Building Desktop Applications for Startups: Best Practices and Case Studies

Startup Challenges & Needs

Startups often face tight budgets, limited development resources, and need to deliver fast MVPs while maintaining quality. Desktop applications must be maintainable, scalable, and GDPR-compliant from the start.

Choosing the Right Framework

Kotlin Multiplatform is ideal for startups that want to share business logic across Windows, macOS, and Linux while keeping native UI.

Kotlin Multiplatform

• Allows code sharing between platforms, reducing development time.
• Supports native UI frameworks via Kotlin Compose Desktop.
• Integrates easily with CI/CD pipelines and testing frameworks.

Deployment Options

• Windows → .exe/.msi installers
• macOS → .app/.dmg packages
• Linux → .deb or .AppImage formats

Case Study Examples

• A Berlin-based health-tech startup built a scheduling and reporting desktop tool in 6 weeks.
• A Lisbon fintech startup integrated a desktop dashboard with banking APIs while maintaining GDPR compliance.

Conclusion

By choosing Kotlin Multiplatform and focusing on native deployment, startups can build maintainable and scalable desktop applications quickly. Proper architecture, testing, and regulatory awareness ensure long-term success.