Looking for a founding engineer (equity) – building Management IQ
I’m building Management IQ, a product that helps industry-specific business owners make better operational decisions without needing to be experts in everything.
It’s not another dashboard or reporting tool. The idea is simple: you ask a real operational question and get a clear, practical answer you can actually act on.
I have a mid-tier consulting company and understand the operations / commercial side, having spent years running and fixing real businesses. I know the problems the businesses are facing. I’m now looking for a founding engineer to help turn this into a real product.
I already have a clear view on funding and distribution; the main risk to solve is building a product that can genuinely scale.
Who this is for
You’re probably someone who:
• Likes building from zero
• Cares more about shipping than perfect architecture
• Wants ownership, not just tasks
• Is curious about how businesses actually work
• Is comfortable saying “that’s a bad idea” and explaining why
2–6 years’ experience is fine if you can build.
Tech-wise
You’ll likely be comfortable with:
• React / Next.js
• Node or Python
• APIs and backend logic
• Interested in working with LLMs (or already have)
Stack isn’t fixed, speed and clarity matter more.
Structure
This is equity-first (roughly 15–20% depending on commitment).
I’d prefer to start with a small 30-day build on one focused feature to make sure we work well together before locking anything in.
Why this might be worth your time
• Real ownership from day one
• A product solving real-world problems
• Direct access to decisions
• Clear path to CTO if it scales
If this sounds interesting, send me a short note and links to anything you’ve built (GitHub, demos, live products).
That 30-day build test is a smart move to avoid big upfront risks
I spent 8 months building a SaaS with zero paying customers, so tbh testing fit early as you plan sounds way better
-Keep validating demand while building the first feature, so you don't waste time
-Make sure the founding engineer is comfortable calling out bad ideas, which can save a lot of headaches
-Focus on speed and clarity over perfect tech decisions early on
How are you planning to validate demand alongside that initial 30-day build?
Hi Rawco! Love how clearly you’ve thought about risk here, especially starting with a 30-day build to test both product and collaboration.
We're a studio with over 10 years of experience collaborating with founders to accelerate product development
We spend a lot of time helping founders scope and ship exactly that kind of focused first version while validating demand in parallel. If it’s ever useful to compare notes or sanity-check the first cut, feel free to reach out.
Hey Rawco! If you are still looking for someone let me know! Technical cofounder with many years of experience. Hit me up!
@Rawco
This is exactly the kind of situation I keep running into.
When someone says “I’ll get back to you in a few days”,
the hardest part isn’t waiting — it’s not knowing what they actually mean.
Do you usually follow up, or do you treat that as a soft no?
Hi Rawco,
I am interested but would like to know more about business idea.
I already have experience in operations (4 years) and into tech from last three years.
let's discuss.
This caught my eye. I've already built and deployed a live product that focuses on structuring vague intent into constrained, decision oriented outputs for LLMs. While my current implementation is more general-purpose, the underlying engine is explicitly designed around trade-offs, constraints, and structured reasoning which feels very aligned with what you're describing for operational decisions.
I'd be interested in a short conversation to sanity-check overlap and see whether a scoped 30-day build would make sense for both sides. If useful, I'm happy to share a live demo or walk through the architecture, to see if this might be something of interest in relation to developing your product. Feel free to reply here or provide a contact link for further discussion.
Hey Rawco,
Quick question are you currently looking to get help with Management IQ this week or next, or is hiring lower priority right now?