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May 3, 2026 · 3 min read

Building two free tools made me realize what I actually wanted Wooven to be

founder-storywoovenwhy-i-built-thisjourney

The Hook

Two weeks ago I released a free cost calculator at tools.wooven.dev/cost.

Last week, a vendor lock-in auditor at tools.wooven.dev/audit.

I built them because I needed them myself.

Building them clarified something I couldn't articulate before.

The Realization

I didn't build these tools to "drive adoption" or "generate leads."

I built them because I'm genuinely frustrated.

Frustrated that developers have started accepting:

  • Surprise bills as normal
  • Vendor lock-in as inevitable
  • Black-box infrastructure as standard

The defaults shifted while we weren't looking. None of these things have to be true.

The Pattern in Both Tools

Cost calculator: know your numbers before they know you.

Lock-in auditor: know your exit before you need it.

Both share one philosophy:

Information as defense.

Most deployment platforms want you in the dark. "Trust us, we'll handle it."

I want you in the light. "Here's exactly what you're paying for. Here's exactly how to leave."

If a platform earns your stay, that's great. It should earn it - not lock it.

Why This Matters for Wooven

I'm not building a deployment platform.

I'm building the deployment platform I wished existed when I was running my last company.

One where:

  • You own the compute (bring-your-own-server, by default)
  • You see the invoices before they surprise you
  • You can pack up and leave without a rewrite
  • You get Vercel-grade DX without Vercel's infrastructure or pricing dynamics

The Name

Wooven = "woven together."

Your code + your servers + your control plane.

Not "our platform + your dependency."

The Invitation

These free tools are my hypothesis test.

Hypothesis: developers in 2026 want transparency more than convenience.

If I'm right, Wooven makes sense. If I'm wrong, I learn something useful and you still get free tools.

Either way - you win.

CTA

Try the tools:

  • tools.wooven.dev/cost
  • tools.wooven.dev/audit

If they're useful and the bigger thing sounds interesting, the wooven.dev waitlist is open. We're talking to design partners now.

Or just DM me your worst infrastructure horror story. I collect them.

Backlinks

  • Soft bridge post - first explicit Wooven CTA in two weeks
  • Tools: gtm/tools/cost-calculator, gtm/tools/lockin-auditor
  • Follows: 2026-05-02-cto-interview-insights
  • Leads into: Phase B real-data posts

Notes

  • Post at 6:00 PM CET (Sunday evening - reflective timing, less competition)
  • Text-only, personal tone
  • This is the pivot back to product - earned through two weeks of value-first content
  • Engagement protocol: comment on 5 founder-journey posts before publishing
  • Pin first comment with both tool links + wooven.dev waitlist
  • Track: tool sessions attributed to this post, waitlist signups, design partner DMs
  • If engagement holds or improves vs Phase A baseline, Phase B momentum is real