Est. 2019
Est. 2019
Design By
A Vista, CA-based defense-tech startup building the world's first AI-native ERP for advanced manufacturing, founded by military veterans and operators from Shield AI, Northrop Grumman (F-35 program), Apple, and MIT—backed by Context Ventures and Shield Capital, on a mission to give American manufacturers the tools to win.
Help Ironflow AI exit stealth mode with a digital presence that signals enterprise credibility to customers, candidates, and investors. With their October 25th deadline immovable, they needed a website that would immediately communicate: "These people are building something exceptional." The challenge was delivering startup speed with enterprise-grade polish—a site that reflects both their innovative approach and deep industry expertise.
Complete website design and Webflow development delivered in two strategic phases. Phase 1 launched a polished 7-section homepage with product video hero, demo request forms, and full analytics integration. Phase 2 added a comprehensive About page with team profiles, four custom Rive animations demonstrating product capabilities, and enhanced scroll interactions throughout. The site was transferred to Ironflow's account with team training for ongoing autonomy.
Successfully launched before the critical stealth exit deadline, providing Ironflow with an enterprise-ready digital presence that positions them as category leaders in defense-tech ERP. The website now serves as their primary conversion tool for customer acquisition, talent recruitment, and investor relations. Marketing has full control to update content without developer dependencies, enabling rapid iteration as the company scales.
Ironflow AI is building AI-native enterprise resourceplanning software for America's defense manufacturing sector. Their experiencedteam—operators who understand the factory floor—had developed a sophisticatedproduct, but their digital presence didn't reflect their capabilities.
With their stealth exit deadlineapproaching in October 2025, Ironflow needed more than a website refresh. Theyneeded a digital presence that would immediately signal to customers,candidates, and investors: "These people are building something exceptional."
The challenge was nuanced.Ironflow wanted to appear modern and fresh—like a startup that moves fast—whilealso conveying deep industry experience and enterprise-grade credibility. Asthey put it: "We're not some snot-nosed startup from a garage. Our team isexperienced. We know this world."
Three distinct audiences neededto be served:
• Prospective customers evaluating Ironflow astheir ERP solution
• Top talent assessing culture fit and missionalignment
• Investors conducting due diligence on marketposition
October 25th, 2025. That was the immovable deadline.Ironflow AI was exiting stealth mode, and their single-page placeholder sitesimply wouldn't cut it for the moment they stepped into the spotlight.
The stakes were clear: whenprospects, candidates, and investors started researching Ironflow, their firstimpression would be the website. In the defense-tech ERP space—where existingsolutions are plagued by complexity overkill, steep learning curves, andimplementation nightmares—Ironflow needed to immediately differentiatethemselves.
With just three weeks untillaunch, the team needed a partner who could move at startup speed whiledelivering enterprise-quality results.
Our 90-minute strategy session revealed critical insightsabout Ironflow's positioning and their target users' pain points. The defensemanufacturing sector was struggling with what the team called "spreadsheethell"—lost in endless spreadsheets trying to organize records, withexisting ERPs offering complexity overkill and unused functionality.
But here's what made Ironflow'sapproach different: they didn't want to lead with pain points. As theyarticulated during our workshop, "We don't want the copy on our website tobe too negative. Focus on solutions, not problems."
The brand personalitycrystallized: Modern. Cool. Efficient. Smart. Innovative. Sleek. Easy. Butalso experienced and knowledgeable—"fresh startup aesthetic with deepindustry experience."
Finding the right visual language was critical. We explorednumerous reference sites together—from Hex.tech's structured video hero toNoon.ai's dark mode animations—and established clear parameters:
• Dark mode preference with structured, formattedlayouts
• Geometric grid lines evoking a blueprintaesthetic
• Real product screenshots over abstract concepts
• Minimal isometric graphics for manufacturingcontext
• Product-focused hero with clickable video demo
The team was emphatic: "Iwould love for them to see a screenshot or video right away and think 'I wantto use that software.'" Everything else—the copy, the animations, thelayout—needed to support that primary goal.
One pivotal decision emerged around the headline. The teaminitially considered "AI native ERP for defense manufacturing," butrealized this might exclude non-defense visitors. The finalpositioning—"AI native enterprise resource planning software for thefactory"—spelled out the ERP acronym for broader accessibility whilekeeping the scope intentionally open.
Feature highlights werecarefully curated to focus on benefits:
• Easy to use
• Agents that understand your intent
• Built-in compliance
• Fast setup
• Smart planning
• Open integrations
The two-phase strategy was our calculated bet. Rather thanrushing a comprehensive site to market, we proposed launching a polishedfoundation by October 25th, then enhancing it with custom assets and animationsby mid-November.
