Products backed by over £10M in funding and millions of users

The technical product partner funded founders actually need.

You dont need another advisor. You need someone wholl get in the weeds, make decisions, and ship. Thats what I do.

Not for everyone.

Id rather be honest upfront than waste your time.

This works if:

  • Youve raised at least £500k
  • You need to ship in the next 312 months
  • Youre building something that needs real engineering
  • You want someone who can build, not someone who only advises

This probably isnt for you if:

  • You need long-term system maintenance
  • Youre looking for a people manager
  • Heavy governance and long approval chains
  • You want someone to clear a ticket backlog
Steve Smith

Proof.

What colleagues say. What Ive shipped. What clients raised.

[OUTCOME]

Stabilised Hanover CRM through a CTO transition, rebuilt engineering ops, and set the AI-first product direction.

Current engagement · Hanover CRM

There isnt anything Steve cannot do. He has been a true MVP with leading tech & product.

Eugene Luke, Marketing @ Asset Bank

£10M+

raised by clients on products we shipped together

He was indispensable. Always available for questions and code reviews, providing constructive feedback without hesitation.

Roberto DAmico, Senior Software Engineer @ Mindstep

From week one to shipped.

When Im embedded with a startup, this is the shape of it three stages that move you from we think we know what to build to its shipped and the team can run it without me.

[STAGE 1]

Figure out what to build.

Before any code, we get clear on whats actually worth shipping. Product decisions, architecture calls, where AI fits and where it doesnt. The fastest way to waste runway is building the wrong thing, so we dont start until we know.

What that looks like: a roadmap and scope you can defend to your board, a technical direction that wont need unpicking in six months, and a clear read on which AI bets are worth making.

[STAGE 2]

Build it, properly.

I write code. Not just architecture diagrams. Production code, real products, shipped to real users Rails, Phoenix, Next.js, React Native, Swift.

This is where SCAFFOLD comes in. Its the AI-native infrastructure Ive built over years of shipping startup products, and its how I move at the pace you need without cutting the corners that cost you later. Multi-tenant platforms, API-first design, compliance-aware systems designed for what you need now and what youll need at 10x.

[STAGE 3]

Leave you running without me.

The goal isnt for you to need me forever. Process documentation, technical specs, hiring support, pricing strategy, launch planning I build the systems that let your team operate once I step back.

A good engagement ends with you shipping faster than you did before I arrived, and a team that doesnt need me to keep doing it.

Real engagements. Real outcomes.

miDrive
Mobile Lead

Scaled to one of the UKs largest learn-to-drive platforms. Revamped the iOS & Android apps into the sectors leading products. Featured by BBC, TechCrunch, and the Guardian.

300k+
downloads
$10M
funding raised
#1
in sector
Hanover CRM
CTO

Brought in during major leadership upheaval. CTO leaving, team leads departing, business changing hands. Stabilised the team, rebuilt development operations, and now leading AI & product innovation in International Exchange.

Stabilised
in transition
AI-first
product direction
Flashback
Product & Tech Advisor

A swamped founder with ideas everywhere and no structure. I helped shape the product roadmap, added process, reviewed code, refreshed the UI, and helped shape the v2 product.

$500k
AUD invested
Roadmap
from chaos
TQI Online
Product & Tech Advisor

Built the technical architecture, brought in an experienced AI developer to build the product, and now advise on product direction. I bring in product designers and engineers to build customer and marketing flows.

Architecture
designed from scratch
Team
built around product

Three ways to work together.

Scoped engagements with clear outcomes. No open-ended retainers.

Clarity Sprint

1 week
Lets chat

One week embedded with your team. I audit what youre building, identify where AI fits (and where it doesnt), and ship at least one working proof-of-concept. You walk away with a clear technical direction and something already running.

Build Sprint

46 weeks
Lets chat

A specific product or feature, scoped and shipped. Fixed timeline. You get a finished product, not a handoff document.

15 years of building products.

From award-winning product studios to scaling SaaS platforms, Ive spent my career embedded in startups, making the decisions, building the teams, and shipping the products. I take on a small number of clients at a time so each one gets real depth, not surface-level advice.

Late night at a home desk, MacBook glowEarly days, 2011
First office, whiteboard planningFirst office, 2012
Wildgoose appWildgoose, shipped 2013
Mixer appMixer · TechCrunch
Alibi app at SXSWSXSW launch, 2014
Building products togetherBuilding Alibi, 2014
miDrive officemiDrive HQ
miDrive appmiDrive, 300k+ downloads
Startup t-shirt collectionThe merch collection 2017
Product and design talkProduct & design talk
Speaking on a founder panelFounder panel, 2018
Presenting an app demoApp pitch, 2018
Standing desk focus timeFlow state, 2018
Keynote talk on stageKeynote talk, 2019
Android workshop with a classroom of studentsAndroid workshop, 2019
Ethereum conferenceEthPrague 2022
Design work and notesBuilding Flow, 2024
35
clients at a time, each gets deep, focused attention
15yrs
building products across mobile, SaaS, blockchain, AI and enterprise
100+
products shipped, every engagement benefits from the last

Lets start a
conversation.

No pitch deck. No pressure. Just a chat about what youre building whats hard, and whether Im the right person to help.

📅Book a 30-minute call Google Calendar
📨Email directly [email protected]
🔥Currently taking on 12 new clients this quarter
Steve Smith