Magpie Picks
Concept prototype- Tension
- Useful independent apps can be hard to find in ranked, open-ended discovery.
- Promise
- Magpie Picks explores a finite editorial deck: ten picks, then it ends.
Technology that leaves room for people.
ElseBranch is an independent New York studio building a small portfolio around fair starts, quiet care, clearer choices, quieter nights, and finite discovery.
Fair starts
Quiet care
Clearer choices
Quieter nights
Finite discovery
01 / Current systems
Five products. One measure.
01—A
01—B
01—C
01—D
01—E
Scorch
Free iPhone pilot- Tension
- Different paces shouldn’t turn a shared run into separate races.
- Promise
- Scorch uses your recent 5K to stagger starts on the same mapped route. Challenge a friend, follow the chase live, and line up a rematch—or keep a Solo Run private and chase your route best.
HardBeet
Preparing for release- Tension
- Knowing when to reach out should not mean watching someone.
- Promise
- HardBeet turns daily check-ins into clear, one-way or mutual agreements. Approved people can coordinate with temporary, anonymous reach-out plans—without device-location tracking.
Aurora
Working POC- Tension
- A cruise can look right on price while being wrong for the people taking it.
- Promise
- Aurora turns route, ship, cabin, party, and price preferences into explained fit, alternatives, and target-price watches.
Offramp Sleep
Private iPhone beta- Tension
- When you’re awake again or caught in nighttime scrolling, a phone can offer more stimulation when you need less.
- Promise
- Offramp Sleep offers quiet, self-paced steps for bedtime or waking in the night, plus a Tomorrow Box for thoughts to revisit in daylight. You choose when to finish.
02 / Studio note
A note from ElseBranch, New York
A race can make room for different paces and give friends a reason to line up again. People can agree when to check in and when to reach out, without watching one another. Travel choices can be explained. A late-night tool can offer a small next step, save a thought for tomorrow, and let you decide when you’re done. Discovery can stop. From a distance, these are separate categories. Up close, each is a decision about how much a system should take over. We choose the other branch: enough structure to help, enough restraint to leave agency, dignity, and imagination intact. We build from New York, keeping the studio small enough to stay close to the details and honest about what each product is ready to promise.
ElseBranch StudioNew YorkSummer 2026
03 / Contact