Lead software and AI decisions … without becoming an engineer

For non-technical founders building software, automations, or AI who want clarity, control, and confidence with devs.

For non‑technical founders who are done guessing about tech.

New: Join the Lean Tech Direction founding cohort (90‑day program).

10 seats only; applications close 15 March (11:59 pm AEST).

Apply for the Lean tech Direction Program
Get the Tech (Restaurant) Stack Decision Tree (PDF)

Worked with over 150 founders across Australia, Japan and beyond! Built for early-stage teams shipping real products. 

The problem for non-tech founders

If you’re non-technical, building can feel like a black box.

After more than 9 years of working across startup communities in Japan and Australia, I constantly see non-tech founders challenged by:

Trying to find a tech-co founder or CTO to help them build their tech product.

Hiring and working with devs productively, no matter if their local or offshore.

Over-engineering everything initially from the Figma prototype, to the $100K+ MVP build to the AI-powered product or multi-AI agent orchestra.

The real problem isn’t code. It’s decision-making, leadership, and a lack of founder-friendly guardrails. 

free pdf

The Tech (Restaurant) Stack Decision Tree

For non-technical founders building AI or no-code products who want to avoid rewrites, wasted spend, and tech second-guessing.

Your product is like a restaurant. This decision tree helps you choose the right “kitchen setup” so you stop rebuilding your product every time things get real. 

What you get (bullets):

A simple “rewrite risk” checklist to spot what will break later   

A clear recommendation on which path you’re on: No-code, Hybrid, Managed, or Custom 

Rules to avoid the common traps that cause expensive rebuilds 

A copy/paste message you can send to any dev or agency to stop vague answers  

Send me the PDF!
How we’re different

“Lean Tech Direction” Program is not a coding course. It’s founder‑focused tech leadership.

Most programs help you prototype fast or learn the basics. Few teach the ongoing founder skill of leading tradeoffs, architecture decisions, and developer collaboration once the real build begins. 

Decisive on Tech:

Lock your principles, stack lanes and decision filters so you don’t reopen the same questions every week.

Confident Dev Leadership: 

Know how to hire, brief and manage developers; define “good work” before it starts.

Lean Shipping:

Cut your MVP to what actually matters, establish shipping and “kill” rules, and ship regularly.

The outcome?

You won’t become a senior engineer. You’ll become the founder who can lead the build.

How we help

A simple 3-phase system to go from “second-guessing everything” to steady shipping.

Phase 1:
Decisive on Tech
(Days 1–30)

We lock your tech principles, preferred stack lanes, and decision filters (including AI vs non-AI choices) so you can make calls without a CTO, stop over-researching, and stop reopening the same question every week.

Phase 2:
Confident Dev Leadership
(Days 31–60)

We co-design how you hire, brief, and manage devs. You’ll set expectations up front, define “good work” before anything starts, and have a clear way to catch problems early instead of at demo day – including what “good AI usage” looks like for your product..

Phase 3:
Lean Shipping:

We cut your (often AI-heavy) MVP scope down to what actually matters, set shipping and “kill” rules, and get you into a cadence where products ship, learnings are captured, and perfectionism stops running the roadmap.

Want the full breakdown?

See the Full Program Details!
why trust us?

You don’t need more opinions. You need a proven way to lead the build.

Coached 150+ early-stage startups across from early-stage to funded ventures.

Mentored founders through programs like Startup Weekend, Plus Eight, and Core Start. 

Worked across Australia and Japan, supporting founders on product, go-to-market, and leading dev teams. 

Exposure to high-performing startup and VC ecosystems including Timee and ANRI (and others). 

The Lean Tech Direction Program is the culmination of ten years coaching 150+ founders; it’s designed to give you the clarity, guardrails and leadership skills I wish every founder had.

Plus, we’ve worked with startups, VCs + more Across AU x JP

about us (matt)

👋 Hi, I’m Matt.

I help non-technical founders lead the build. 

I’ve spent the last 10+ years working hands-on with early-stage founders across Australia and Japan, helping founders across all stages of startups from early-stage, to PMF, funded and scale-ups …

Yet, I’ve seen too non-tech founders:

struggle to find a tech co-founder

get burned by an agency (local or offshore)

spent 100k+ on a simple MVP, and so on …

That’s why we’re here – the goal isn’t to make you technical. It’s to make you a confident leader in tech.

I’ve coached 150+ startups and mentored founders from a extensive background that spans product, marketing, and founder communication, but I’m not alone either.

We also partner with a number of Fractional CTOs and CPOs for additional expertise and specialise support.

Together – we’re with you every step of the tech journey!

Apply for the Program!
Frequently asked questions:

FAQs

we’re launching now!

Stop guessing. Start leading your product or AI build.

Apply for the Next “Lean Tech Direction” cohort and install the decision framework, guardrails, and shipping rhythm your product needs.

Apply for the Lean Tech Direction Program!

10 spots total. Applications close Monthly.

7-day love-it-or-leave-it guarantee.

get your free pdf!

Get the free Restaurant Stack Decision Tree PDF!

If you’re a non-technical founder building software, automation, or AI, this will help you choose the right build path (no-code vs hybrid vs custom) and avoid expensive rewrites.

What you’ll get:

A simple decision tree that shows which path fits your stage

Common rewrite triggers to watch for early

Plain-English explanations you can share with a dev or vendor

The Tech (Restaurant) Stack Decision Tree