How I Collaborate With Startups and Founders on Technical Projects

Background

Over the past seven years I have shipped software for Reddit, Kiwi.com, Bridgewise (which raised $45M), and DHL, while also co-founding Direlli and growing it to 20 engineers in two years. I have been on both sides: the person building and the person deciding what gets built.

Along the way I have had many conversations with people who had real, specific ideas but no clear path to building them. This article explains how I partner with founders and entrepreneurs on technical work, and what that can look like in practice.

What I can help you build

The projects I get most interested in tend to share a few qualities: a real pain point, a specific customer in mind, and a product that needs serious technical execution to work.

That includes AI-native tools such as LLM workflows, smart routing, document automation, and internal agents. B2B SaaS products where the value is in the software, not a marketplace. Web platforms and internal operations tools. Early-stage MVPs that need to ship fast, and existing systems that need to scale once traction is there.

I am not the right partner for consumer apps built around viral growth or projects where large-scale design work is the primary driver of value.

What collaboration can look like

Collaboration does not have to mean one fixed arrangement. I have worked in three different modes depending on what the project needs and where it is in its lifecycle.

The first is co-founding on an equity basis. If the idea is strong and the chemistry is right, I am open to joining as a technical co-founder. This is the right fit when you have a clear problem, early customer signal, and need someone to own the entire technical side over the long term.

The second is technical consulting. If you need to move fast without hiring a team, I can help design the architecture and build the first version as a senior contractor. This works well for idea-stage products that need a working prototype quickly.

The third is advisory. If you already have engineers but need senior guidance on architecture, AI integration, or technical hiring, I can step in as a technical advisor. This is useful for teams that have momentum but are running into questions beyond their current experience.

What I bring to the table

I cover the full production stack: Python, FastAPI, Django, and Node.js on the backend; React, Next.js, and TypeScript on the frontend; AWS, Kubernetes, and Terraform for infrastructure; and LLM integrations, classification systems, and agentic workflows on the AI side.

Beyond code, I have built and led engineering teams. At Direlli I co-founded the company and scaled it to 20 engineers. At Bridgewise I redesigned infrastructure that cut costs by 75% and saved the company more than $150K per year. I know how to build something that is cheap to run and easy to grow.

I am a Forbes Technology Council member, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, and WorldSkills International Champion in Web Technologies (Gold, South Korea 2022). I hold an EU Blue Card and am based in Madrid, Spain.

What makes a good fit

I work best with people who understand their customer better than I do and are willing to talk to users before writing a single line of code.

The strongest partnerships happen when the problem is specific and painful, not a broad category. When both sides want to move fast and update their assumptions when reality pushes back. When the person I am working with brings domain expertise, customer relationships, or commercial instincts that complement the technical side.

The technical part of a startup is my job. The part that makes it worth building is yours.

How to get in touch

If something here sounds like what you are looking for, the simplest next step is to send a short message.

Email info@melkon.tech or reach out on LinkedIn. Tell me what you are building and where you are in the process. That is enough context to know whether it makes sense to talk.

I read everything and reply to serious inquiries within a few days.