,000 EGP / month

5-10 screens / pages
Single-user authentication
Basic CRUD on your data
Simple dashboard / reports
Mobile responsive
Deploy to your hosting OR ours
Documentation + 1 training session
6 – 8 weeks from discovery

Start your project →

TIER 02 · STANDARD MOST COMMON

Standard Build

Multi-user, integrated, dashboarded.

Multi-user authentication, role-based access, integrations with your existing systems, real dashboards. Where most internal tools live.

Price200,000 – 350,000 EGP

Mandatory retainer15,000 EGP / month

Multi-user with roles + permissions
15-30 screens
Integrations with 1-3 external systems
Advanced dashboards + reports
Email / WhatsApp notifications
Audit log + activity tracking
Documentation + 2 training sessions
30 days post-launch active support
10 – 14 weeks from discovery

Start your project →

TIER 03 · CUSTOM FULL ERP-SCALE

Custom Build

Multiple modules, deep business logic.

Complex business logic, multiple integrated modules. Same scale as Sigma ERP — a full operating system for a 24-person company.

Price400,000+ EGP

Mandatory retainer25,000+ EGP / month

5+ integrated modules
Custom business logic per workflow
Multi-tenant capable (if needed)
Advanced reporting + BI
Phased rollout (module by module)
API for future integrations
3 training sessions + handover docs
90 days post-launch active support
4 – 6 months from discovery

Start your project →

"Software builds aren't fire-and-forget. Every Tenebra software project requires an ongoing maintenance retainer — bug fixes, security patches, occasional features. We don't sell systems we know will rot." — TENEBRA STUDIO POLICY

WHY TENEBRA

Built like Sigma ERP.
That's the proof.

Sigma ERP is a 45-module system we built for our own company, Sigma for Elevators — a 24-person company in Alexandria where it has run in production for over a year, used daily by 24 people. Not a portfolio prop — a daily-driver system we depend on ourselves.

Bilingual + RTL native

Arabic-first interfaces, not Google Translate. Our team uses both languages every day — your team will too.

You own the code

Source code in your GitHub. Database under your control. No vendor lock-in. Walk away whenever you want.

One-team accountability

Same person on the discovery call writes the architecture, reviews the code, and answers the bug report. No hand-offs.

Honest about timelines

If we say 8 weeks, we mean 8 weeks. We pad estimates honestly and renegotiate openly when scope changes. No surprises.

IN PRODUCTION · SIGMA ERP

45 modules.
One company. One year.

Sigma ERP replaced an aging legacy accounting system with a custom operating layer. Bilingual, multi-user, mandatory SKUs, mandatory analytical accounts. Same playbook is now sold to other Egyptian SMBs at the Tier 3 scale.

Production modules

From CRM to accounting to maintenance scheduling

Daily active users

Sigma's full team, every working day

100%

Bilingual coverage

Arabic + English, RTL native

P0 incidents in 90 days

Zero data-loss or downtime events

View Sigma ERP case →

THE PROCESS

From idea to live system.
Six phases.

Discovery brief

You fill the software brief. We see if there's a real fit.

Discovery phase

5-10 hour deep dive. Output: spec doc + fixed build quote.

Build kickoff

50% upfront. Architecture review. Sprint plan published.

Build phase

Weekly demos. You see progress every Friday. Course-correct early.

UAT + train

You and your team test. Bugs fixed. Training sessions held.

Launch + retainer

System goes live. Monthly retainer kicks in for ongoing care.

Next.js 16 TypeScript Postgres Prisma tRPC Supabase Tailwind shadcn/ui Vercel

QUESTIONS WE GET

Honest answers.
No marketing fog.

Do I really need a discovery phase?

Yes. Without it, every quote is a guess and every guess is wrong. The discovery is paid because it produces a real artifact — a spec document — that's yours to keep even if you don't continue with us. It's also credited toward the build if you do proceed.

Why is the retainer mandatory?

Custom software has bugs. Has security patches. Needs occasional small features as your business changes. Without a retainer, the system rots — and we don't sell systems we know will rot.

What if I want to switch developers later?

Code is in your GitHub from day one. Database is yours. We hand off cleanly with documentation. We'd rather lose a client to honest succession than to bitter dependency.

Can you replace my existing SaaS subscription?

Often, yes — and often the math works out: a one-time build + small retainer often costs less over 3 years than per-seat SaaS as your team grows. Discovery phase will tell you with real numbers.

What about hosting and infrastructure costs?

Discussed in discovery. For most builds, monthly infrastructure is 500-3,000 EGP (Vercel + Postgres + minimal services). Passed through at cost, no markup.

Do you do mobile apps?

We build Progressive Web Apps (mobile-friendly web apps that install on phones). Native iOS / Android apps as a standalone service we don't offer — would refer to specialists.

Software that
fits the work.

Off-the-shelf software
almost fits. Almost.

Generic where it should be specific

Excel is the real system

Per-seat pricing kills

You don't own anything

Integration limbo

Discovery phase.
Always first.

5-10 hour deep dive

After discovery,
you choose scale.

MVP Build

Standard Build

Custom Build

Built like Sigma ERP.
That's the proof.

Bilingual + RTL native

You own the code

One-team accountability

Honest about timelines

45 modules.
One company. One year.

Production modules

Daily active users

Bilingual coverage

P0 incidents in 90 days

From idea to live system.
Six phases.

Discovery brief

Discovery phase

Build kickoff

Build phase

UAT + train

Launch + retainer

Honest answers.
No marketing fog.

Start your project.

Off-the-shelf softwarealmost fits. Almost.

Generic where it should be specific

Excel is the real system

Per-seat pricing kills

You don't own anything

Integration limbo

Discovery phase.Always first.

5-10 hour deep dive

After discovery,you choose scale.

MVP Build

Standard Build

Custom Build

Built like Sigma ERP.That's the proof.

Bilingual + RTL native

You own the code

One-team accountability

Honest about timelines

45 modules.One company. One year.

Production modules

Daily active users

Bilingual coverage

P0 incidents in 90 days

From idea to live system.Six phases.

Discovery brief

Discovery phase

Build kickoff

Build phase

UAT + train

Launch + retainer

Honest answers.No marketing fog.

Start your project.

Off-the-shelf software
almost fits. Almost.

Discovery phase.
Always first.

After discovery,
you choose scale.

Built like Sigma ERP.
That's the proof.

45 modules.
One company. One year.

From idea to live system.
Six phases.

Honest answers.
No marketing fog.