--- title: "Fractional Co-Founder" canonical: https://wavect.io/services/fractional-cofounder/ language: en description: "Just like a Co-Founder but without the Equity." image: "https://wavect.io/img/general/bak/open_graph_preview.jpg" --- **The No-Bullshit Guarantee.** Cancel any week, refund the last. × Fractional Co-Founder # Fractional Co-Founders Embedded product and engineering thinking for the pre-PMF gap. €400/week, cancel anytime, no equity, no fluff. - €400/week - Cancel any week - No equity, no fluff // 01 ## What we do for pre-PMF founders Before writing a single line of code, let's make sure you're building the right thing. Most startups don't. Define Your Product Roadmap Every feature earns its place by driving adoption or revenue. Or it doesn't ship. Avoid Building The Wrong Thing We validate demand and market fit before you spend months building something nobody wants. Fast Product-Market Fit Validation We run fast experiments so you know what the market wants before burning budget. Ready-to-Build Specifications You leave with a dev-ready blueprint your engineering team can execute on day one. Technical & Business Expertise We balance market needs with technical reality, so your roadmap is feasible, not just ambitious. Lean Validation Methods Prove demand with landing pages, prototypes, or user interviews. Whatever's fastest. How many founders ship before talking to users? Too many. We make sure you're not one of them. FREE Pricing Scenario Analysis. Plug in your unit economics. [Run it →](https://pricing.wavect.io) // 02 ## How we work, end to end ## Our 4-Week Process See how we turn chaos into clarity, in repeating 4-week cycles. Phase 01 · One-time intake ### First Week (One-time) Audit - Next milestones assessment - Current stage evaluation - Understanding your business - Stakeholder mapping Alignment - Expect chaos - it's normal - No blueprint to Product-Market-Fit - Feedback-iteration loops - Setting expectations 4-week loop · repeats until milestones land 02 W2–4 Build 03 W5 Realign 04 W6–8 Build 05 W9 Restart After Phase 04, the cycle loops back to Phase 02 Phase 02 · Build ### Weeks 2-4 You - Focus areas to move the needle - Prioritized action items - Feedback collection activities Wavect - Targeted expertise application - Co-founder support activities - Milestone progress assistance Phase 03 · Realign ### Week 5 (Re-alignment) Re-alignment - Chaos normalization - Process reinforcement Re-Audit - Progress assessment - Achievement review - Plan adjustment Feedback & Communication - Team effectiveness improvement - Communication optimization Phase 04 · Build ### Weeks 6-8 You - Refined focus areas - Iteration based on feedback Wavect - Continued co-founder support - Expertise application in evolving areas Phase 05 · Realign & Restart ### Week 9 (Re-alignment & Cycle Restart) Re-alignment - Chaos normalization - Process reinforcement Re-Audit - Progress assessment - Achievement review - Plan adjustment Feedback & Communication - Team effectiveness improvement - Communication optimization After this week, we begin a new cycle with weekly tasks (similar to weeks 6-8), building on our learnings and progress. FREE SKILLS · NO API KEY · NO SIGNUP ## Three free skills we use with paying founders Same PMF, ICP, and pricing prompts we run inside engagements. Plug them into your own AI workflow. No API key, no signup. 1. **PMF Advisor** - Pressure-tests your idea against JTBD, Sean Ellis, RICE. Won't let you confuse user love for a business. - [Run in Claude →](https://claude.ai/new?q=Please+fetch+and+follow+this+Wavect+skill+carefully%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fwavect.io%2F.well-known%2Fagent-skills%2Fpmf-advisor%2FSKILL.md) [Install / read](/skills/#pmf-advisor) 2. **ICP Discovery** - Forces specificity: name the customer, the trigger, the spend, where to find 50 of them. - [Run in Claude →](https://claude.ai/new?q=Please+fetch+and+follow+this+Wavect+skill+carefully%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fwavect.io%2F.well-known%2Fagent-skills%2Ficp-discovery%2FSKILL.md) [Install / read](/skills/#icp-discovery) 3. **Pricing Strategy** - Kills cost-plus thinking. Surfaces the value metric and the price the market actually pays. - [Run in Claude →](https://claude.ai/new?q=Please+fetch+and+follow+this+Wavect+skill+carefully%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fwavect.io%2F.well-known%2Fagent-skills%2Fpricing-strategy%2FSKILL.md) [Install / read](/skills/#pricing-strategy) [See all 6 skills →](/skills/) BEFORE YOU APPLY ## Who Fractional Co-Founding is not for. Saves us both a call. If two or more of these describe you, the diagnostic will end in a polite no, and we'll point you toward the right room. 1. **You already have a CTO who owns product and engineering.** - You don't need a fractional partner, you need delivery capacity. Our development retainer is built for that. - [Better fit Software Development](/services/software-development/) 2. **You can't put four hours a week into the build.** - Fractional is co-, not solo. If you can't be in the room with us, the outcome won't be yours. A done-for-you build is a saner deal. - [Better fit Software Development](/services/software-development/) 3. **Your business is already profitable and you just need engineering capacity.