A warm welcome, straight from my desk — №1
This is the first edition of my rebranded newsletter, straight from my desk. Every other week, I'll write something about what we're seeing across the software companies we work with at
The blog · since 2015
Insights for founders,
CTOs & investors.
Essays, playbooks and field notes from our CTOs, architects and leads. Written for people shipping real product.
Featured articles
What will the state of AI be like by this time next year?
Pricing strategies in the era of AI: why hourly billing no longer works
5 red flags for VCs when planning to invest in Seed or Series A companies
SaaS due diligence report: 12 learnings for founders that want to secure their next funding round
Things we do in our first weeks as Fractional CTO
Latest posts
Leading with fear: these leadership mistakes will break your startup
We’ll discuss some critical, non-technical challenges in leadership, including the impacts of ego and lack of self-awareness, and learn strategies to create a positive and productive work environment. Fear-driven leadership will break most startups.
Why don't you look at the codebase?
When auditing software companies, we don't only look at the codebase. The value of an audit lies in understanding the broader context of the company. By interviewing, we uncover the real issues.
The advantages of working with a specialized tech recruiter
Hiring tech talent is tough for startups. Partnering with tech recruiters helps by handling sourcing, screening, and initial interviews. They offer access to larger talent pools and reduce hiring mistakes.
Technical due diligence: The ultimate guide
Technical due diligence (TDD) helps investors and companies uncover the tech strengths and weaknesses of startups. TDD plays a crucial role in revealing risks and opportunities tied to technology, allowing for a thorough assessment that aids in making better business decisions.
Floating team members & priorities
In SaaS, shifting priorities and changing teams cause stress. Stable teams focus priorities but may lack roles, leaving floating members to juggle demands. A one-person service team can offer clarity, but careful prioritization and team restructuring are vital.
“Fake” e2e tests with react-testing-library
How to run fake e2e tests using react-testing-librabry? Here's a quick tutorial on how to speed up your feedback loop when working in front end applications.
The secret sauce to high-performing teams: leadership, trust, and autonomy
Empowering teams in modern workspaces means shifting from traditional management to a trust-based, autonomous culture. This approach enhances performance, especially remotely, by emphasizing purpose before results and fostering open communication and accountability.
Building a React Native/Flutter app is more than coding
Explore the essentials of cross-platform mobile app development. Learn about design, feature parity, performance, and user experience across iOS and Android with insights on React Native and Flutter. Optimize your development process with key tips on app stores and integration.
PHP lied to me
We discuss the challenges of using PHPStan at its strictest level for type checking, particularly with 'mixed' types. It explores solutions like using strval() and creating custom functions, but ultimately, the author opts to lower PHPStan's strictness due to complexity, ending with mixed feelings.
Automating malware scanning on uploaded files
Implementing a malware scan for file uploads using ClamAV on DigitalOcean, this post details setting up a pragmatic solution despite infrastructure limitations. It covers the initial approach, technical setup, challenges, and potential improvements for a secure file-handling system.
Six signs your team needs to scale
Learn when your startup is ready to scale: signs include increased workloads, strained leadership, skill gaps, and declining quality. Discover the role of CTO coaching and external guidance from madewithlove for successful growth and innovation.
Don't become a code review bottleneck
Transform code reviews from a bottleneck to a team effort. Balance quality and productivity by engaging everyone in reviews, automating minor checks, and fostering a culture of code quality. Make your reviews sustainable now.
AI & agentic tooling
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We use AI and agentic workflows daily. From coding agents to AI strategy, we help teams adopt what actually works.
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Due diligence done right
Technical audits, codebase assessments, and risk analysis for portfolio managers making investment decisions.
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How we help
Software engineering
Our staff engineers will get your software (back) on track and lead your engineering team. We prepare our exit from day one: our goal is to bring the software and the team to the right level for us to get out again.
Learn more about software engineeringCTO as a service
Our CTOs in residence (or fractional CTOs) inject technical leadership into your team, ensuring the technical aspect of your business gets exactly the right attention.
Learn more about CTO as a serviceAuditing
We're the market leader for technical due diligence of SaaS companies in Belgium and The Netherlands, servicing clients all over the world. Investors appreciate our smooth process, sharp opinions and top-notch reports.
Learn more about auditingCTO Coaching
Behind-the-scenes support for your CTO or technical lead to enhance their skills, drive effective change, and grow their teams confidently.
Learn more about CTO coachingRecruiting
We can help you find the best talent to join your team. Unlike other recruiters, we are CTOs and software engineers ourselves, and through getting our hands dirty, we know the skills required to make an impact.
Learn more about recruitingProduct management
Sometimes your struggles go beyond the technical. Do you need help evaluating the roadmap or sharpening the vision? What should you build in order to scale? Our product management experts know the way.
Learn more about product management