Startup Technical Advisory Northern Ireland

Startup Technical Advisory

Expert technology guidance for founders who’ve built something that works – and need it ready for real users, real scale, and real scrutiny.

The Problem

It works - but is it ready?

You’ve built something that works – maybe with Lovable, Google AI Studio, Replit, or with help from ChatGPT. It demos well. Investors are interested.

But someone’s asked about your architecture, your security model, your scaling plan, or your test coverage – and you’re not sure how to answer.

The gap between “it works on my laptop” and “it’s ready for real users and investor scrutiny” is bigger than most founders realise. That’s where I come in.

What I Do

Practical guidance, not theoretical advice

Technical Assessment

I review your codebase, architecture, infrastructure, and security posture and give you an honest picture of where you stand.

Roadmap Planning

A prioritised plan for what needs to change before you can scale, broken down into realistic phases.

Architecture Guidance

Advice on technology choices, database design, API structure, and deployment strategy that will support growth rather than create technical debt.

Investor Readiness

Helping you articulate your technical strategy credibly to investors who will ask hard questions.

Ongoing Advisory

Regular check-ins as your development team builds, so you've got experienced oversight without the cost of a full-time CTO.

How It Works

Clear process, no surprises

1

Paid Assessment

Starts with a single paid assessment session where I review your technology stack end-to-end.

2

Written Report

I produce a detailed written report with findings, risks, and prioritised recommendations.

3

Agree On Scope

We agree on the level of ongoing involvement – from a monthly check-in to hands-on weekly advisory.

4

Build With Confidence

I’m an advisor, not a co-founder. Clear scope, clear boundaries, no equity expectations. Just expert guidance.

Typical engagements start from a single assessment. No commitment required beyond the initial session.

Who Is This For?

Is this right for you?

Pre-Seed & Seed Startups

You have an MVP and you are preparing to raise funding (or just closed a round). You need to pass technical due diligence and prove to investors that your architecture won't collapse when real users hit it, but you don't have the budget or need for a £100k+ full-time CTO.

Non Technical Founders

You know your market inside out, but you are relying on outsourced agencies, freelancers, or AI tools to build your product. You need an independent, senior technical set of eyes to translate the jargon, ensure you aren't being overcharged, and verify the code is actually sound.

Scaling Teams

You have a capable team of junior or mid-level developers doing great work, but they lack the senior architectural oversight needed to make long-term infrastructure decisions. I provide the technical leadership to keep the codebase from turning into spaghetti as you grow.

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Paul McArdle
Director, MARENCO Environmental Consultants

FAQ

Common Questions

How does the initial assessment actually work?

We start with a free 15-minute intro call to see if we’re a good fit. If we proceed, the paid assessment involves a deep dive into your actual setup. I’ll ask for access to your codebase, hosting, and architecture. I conduct a thorough audit and return with a written, pragmatic roadmap of what needs fixing, prioritising security, scale, and cost.

How do you charge for advisory work?

I am completely transparent about costs. My standard rate is £40 per hour. Depending on what your startup needs, we can work on a simple pay-as-you-go hourly basis for ad-hoc advice, or set up a monthly retainer (based on an estimated block of hours) so you have guaranteed CTO-level oversight as your team builds.

Will you make us migrate to expensive enterprise cloud platforms?

No. I am highly cost-conscious, especially for bootstrapped startups and SMBs. If your product doesn’t genuinely need a complex Kubernetes abstraction on AWS, I won’t recommend it. I frequently architect robust, scalable infrastructure on platforms like Hetzner using tools like Dokploy, keeping your monthly server burn rate exceptionally low while maintaining high performance.

Ready to get your tech investor-ready?

The gap between a working demo and a scalable product is bigger than most founders realise. Let’s look at your stack.