** - Fractional is for the pre-product-market-fit gap. If you've already found PMF and need execution muscle, our development retainer is the right shape. - [Better fit Software Development](/services/software-development/) 4. **You want a co-founder who'll trade 20% equity for cheap hours.** - We charge €400 a week. That is the deal. We are not an equity hack and we won't pretend otherwise. 5. **Your bet depends on a market that doesn't exist yet.** - "Mass crypto adoption," "people will pay for AI companions." We work with operators, not lottery winners. If the plan is hope, we're not the right partners. We'd rather refund €0 today than refund €40k in six months. Saying no early is the most honest thing we do. WHERE TO LOOK INSTEAD ### If this isn't the room, one of these probably is. #### [Software Development](/services/software-development/) Full-stack delivery for validated products. Cancel any week. €10–30k/month retainer or fixed-scope from €3,500 Discovery. #### [Software Quality Assurance](/services/software-quality-assurance/) QA partnership for products already in the wild. We find the bugs your users would, and we'll fix them too if you want. #### [Fractional CTO](/services/fractional-cto/) Past PMF and you need a CTO instead of a co-founder? Senior engineering leadership on a fractional basis, transparent day rates, signed Werkvertrag. [Still unsure? Email office@wavect.io and we'll point you somewhere honest](mailto:office@wavect.io?subject=Not%20a%20fit%2C%20referral%20request&body=Hi%20Wavect%2C%0A%0AI%20read%20your%20%22not%20for%20you%22%20list%20and%20realised%20Fractional%20Co-Founder%20isn%27t%20the%20right%20engagement.%20Can%20you%20point%20me%20somewhere%20that%20is%3F%0A%0AStage%3A%0ABudget%3A%0AWhat%20I%20actually%20need%3A) FREE Founder Workbook. A 10-min self-audit. [Open it →](https://strategy.wavect.io) HOW WE WORK ## Your Journey with Wavect From idea to paying customers, and the long haul beyond that. You buy an outcome, not hours. Fixed price where the scope is clear, weekly retainer where it isn't. If a retainer week moves nothing, you get it back. Your Idea Want to make sure you build the right product? YES Co-Founder Track Helping you validate your idea and build the right product Market validation Strategy development Skip 3.5k€ discovery NO Discovery Phase Everything you and we need to build a great and reliable product Technical planning Fixed price offer Launch plan Ideation & Market Validation ### Fractional Co-Founders You end up with A validated direction, backed by market signal instead of opinions. What's included - Validate fast & creatively with minimum funds - Build for product-market-fit - Define clear direction & strategy - Prepare for development phase Cancel anytime • Last week refunded if no impact Technical Planning & Architecture ### Discovery Phase You end up with A build plan and a fixed price, before development starts. What's included - Complete software architecture design - Detailed milestone plan with timelines - Technical flows and system diagrams - Launch plan and rollout strategy - Fixed price offer for development Comprehensive technical foundation Once direction is clear Build & Launch ### Software Development You end up with Your product live with real customers, shipped milestone by milestone. What's included - Build your validated product concept - Early go-live for market validation - Milestone-based delivery (no half-baked products) - Seamless transition from strategy to execution - AI-powered development with human quality assurance Milestone-based, or weekly retainer for ongoing work Once you're live Maintain & Speed Up ### Software Quality Assurance You end up with A product that stays live, stays fast, and keeps shipping. What's included - Add new features & adjacent products - Ensure products work properly - Maintain quality standards - Speed up your internal developers - QA for AI-assisted and Vibe-coded software Note We also do QA on projects we haven't built (including vibe-coded projects). Cancel anytime • Last week refunded if no impact ### Long-term Partnership We win when you win. That's the alignment. THE NO-BULLSHIT GUARANTEE ## If we don't blow you away, you don't pay for the week. *That's the whole deal.* 01. Cancel any week. No notice period, no exit fee, no questions. 02. Refund the last week. If we didn't blow you away, you don't pay for it. It's in the contract. 03. No hours tracked. We work to exceed expectations, not to fill timesheets. WHY THIS WORKS ### We don't sell time. *We sell outcomes.* That's why this works. **We both have skin in the game.** ### How it works, in both directions If we don't blow you away, you don't pay for that week. No invoices to dispute, no hours to audit, no calls to escalate. And if your expectations are detached from reality, we walk too. We work with operators, not lottery winners. Walking out is not walking away. Anything we built ships documented, version-controlled, and ready for handover. No client is left holding a broken product. These rules are written into every contract. **Weekly retainers** (Fractional Co-Founder, Software QA, Development Retainer): cancel any week, refund the last, no hours tracked. **Fixed-price projects** (Discovery, milestone-based Development): signed statement of work (Werkvertrag), fixed scope and deadline, contractually bound to deliver. Two mechanisms, one promise. We earn what we get paid. ## Product Decisions, De-Risked Most founders guess and burn six months. We decide with data, before the first line of code. Strategic Decision 01 / 12 Drowning in feature