Book a consulting call

I am Maxim Zubarev, software consultant and product builder.

I've worked in dozens of startups. Funded, unfunded, in the most different industries with the most various teams. I've even written a book for founders based on my experience.

Now imagine you want to invest into a startup. You like the idea, you like the CEO, you've seen the pitch deck with a lot of financially promising numbers, but you really don't know how to judge all this.

That's where I can come in. You can book me (please confirm with the CEO this is fine) to take a deep dive into the organization. Join meetings as a silent observer, judge the code output of the company, judge the quality of the people, and then report back to you. This will give you invalueable unbiased insight and thereby clarity on your planned investment.

Why me?

I've worked for many, many software startups, and have lived through a lot of failure (along with some occasional but immense success). For now 15 years I've been knee-deep in process, vigilantly observing startups from the inside, and closely working and communicating with the decision-makers.

If you are thinking about getting some outside help, let's talk it over and find out if my expertise is a good fit. There is no hard sell. Either I can help you or I can't, and it is pretty easy to tell. If I am not the right person, I can usually suggest someone who might be.

The price is $400 for a 60 minutes consultation (+ VAT depending on your business location).

Let's talk!

Frequently asked questions and concerns

Can we do this call on a regular schedule?

Let's have a first talk, and well touch on this question to find out if that makes sense in the first place for you. Often, it doesn't. You can always book a call when the need occurs. Everything else specific to your situation we can discuss in the call.

I am concerned to reveal my idea.

Before I give you the practical solution, let me tell you that I'm most definitely not interested in stealing your idea. In fact, most people won't be. Being afraid to open up about your project in 99% of the time is an irrational fear that will only hold you back.

That being said, there is a simple and practical solution: Download the provided NDA (non-disclosure agreement), sign it, send it to me, I'll sign it, will send it back to you, and just like that you're legally protected.

Can you get on board with developing the project?

Given my relatively high hourly rate it has increasingly become less reasonable to deploy me for dry programming work. That being said if we determine that it does, in fact, make sense to hire me to write software, there most definitely are ways to get me on board.