I'm a builder.
For the last decade I've been deep in early-stage startups - writing code, shaping product, scaling teams, and turning zero into one. I like messy beginnings, real problems, and making things that actually work.
Most recently I was Product Lead at Risk Ledger. I joined pre-seed - no customers, no product, no investment - and helped build it into a platform used by 150+ enterprise organisations. We scaled to $10M ARR, raised a Series A, and grew to 65+ people. I bridged product and engineering, shaping both the product and how the team delivered it.
On the side, I run SuegoFaults - a long-running Minecraft community that's been a sandbox for testing systems around onboarding, trust, and retention. I also tinker with tools, workflows, and small experiments that help me move faster or think more clearly.
Things I'm proud of
Still being a builder who writes code
Ten years turning messy beginnings into real products
Scaling Risk Ledger from pre-seed to $10M ARR and 150+ enterprise orgs
Building the systems behind the team as much as the product
Shipping features that moved revenue, not just demos
Taking time out to travel and reset instead of chasing the next shiny thing
Still excited about solving real problems for real people
Things I believe
On building products
Talk to customers obsessively, build incrementally
Ship beats perfect
Revenue is the best validation
Foundations matter more than features
Product–market fit rarely feels how you expect
Solve real problems, not imagined ones - avoid the XY problem
On early-stage work
Messy beginnings are where the opportunities are
Do things that don't scale until you must
Multiple hats are a feature, not a bug
The first 10 customers teach more than the first 10 features
Pre-seed to Series A is a different game
There's no substitute for putting in the hours
On teams and leadership
Hire people who figure things out
Context over control
Systems thinking beats hero work
Trust is the only currency that compounds
Good people leave bad processes, not bad companies
On shipping
Bias to action over paralysis
Ship small, learn fast, iterate
Debt is fine if it buys learning
Momentum creates strategy
On scaling
0→1: find something people want
1→10: build systems that work
10→100: don't break what works
What got you here won't get you there
How I work
I get my hands dirty - coding, customer calls, digging into detail
I think in systems but ship in increments
I prefer small teams that move fast over big ones that move slow
I value clarity over consensus - and write like I talk
I optimise for learning speed when everything's uncertain
I stay close to the work because that's where the truth lives
What's next
In October, I'm stepping away - not to quit, but to reset.
I'm taking time to travel with my partner, clear my head, and make space for what comes next.
Follow that journey at @TwoDansOffTrack
When I come back, I'll either be building something of my own - starting that journey again - or throwing everything I've learned into a pre-seed team I believe in.
What I'm looking for
I'm drawn to pre-seed to Series A teams with real problems to solve.
Founders obsessed with building something that matters.
Teams ready to embrace the messiness of early-stage work.
Opportunities that need both product thinking and technical depth.
Chances to turn zero into one, again.
If it's not a "hell yes" it's a no
If you're building something real and early, and think I can help - get in touch.
