I spent a year building two startups with zero revenue. Here's what I learned that I'm now offering as a service.
A year ago I quit everything to build startups full time.
I co-founded Otovee (women's health AI platform) and Aielth AI (AI twin platform, selected for Build3 Accelerator). Both are pre-revenue.
The year wasn't wasted. It just didn't pay me yet.
Here's what I actually built during that time:
Full RAG pipeline and AI knowledge base from scratch. Behavioral data pipelines and automated screening systems. SOPs, KPI dashboards, and team accountability systems for two companies at once. Product roadmaps, brand identities, landing pages, and onboarding flows. Backend using FastAPI, Supabase, MongoDB, Firebase.
All of this with no funding and a team of 3.
Most early-stage founders are drowning in exactly the problems I already solved. Messy ops. No systems. Manual work that should be automated. Product ideas with no clear build path.
So I am taking on 2-3 short projects as a Fractional Startup Operator. Someone who builds with you, not just advises.
If any of this sounds familiar, reply here or DM me.
I'm curious what convinced you founders actually want a "Fractional Startup Operator" rather than specialists for product, engineering, or operations.
Was that a pattern you observed while building your own companies, or something founders explicitly asked you for?
Honestly both.
While building Aielth and Otovee I noticed the biggest bottleneck was never one specific function. It was the gap between functions. The product person didn't talk to the ops person. The technical decisions weren't aligned with the go-to-market. Nobody owned the full picture.
Early stage founders don't need a specialist. They need someone who can hold the whole thing together while they focus on the one thing only they can do.
The term "Fractional Startup Operator" is just the cleanest way I found to describe that. Whether a founder calls it that or not, the problem is real. I've had founders describe it as "I need someone who just gets it and moves."
That said, you're raising a fair point. I'm testing whether the positioning lands. This post is partly that test.
Appreciate the context.
Would be interesting to continue the conversation as you learn how founders respond to that positioning.
What's the best email to reach you on?