The startup story: Launching Turngate in 8 weeks
How four people and eight weeks led to $5M in funding and a website still operated by its founders.
Brand, website, and booth: from just a name to $5M
Bruce and Heidi ran ShmooCon – one of the most respected hacker conventions in security.
They'd spent years in the industry, knew everyone, and had the kind of credibility that takes time to build. Then they had a product idea. But industry credibility and a market-ready brand are two different things – and the clock was already ticking.
Even experts have limits
Bruce and Heidi knew this was a moment they needed help getting their vision to market.
Brand strategy, visual identity, Webflow development – the pieces that were critical for launch.
Challenge
You can't be an expert at everything.
Approach
Qontour’s founders bring their expertise so your founders can focus on theirs.
Weeks, not months
This wasn't a soft launch. This was Turngate's first impression with investors, buyers, and competitors. This was a small team, limited runway, a product still in development, and a tradeshow booth that needed to make them look like a company worth betting on.
Not eight weeks to finish the brand. Not eight weeks to launch the site. Eight weeks to deliver everything – brand identity, website, tradeshow booth. Most agencies would say that's not enough time. We said yes.
Challenge
Eight weeks to deliver everything – and one chance to earn credibility with investors and enterprise buyers.
Approach
We delivered a brand, website, and tradeshow booth on time. And Turngate quickly raised $5M.
Building is one thing. Explaining is another.
Turngate's product is simple – log files and network data turned into threat visualization. The challenge was making sure the explanation felt just as intuitive as the product itself.
We built out a transit metaphor – users and data coming and going, log history as subway maps, security as knowing who's where. This system gave Bruce and Heidi a visual language for their company – one framework that worked whether they were talking to investors, buyers, or engineers.
Challenge
You understand your product – but can you explain it?
Approach
We create visual stories that make the complex clear and easy to understand.
Help that continues
after the handoff
We didn't just deliver a brand and leave.
We taught them Webflow. Set up content workflows. Gave them a brand kit they could actually use – not a PDF that sits in a folder, but a system their designers and teams can run on their own.
They shipped on time. The tradeshow went well.
They raised $5M.
Two years later, and we’re happy to see them making their own merch, and maintaining their own site. They reach out when they want to – not because they're stuck, but because we're partners. That was the goal from the start.
Challenge
Nobody wants to lock into a vendor indefinitely.
Approach
Build a simple system and teach them to run it themselves.
What we delivered
Logo, visual system, and the transit metaphor that made a complex log data product instantly understandable.
Wireframes on Relume, built on Webflow, launched on time, and still running strong.
Equipped with an actual turnstile, and a subway station theme. Their brand made physical and interactive.
Everything they need to create on their own: objects, components, illustrations, animations, and templates.
A process for planning, creating, and publishing content – built around their team so they could keep shipping without us.
Hands-on training so the founders could update pages, publish content, and manage the site themselves.
Where Turngate is now
2 years later
Still running on the same system – no rebuilds, migrations, or "we need to rebrand" conversations.
Merch
They design it themselves using the brand kit – same visual system, with no external support needed.
Website
They maintain it without us. Updates, new pages, content changes – all handled in-house.
Independence
They reach out when they want to, not just when they're stuck.
"When Turngate was coming out of stealth, we had weeks to design everything needed to launch our brand – an identity system, website, pitch deck, booth design, and more. Qontour truly delivered – working closely with us through every decision, bringing both creativity and rigor to a demanding timeline. They didn’t just execute our vision – they understood it, and helped us sharpen it. Startups need partners who can be scrappy without becoming sloppy. Qontour is exactly that."
More Projects
In case you need further convincing.
Turngate had 8 weeks.
What do you have?
After submitting = Gala will read this and she usually responds within one business day.
In the meantime – we built a free site diagnostic we're really proud of. We already have your email so you won't have to give us something we don't already have
Questions? Queries?
Qontour delivered Turngate's complete brand identity, Webflow website, and tradeshow booth in 8 weeks. Of course, results may vary, and timeline depends on scope and decision-making speed – startups that can make fast decisions get fast results. We scope every engagement before committing to a timeline.
Yes. Turngate's product was still being built when we started. We worked alongside the founders – the brand and the product evolved together in real time.
No. Turngate had four people total when they engaged us – two founders, one in sales, and a marketing lead who had just joined. We work directly with founders and adapt to lean teams. The key is having someone who can make decisions, not just a full department.
That's the goal. We built Turngate's site on Webflow and trained the founders to manage it. Two years later, they maintain the site, design their own merch, and publish content independently. We set up workflows and systems so you don't depend on us indefinitely.
A typical startup engagement includes brand identity, Webflow website, content workflows, and training. Turngate also received tradeshow booth design and a complete brand kit with components, icons, animations, and templates. Scope is tailored to what you actually need.