Questions about working together.

Mostly early-stage companies, including startups that have raised a seed round. I also sometimes work with established businesses starting a new product from scratch.

I typically work with a total MVP budget of $50,000 to $100,000 USD or more, depending on the scope. That's the budget to get to a first version customers can use. I can't take on a project without enough budget to see the build through.

I've worked in e-commerce, real estate and developer tools, and with publishing companies and marketing firms. I've also led an engineering team at Datadog, a large public software company.

I can help build SaaS products, dashboards, web apps and mobile apps. As long as software is a substantial part of what you need, I'm happy to talk about how I can help.

No. You know your customers and what you're trying to build. I'll take care of the technical plan and development, and explain what the choices mean for your budget and timeline. You can ask me to talk through anything that isn't clear.

Yes. Tell me who you'd like to help and what you want the product to do for them. A few paragraphs in your own words are enough. You don't need to prepare a pitch deck or technical plan, but you're welcome to attach anything you already have.

I'm afraid I can't take on sweat-equity development work at this stage in my career. Development services through Blueprint Ventures Inc. require a monthly retainer, starting at $15,000 USD. Any personal equity arrangement would be for a separate ongoing advisory role.

It helps to know:

• Who it's for and what problem it solves.
• What you've done so far, including anything you've learned from potential customers.
• What you'd like help building first.
• Your monthly budget and when you'd like to launch.

The form has questions about budget and timing. Use the project description to tell me about the idea, and mention anything you're still figuring out.

I'll read your outline and reply personally over the coming days. I'll let you know whether I can help, ask any questions and share when I could start. If I can't take it on, I'll tell you.

No. I offer a service much like an agency: you're hiring me for my experience and the work I'll deliver. At this stage of my career, I'm fortunate to be able to take on projects without going through interviews or technical challenges.

If we both feel there's a good fit, we can agree an initial one-month trial, paid through the monthly retainer. That gives us both a chance to see how we work together before deciding whether to continue.

I don't sign non-disclosure agreements. Software ideas often overlap, and I may already be working on something similar or do so in the future. Please keep your outline general and leave out anything you'd need me to keep confidential.

What you send is kept only so I can reply and, if we go ahead, plan the work. Sending a brief doesn't create an engagement for either of us.

Development services through Blueprint Ventures Inc. start at $15,000 USD a month. The retainer covers the work of building your product, from planning and implementation through testing and launch.

If we also want to work together longer term, we can discuss a separate arrangement for me to advise you personally as a fractional CTO, with an equity stake in the company. We'll agree what each role involves before starting.

The active development retainer is $15,000 USD a month. Before starting, we agree the scope, priorities and a realistic launch plan for your project. Any equity percentage, responsibilities and time commitment for my personal advisory role are negotiated separately.

Blueprint Ventures Inc., my company based in Ontario, Canada, invoices you for development services and receives the monthly retainer. Prices are quoted in U.S. dollars. You can pay by ACH or wire transfer to the U.S. or Canadian account shown on your invoice.

I can also invoice in other currencies and provide local account details if that works better for your accounting platform. Sales tax may apply if you're a Canadian customer.

Each monthly retainer is paid upfront. Your first payment is due before the engagement starts, with each following payment due before the next month of work begins.

If I see a longer-term role in the business and we'd both like to work together, I may take a personal equity stake in return for ongoing advisory services as a fractional CTO. That could mean helping you set technical priorities, review major decisions and guide your team as the company grows.

I'd hold that stake personally. We'd agree the advisory responsibilities and equity terms separately from Blueprint Ventures Inc.'s development services and monthly retainer.

Yes. You can engage Blueprint Ventures Inc. for development services without an equity arrangement. We'd only discuss personal equity if we both wanted me to take on a separate ongoing advisory role as fractional CTO.

The monthly retainer covers active development services through Blueprint Ventures Inc. If the project is complete or you'd like to hand it over to a team, you can end the development arrangement at any time. We can wrap up on good terms.

I can help with the development handover while the retainer is active. Once it ends, I won't take on further development work. If we've also agreed a personal advisory role and equity stake, those follow the terms of our separate advisory agreement.

I aim for 90 days for a focused first version that customers can use, often called an MVP. The timing depends on what it needs to do. Before we start, we'll agree what belongs in that first release, what can wait and a realistic launch plan for your project.

Yes. I work on several projects and set aside focused time for each. You'll work directly with me, with agreed priorities, regular updates and working software to try.

Most of our communication happens asynchronously over Slack, so we can each send messages and reply around our own schedules. Neither of us needs to commit to meetings or set aside regular time in the calendar.

That's something we can work through together. Trying the product or talking to customers may change what you want to build. We'll look at what that means for the remaining work, budget and launch date, then agree what to do next.

