What I do, in detail.
Every founder I work with needs a slightly different mix. These are the building blocks — we'll figure out which ones apply to you on the intro call.
1. Architecture & tech-debt review
You bring me what the AI has built. I read the code, the schema, the deploy setup, and the roadmap. You get back a written assessment: what's solid, what's going to break under load, what's a security issue, and what to fix first.
Best for: founders who already have a working prototype and a nagging feeling that something isn't right.
2. Codebase rescue & legacy upgrade
The AI that wrote your code six months ago doesn't write it the way today's models do. Patterns drift, dependencies rot, security advisories pile up, and what was a clean prototype turns into something you're afraid to touch. I take what's there — even if it's a tangled mess — and bring it up to current standards: consistent structure, updated dependencies, real tests around the parts that matter, and code the next engineer (or AI) can actually extend without making it worse.
Best for: founders sitting on a working-but-fragile codebase who can't afford a full rewrite and don't want to keep duct-taping. Also: anyone who inherited code from a previous contractor and isn't sure what they actually have.
3. Fractional CTO / technical cofounder
Ongoing partnership. I'm in your Slack, in your repo, in your weekly planning. I make the technical calls so you can focus on selling. Available as monthly retainer, equity grant, revenue share, or a combination.
Best for: founders going past prototype, raising money, or hiring their first engineer.
4. "Help me ship this" sprint
Two-week focused engagement to get one specific thing across the line: payments integration, auth + accounts, a migration to a real database, a deploy pipeline, a security pass before launch. Fixed scope, fixed price.
Best for: "I'm 80% there but the last 20% is grown-up engineering and I don't know how to do it."
5. Stack & vendor selection
Hosting, database, auth provider, payment processor, email, analytics, monitoring. I'll walk you through what to pick based on where you're going, not where the blog posts are. One call + a written recommendation.
Best for: founders at day 1 who don't want to spend three weeks reading Hacker News.
6. First-engineer hiring
Job spec, sourcing strategy, interview design, take-home review, reference calls, offer negotiation. I sit on the panel if you want me to. The first engineering hire is the single most leveraged decision you make — get it right.
Best for: first-time founders without an engineering network.
7. Incident on-call (limited)
For a small number of long-term partners only. When prod breaks at 11pm on a Saturday, you have my number. Limited capacity by design — don't ask unless we've already been working together for a while.
Best for: existing partners with revenue on the line.