We started Astra because…

We started Astra because we saw a better way to build software, one that democratizes custom solutions and unlocks real ROI for far more companies, across far more industries.

Low-code and AI-driven development significantly reduced the cost and time needed to ship new solutions, leaving more time for businesses to think about “what to build”, and to rethink how they work with a tech-first approach.

Besides that, AI unlocked new use cases. Old solutions now have better, more cost-effective alternatives, and unsolved problems that haunted your business can now be solved due to new technologies. 

This shift makes us believe we are entering the era of builders, people with a holistic perspective who can put together deep business sense and technical expertise to come up with new ways for how businesses work and products are built.

Our founders Pedro and João came from this mixed background of business and tech, studying and working at educational institutions like Insper, UC Berkeley, ESCP Paris and industries such as Venture Capital, Education and Marketing.

Astra’s business is to develop custom tech solutions to power your business. We are the strategy and tech partner of founders and leaders rethinking how they work and serve customers with low-code and AI. 

We have a product mindset, that means…

Product is the science of building solutions that work for the user and work for the business. 

However, most software developers have a project mindset, more worried about shipping a feature and checking a task than about the big picture of solving the problems that will get the company to the next level.

At Astra, we work differently. Having a Product mindset means our main focus is on outcomes, the final results the business needs to achieve, and we use the experience built through software to deliver on that goal. So we treat every project like a product itself.

That way, we build solutions that work for the end user, function as supposed to, but that also delivers to the business the desired end result.

Building with a Product mindset also means taking a holistic view. Great solutions align with the goals, needs, constraints, and realities of every stakeholder involved. We design with that complexity in mind, because real impact happens when technology works across the entire business.

(rethink how we work, the edge of behavior, job/journey/pain points, ROI first, works for the user and for the business).

We believe the following about Design…

Digital experiences are the way through which we deliver business value using software. 

We need flows, screens, components and a thoughtful experience architecture to make everything work as needed. Because as Steve Jobs said “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works”.

That said, we believe everything we do serves the experience in the pursuit of the end goal for the business. The technologies we use, elements, features, naming, fonts, architecture decisions, database models, colors, everything is thought to enable the experience that will help your team work better and deliver more to your business and clients.

New technologies also made new patterns of User Experience (UX) emerge. That is because the way we interact with computers changed throughout history and is changing again with AI. At Astra, we strive to always be on top of these new trends.

However, these digital experiences don't happen in isolation, but in a setting: in the office, on a train when you are in a hurry and need to check an update, or during that last minute demand your client just sent you.

To truly maximize the value we extract from an app or automation, we need to consider this broader context and build it into the design.

At Astra, we help businesses re-design for the new era, from process to app. That means, rethink how they work, and then tailor digital experiences that solve their problems and fit their realities.

We believe the following about Development…

Development has changed a lot over time, the way we built tech solutions before is not the same way we do it nowadays. Low-code was a huge step in that transformation.

Low-code development leverages tools like Bubble, n8n, Flutterflow, Supabase and many others to give another level of abstraction to the process of building software, making the process faster and more secure.

Baseline security is a big bonus that comes out-of-the-box when using low-code technologies. They are built to avoid by default security threats that are common when building with traditional stacks. On top of that, Astra applies a tailored security layer to ensure the highest standards of safety are met, so you have an application that lets you sleep at night.

Now, these tools are shipping AI-powered features that make development even faster. However, one thing is important: AI-driven development isn’t about vibe-coding. Don’t get us wrong, it is fun and our team loves to do it over the weekend, but vibes won’t do it to get a production-grade business application off the ground.

Still, Astra’s main differential is the business and product approach we apply at every part of our process, development included. Besides technical skills, our developers go through training on discovery, branding, go-to-market, venture capital, and all-things-business. 

Again, builders with context, delivering outcomes over features. We hire the best, the passionate. Curiosity fuels everything we do. One who is not curious can only go so far.

Low-code and AI have indeed accelerated development, but the question of “what to build” remains. Astra’s approach to development includes a holistic perspective that works in a symbiotic relationship with design and product to build the best, most useful experiences.

Finally…

That is Astra in a nutshell, we could spend much more time talking about each of the topics here, but that was our first “hi” :)

From end to end, we treat your project according to these principles.  

So what is Astra? We are a low-code development studio focused on AI applications and automations for innovative businesses. We partner with founders and executives to help them implement new technologies and rethink their business to be ready for the new era.

Are you thinking about how to improve your business results with tech? Astra can help you navigate this decision better. Click here to schedule your call with us.