ideas? RICE-score every idea. Top 3 ship, the rest wait. // proof ## Proof, not promises ### [Twinsoft AI](/case-studies/twinsoft-ai/) - **Status:** Live - **Outcome:** 2 weeks - To Sellable MVP - **Summary:** Took a vibe-coded prototype to enterprise pilot-ready, no shortcuts. - **Stack:** Python / Flask, LLMs, Terraform ### [Hyperstate AI](/case-studies/hyperstate-ai/) - **Status:** Wind Down - **Outcome:** GPU Monolith - → Microservices - **Summary:** Split a GPU-heavy monolith into orchestrated services and swapped self-hosted ML libs for scalable alternatives. Latency and cost … - **Stack:** Python / Django, OpenAI API, Neo4j ### [Offlinery](/case-studies/offlinery/) - **Status:** Wind Down - **Outcome:** Real-time - Proprietary Matching Engine - **Summary:** Proprietary real-time proximity matching on iOS/Android against aggressive OS throttling, full stack. - **Stack:** React Native / Expo, NestJS, TypeORM These are selected projects, not our full portfolio. We have shipped 75+ products since 2018. ### What clients say Google **Built multiple venture-backed startups with Wavect over 4 years.** World class team. They're great thought partners while in discovery, reliable and predictable engineers while in dev, and just generally great guys to work with. Highly highly recommend you work with this team for your next project. Read more → Joseph Miller Original LinkedIn **Kevin is extremely knowledgeable and professional, and I'm grateful I had the chance to meet with him about a business idea.** His insights were some of the most impactful ones I've received and made a real difference in shaping my direction. He's bright, adventurous, and never shies away from a challenge. I truly admire his innovation, resourcefulness, and ability to make things happen. Kevin is one of a kind, and anyone who works with him will quickly see the unique value he brings. Read more → Cyryl Jakubik Health Insurance Advisor Original Trustpilot **Earned my trust for future cooperations.** An extremely dedicated and passionate but also well-trained and reliable team. Based in Tirol, working internationally. Read more → Manuel Licha Original Independently rated 5.0/5 on Clutch [Read the reviews](https://clutch.co/profile/wavect-gmbh#reviews) [![Clutch Top Digital Transformation Company in Austria 2026 award for Wavect](/img/awards/clutch-top-digital-transformation-company-austria-2026_hu_3960015146744168.webp) Verified on Clutch · 2026 Top Digital Transformation Company in Austria View our Clutch profile](https://clutch.co/profile/wavect-gmbh) ## FAQs Common questions about our Fractional Co-Founder program ### How does the weekly cancellation actually work? End any week, with one message. No notice period, no exit interview, no fine print. We invoice weekly, so the most you’re ever committed to is the current week. ### What if I'm not blown away by the work? It’s in your contract: tell us, and we refund that week. No questions, no invoices to dispute, no calls to escalate. The only rule: refunds apply to the most recent week. ### Why don't you track hours? Because hours are the wrong metric. If we optimize for hours billed, we do not optimize for your outcome. The deal is simpler: every week has a defined result, and we earn the next week by delivering it. You pay for progress against that result, not for a timesheet. ### What does 'expectations detached from reality' mean? We work with operators, not lottery winners. If a request would require breaking physics, the law, or a third party’s systems, we say so, and if we can’t align, we walk. The guarantee is mutual: you can fire us any week; we can also fire ourselves. ### How is this different from hiring a product consultant or business analyst? Consultants give recommendations and leave. Business analysts document requirements. We become deeply invested in your product’s success and work hands-on to validate, iterate, and define your roadmap. We don’t just analyze, we experiment, test assumptions, and prepare everything needed for successful development. Think of us as your product co-founder during the critical strategy phase. ### What if I already have a product idea, do I still need this? Absolutely! Having an idea is just the starting point. We help you validate if people actually want what you’re planning to build, identify the core features that drive adoption, prioritize your roadmap for maximum impact, and create detailed specifications developers can work from. Most ‘great ideas’ change significantly once they meet real users. ### How do you ensure I don't build the wrong product? We use lean validation methods including user interviews, landing page tests, prototype validation, vibe-coded prototypes, competitive analysis, and market research. We test assumptions before committing to development. By the time we’re done, you’ll have real user feedback, validated demand signals, and a roadmap based on actual market needs, not just assumptions. ### What exactly do I get at the end of this engagement? You get a complete product development package: validated product roadmap with prioritized features, detailed user stories and technical requirements, proven [Product-Market Fit](/glossary/pmf/) signals, competitive positioning strategy, and everything your development team needs to start building immediately. Essentially, a blueprint for building the right product. ### What if my product direction changes during the process? That’s exactly what this