In the Megasquirt world, things typically go like this.
A New Idea = Some person has an idea that he posts on the site. If the idea gets traction, the programmers may start to like the idea and start tossing ideas around how to type it up. Three main guys do most of the programming. A different guy does the MLV programming. The is no company as such with an office.
Alpha = We think we have an idea that should work but we need a couple of people to try it on a motor and see what happens. It appears to work on a scope and the bench as expected.
Beta = We think it is working but we need a bunch of people to try it and see if it is working as they expect this sort of thing to work. The programmers reserve the right to change the way it looks in the GUI a lot as people ask questions.
Release/Stable code = We know of no issues with the feature set.
I have seen things get thru this process in about a week. Other things can take a year or never do make it to release.
With the Harley stuff. One guy is making all sorts of HP, but he has a cam sensor making things easier. The other guy is working thru the issues that come up on this sort of thing.
Anybody can purchase raw boards, build a case and harness and sell them for a profit for any specific market. The business model is very Linux like. Lots of guys with lots of ideas and things get better very fast.
Andy