Technical Venture-Building Advisory
Periodic technical judgement for venture builders and founders: assumption reviews, decision memos, and a technical milestone map, without an operating role.
Direct answer
Direct answer: Venture-building advisory
Venture studios and early founders often need technical judgement at a few decisive points rather than a full-time technical lead: before choosing an architecture, before committing to a model provider, before a raise, or before hiring the first engineers. I provide that judgement periodically, through assumption reviews and short decision memos, and help set technical milestones the venture can be measured against. It is advisory input, not an operating cofounder role.
The question
“We need periodic technical judgement on a venture’s assumptions, not an undisclosed operating cofounder or engineering team. What advisory scope fits?”
Who it is for
Venture studios, corporate venture builders, and founders building AI-dependent ventures who need periodic senior technical judgement.
What you leave with
An assumption review, decision memo, and technical milestone map.
- 01 An assumption review listing the technical bets the venture depends on, and how each could be tested
- 02 Decision memos at agreed points, such as architecture, provider choice, or first hires
- 03 A technical milestone map showing what must be demonstrated before each stage
- 04 A disclosure record of the advisory relationship and any interests
How it runs
Format, method, and preparation
- Duration
- An initial assumption review, then periodic sessions at an agreed cadence or at decision points
- Delivery
- Remote, with occasional in-person sessions in the UK
- Participants
- Founders or venture leads, and the technical lead once one exists
Surface the assumptions
List what must be technically true for the venture to work, and how confident the team really is in each.
Design cheap tests
Identify the smallest prototype, evaluation, or conversation that would confirm or kill each critical assumption.
Set milestones
Agree the technical evidence each stage should produce before more money, people, or time is committed.
Advise at decision points
Return at agreed moments to review evidence and write a short decision memo.
Useful to have ready
- →A venture thesis or plan, however early
- →A founder or venture lead who owns decisions
- →Agreement on cadence, confidentiality, and any equity or financial interest
Evidence
What this draws on
Six companies founded, 2008–2024
Kwippy, Jaja.tv, Octo.ai, ExpressMOJO, Boom, and Neul Labs, spanning social software, interactive media, ML and analytics, logistics, blockchain infrastructure, and applied AI. Advisory and investment records are not counted as founded companies.
Read more →Boom investor commitments
Boom recorded more than $2.5M in investor commitments and commercial letters of intent. That is not money raised, recognised revenue, or production adoption.
Read more →Provisional patent filings
90+ provisional filings across Hike and Orangewood Labs in AI, computer vision, robotics, messaging, and consumer systems. Provisional filings, not granted patents.
Scope and limits
What this is not
- —This is periodic advisory input. It is not an operating cofounder, CTO, or engineering role, and it does not carry executive responsibility.
- —Any equity, fee, or other interest is disclosed to the venture and, where relevant, to its investors.
- —Advice is not fundraising, brokerage, or introductions to investors.
If the need is different
Common questions
Answers before you commission
What does a technical venture-building adviser do?+
Reviews the technical assumptions behind a venture, designs cheap ways to test them, sets technical milestones, and writes decision memos at key points. The founders keep ownership of the decisions.
How is this different from a technical cofounder?+
A cofounder owns the technology and commits to the venture long term. Advisory work is periodic decision input with a defined scope and disclosed interests.
Can you advise a venture studio across several ventures?+
Yes, with a separate assumption review per venture and disclosure of any interests in each.
When is the right time to bring in a technical adviser?+
Before the expensive commitments: choosing an architecture or model provider, hiring the first engineers, or making technical claims to investors.
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