phase is for! Direction changes are normal and healthy, it means we’re learning and adapting based on real market feedback. We help you navigate pivots strategically, ensuring changes are data-driven rather than guesswork. Many successful products look different from their initial concept. ### How does this connect to your development services? This is the essential first step in our 3-stage journey. Once your product strategy is solid, you can seamlessly transition to our Software Development phase with a clear roadmap and validated requirements. This saves you the typical 2.5k€ [discovery phase](/glossary/discovery-phase/) since we’ve already done the strategic groundwork. Alternatively, we can also just start with the Discovery phase and develop right away. ### How long does it take to get clear product direction? Most clients see initial clarity within 2-3 weeks, with a solid, validated roadmap typically ready in 4-6 weeks. However, we work until the direction is genuinely clear and validated, we don’t operate on fixed timelines but on achieving the right outcomes. You can cancel anytime and get last week refunded if you’re not seeing progress. ### What if I need ongoing product strategy support after development starts? Sure, we can continue providing strategic product guidance while also ensuring your development stays on track. Many clients benefit from ongoing product strategy support as they learn from real users and need to evolve their roadmap. ### When should a startup hire a fractional co-founder vs a full-time CTO? Fractional fits pre-seed or seed when paying a full-time [CTO](/glossary/cto/) would burn 30-40% of your runway and you don’t yet need 40 hours/week of strategy. It also fits non-technical founders shipping their first version, where one fractional partner replaces three hires (product, technical lead, dev). You move to full-time when the product needs deep daily decisions, the team is large enough to need management, or fundraising requires a named full-time technical co-founder. 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By the time we're done, you'll have real user feedback, validated demand signals, and a roadmap based on actual market needs, not just assumptions." }, "name": "How do you ensure I don't build the wrong product?" }, { "@type": "Question", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "You get a complete product development package: validated product roadmap with prioritized features, detailed user stories and technical requirements, proven Product-Market Fit signals, competitive positioning strategy, and everything your development team needs to start building immediately. Essentially, a blueprint for building the right product." }, "name": "What exactly do I get at the end of this engagement?" }, { "@type": "Question", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "That's exactly what this phase is for! Direction changes are normal and healthy, it means we're learning and adapting based on real market feedback. We help you navigate pivots strategically, ensuring changes are data-driven rather than guesswork. Many successful products look different from their initial concept." }, "name": "What if my product direction changes during the process?" }, { "@type": "Question", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "This is the essential first step in our 3-stage journey. Once your product strategy is solid, you can seamlessly transition to our Software Development phase with a clear roadmap and validated requirements. This saves you the typical 2.5k€ discovery phase since we've already done the strategic groundwork. Alternatively, we can also just start with the Discovery phase and develop right away." }, "name": "How does this connect to your development services?" }, { "@type": "Question", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Most clients see initial clarity within 2-3 weeks, with a solid, validated roadmap typically ready in 4-6 weeks. However, we work until the direction is genuinely clear and validated, we don't operate on fixed timelines but on achieving the right outcomes. You can cancel anytime and get last week refunded if you're not seeing progress." }, "name": "How long does it take to get clear product direction?" }, { "@type": "Question", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Sure, we can continue providing strategic product guidance while also ensuring your development stays on track. Many clients benefit from ongoing product strategy support as they learn from real users and need to evolve their roadmap." }, "name": "What if I need ongoing product strategy support after development starts?" }, { "@type": "Question", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Fractional fits pre-seed or seed when paying a full-time CTO would burn 30-40% of your runway and you don't yet need 40 hours/week of strategy. It also fits non-technical founders shipping their first version, where one fractional partner replaces three hires (product, technical lead, dev). You move to full-time when the product needs deep daily decisions, the team is large enough to need management, or fundraising requires a named full-time technical co-founder. We'll tell you when you've outgrown fractional." }, "name": "When should a startup hire a fractional co-founder vs a full-time CTO?" } ], "speakable": { "@type": "SpeakableSpecification", "cssSelector": [ ".faq-question", ".faq-answer" ] } } ```