Phase 1 would deliver:
• Complete 7-section homepage with clean design
• Responsive Webflow development with CMS
• Demo request popup with audience segmentation
• Newsletter signup and analytics integration
Phase 2 would add:
• Custom Rive animations for product demonstrations
• Complete About page with team profiles
• Enhanced scroll-triggered interactions
• Performance optimization throughout
This approach aligned perfectlywith Ironflow's "share early, share often" philosophy. As they toldus: "Even if you give me a napkin diagram, I'd be comfortable withthat." We embraced rapid iteration—mood boards within 3 days, hero sectiondesigned first for validation, continuous feedback via Figma and Slack.
The design phase moved swiftly through validationcheckpoints. Mid-fidelity wireframes established the information architecture.Multiple hero section variations were presented for feedback. The geometricgrid pattern—inspired by blueprint aesthetics—required several iterations toachieve the right balance between visual interest and readability.
Janet Hwu, Ironflow's UX Designer,provided detailed feedback throughout, from form field behavior to typographyweight adjustments. The collaboration was genuinely two-way—she even createdreference mockups in Figma to illustrate exactly how the hex background patternshould appear.
Development proceeded in parallel with design refinement.The Webflow build featured component-based architecture for easy futureupdates, structured CMS for content management, and seamless integrations withthe client's existing tech stack.
Key technical implementationsincluded:
• Google Analytics 4 for tracking and insights
• Apollo.io visitor tracking integration
• Contentsquare heatmaps for user behavior analysis
• Dual form system differentiating "Contact Us"from "Schedule Demo" submissions
• Newsletter signup with customer/investor segmentation
No project of this complexity runs without hurdles. An AWSoutage on October 21st required delaying publication. Font licensing for FlechaM needed coordination. Gradient color banding in backgrounds demanded technicalsolutions. The demo request form required multiple refinements—fromsearch-select behavior to tooltip styling conflicts with the dark theme.
Each challenge was addressedthrough rapid communication via our dedicated Slack channel, with solutionsoften implemented within hours of identification.
Phase 1 launched on November 2nd, 2025—meeting thecritical stealth exit window. The homepage featured all seven planned sections:hero with product video, problem/solution framing, product overview with Riveanimation, how it works, social proof section (designed and ready for futuretestimonials), mission/vision, and conversion CTAs.
Phase 2 completed on December2nd, 2025, adding the About page with team profiles, four custom Riveanimations demonstrating product capabilities, and enhanced on-page animationsthroughout. The site was transferred to Ironflow's Webflow account, with theteam trained on content updates.
• 7-section homepage with dark mode design andgeometric grid aesthetic
• Complete About page with team profiles, mission,culture, and careers section
• 4 custom Rive animations for productdemonstrations
• Responsive design across all devices
• Demo request popup with audience segmentation
• Full analytics and tracking integration (GA4,Apollo, Contentsquare)
• Team training for ongoing content management
"Appreciate the effective communication from your wholeteam and everyone's responsiveness to our comments throughout this effort. Itwas a great experience of remote collaboration for me. Hope to work togetheragain in the future."
— Janet Hwu, UX Designer, Ironflow AI
The project exemplified what'spossible when client and agency operate as true partners. Ironflow's clarity onpositioning, willingness to iterate, and trust in the process enabled us todeliver exceptional results on an aggressive timeline. Their "share early,share often" philosophy matched our collaborative approach perfectly.
Phase 1 launched on November 2nd, 2025—meeting thecritical stealth exit window. The homepage featured all seven planned sections:hero with product video, problem/solution framing, product overview with Riveanimation, how it works, social proof section (designed and ready for futuretestimonials), mission/vision, and conversion CTAs.
Phase 2 completed on December2nd, 2025, adding the About page with team profiles, four custom Riveanimations demonstrating product capabilities, and enhanced on-page animationsthroughout. The site was transferred to Ironflow's Webflow account, with theteam trained on content updates.
• 7-section homepage with dark mode design andgeometric grid aesthetic
• Complete About page with team profiles, mission,culture, and careers section
• 4 custom Rive animations for productdemonstrations
• Responsive design across all devices
• Demo request popup with audience segmentation
• Full analytics and tracking integration (GA4,Apollo, Contentsquare)
• Team training for ongoing content management
"Appreciate the effective communication from your wholeteam and everyone's responsiveness to our comments throughout this effort. Itwas a great experience of remote collaboration for me. Hope to work togetheragain in the future."
— Janet Hwu, UX Designer, Ironflow AI
The project exemplified what'spossible when client and agency operate as true partners. Ironflow's clarity onpositioning, willingness to iterate, and trust in the process enabled us todeliver exceptional results on an aggressive timeline. Their "share early,share often" philosophy matched our collaborative approach perfectly.
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