Product partner for startups · London
Product thinking, design and full-stack engineering from one person, so nothing gets lost between the idea and the launch. Right now I’m interim CTO at RaffClub, which runs online raffles for UK charities.
Products I’ve taken from a conversation to something people use, and pay for.
Interim CTO and the only engineer on an online raffle platform, from the first scoping call to launch, then through a pivot to fundraising for UK charities.
A Chrome extension that warns recruiters when a LinkedIn candidate works at one of their clients. My own product, which I designed, built and still run.
A curriculum planner for primary schools. Before building the platform, I built the smallest thing that could tell me whether teachers wanted it.
An AI workspace that helped UK teachers plan lessons and produce resources tied to the National Curriculum.
Short videos instead of job descriptions, in a TikTok-style feed for sales and customer service roles.
How I work
Find the assumption the whole product depends on. Who it’s for, what has to be true for it to work, and what can wait until it is.
Build the smallest version that tests it with real users, before committing to the rest. SchemeForge started as one subject, no sign-up and a plan in two minutes.
How SchemeForge startedFlows and screens for the full product, shaped by what the test showed. We argue about it on screen, not in a spec.
Build it properly and stay for what comes after: payments, compliance, launch, and changing course when real users tell you something new.
Work with me on a fixed-scope build, or as an interim CTO on a monthly retainer when you need someone technical in the room without hiring one yet.
“Lee has keen commercial insight. He very quickly understands the product, and makes smart calls as to where to invest development time, and where time and resources can be saved – great for a startup like us.”
About
I’m a product engineer in London. For the last few years I’ve been the technical half of early-stage teams: scoping the first version, designing it, building it, and staying on once it’s live.
A lot of the job isn’t code. It’s getting a payment provider to approve you, answering a solicitor’s questions about how the product actually works, writing the test plan before launch, and being honest when the numbers say it’s time to change direction. I’m comfortable in that part too.
If you’re a founder with an idea, an agency quote that doesn’t feel right, or a product that needs a technical owner, I’d like to hear about it.
Contact
Tell me where the product is and what you need. Every message comes straight to me.
Prefer LinkedIn? Message me there.