Mostly through Slack. Send questions and feedback as they come up, and I'll share short updates on what's ready, what's next and where I need your input. You won't have recurring daily or weekly status meetings to fit into your calendar. If something would be easier to talk through, we can arrange a call.

I'm a British Canadian based in Toronto, working remotely. I work asynchronously and move between projects, so you can leave me a message on Slack whenever suits you. I'll usually reply the same day or the next business day, during Toronto business hours.

If I'll be away for an extended period, I'll let you know in advance.

You'll get working versions to try as features are ready. We also keep the plan in Linear, a shared project tracker. You can see what I'm working on, what's coming next and where I need a decision from you. Ideas for later go there too, so we can come back to them.

Plan to try working versions, share what you're learning from customers and answer questions about the business. The time you need will vary with the project and the decisions coming up. I'll make it clear where I need your input, and your feedback will help us catch misunderstandings early.

Yes. I work solo or with a small team, and I'm happy to work with your designer. Tell me who's already involved and what they'll be looking after. I can also help with the product's copy, marketing and branding.

Yes. I've helped with marketing, branding, copy, user experience and onboarding. That can mean finding the right way to describe the product, improving the screens or helping new users get started.

I've also founded and sold businesses and led a team of 15 engineers at Datadog. That experience helps with product planning, deciding where to spend your budget and helping a team work together. From the first idea through to launch, I'm happy to get involved wherever I can be useful to the business.

No, I'm not generally available for a full-time role on someone else's team. After 25+ years working on software in companies big and small, I've found that a few trusted projects with partners I enjoy working with suit me best. An asynchronous schedule also helps me balance work and family life.

With AI, I find a small team can often maintain software that historically would have needed tens or even hundreds of developers. I prefer working in those small, close partnerships.

If the right opportunity comes along, or a project we build together grows to need more of my time, I'll revisit my priorities with you.

If you're weighing the options, read my guide to a CTO for hire versus a full-time CTO, including the costs, responsibilities and when a permanent hire makes sense.

I'll recommend the tools once we understand what your product needs to do. You don't need to choose them before we talk. I often use TypeScript and React for the screens people use, C# for the software behind them, PostgreSQL for storing data and Rust where processing speed matters.

I'll explain how the choices affect cost, upkeep and future development.

Generally, yes. If you're technical and have a specific stack in mind, tell me what you'd like to use and why. AI has given me much more flexibility to work with languages and platforms beyond my usual choices.

My 25+ years of evaluating and building systems help me assess the design, review the code and test the result. I can bring that experience to a wide range of stacks without needing to know every detail of a language by heart.

I use AI every day to help turn ideas into working code faster. I decide how the system fits together, review the code and test the product. I'm responsible for the quality of what I deliver, including anything built with AI's help.

You do. The code and the accounts used to run your product belong to you from the start. You'll have them when your own team is ready to take over. Before we begin, we'll also agree how to handle hosting and other services the product needs.

Yes, provided I have room to rethink the design and development. If a previous team has taken the product part of the way, I can take it forward. That might mean rebuilding it from scratch, making fresh technology choices or getting a prototype ready for customers.

I'm less suited to adding features to an existing codebase while keeping its original design. I wasn't involved in those early decisions, and I'd likely want to change more than you had in mind. We'll talk through how much freedom I have to reshape the product before we start.

Yes. I build apps for iOS and Android, as well as web products, websites and internal dashboards. We'll talk about where and how people will use your product, then choose what makes sense for the first release.

I set up automated checks and a place where you can try new features before customers see them. Before launch, I test how the product handles the traffic you expect. I also add monitoring to help spot problems and plan how to recover if an update goes wrong.

You'll start learning from people using the product: what's useful, where they get stuck and what they need next. That helps us decide what to improve. We'll plan support before launch, whether you want me to keep developing the product or help your own team take over.

Yes, by agreement. If I stay involved personally as a fractional CTO, my role would be to advise on technical direction, help you assess decisions and support your team as the business grows. We'd agree the ongoing advisory services and my personal equity stake separately.

If you also need me to keep building or maintaining the product, that development work would remain with Blueprint Ventures Inc. under a monthly retainer.

I'll help you plan the handover. As I build, I document how the product works, how to release updates and how to recover from problems. That gives your future team something to work from. Any development work during the handover is covered by Blueprint Ventures Inc.'s monthly retainer. If I'm also advising you personally as a fractional CTO, that role follows our separate advisory agreement.

Yes. I'll pay you $5,000 USD when someone you refer becomes a client and the engagement starts. There's one bonus per new client.

Register as a referrer, share the site with them and ask them to put your name in the referral field when they get in touch. Once the engagement starts, I'll contact you to arrange payment.