François Le Nguyen
Booked until Q1 20275 active clients

I've been in your seat. Let me save you 18 months.

Exited founder, 3× product leader and angel in 40+ startups. I embed with a handful of early-stage founders, hands-on and at founder speed, to get them to their first $1M in revenue.

Reserve a Q1 2027 slotSee who I work with

Track record

  • Staging Labs

    Co-founder & CEO, acquired 2024

  • Entrepreneurs First

    GM, launched EF Toronto, 50+ startups

  • TradeGecko

    Product, acquired by Intuit

  • Holmusk

    Product, $106M Series B

  • Lightspeed

    Product, TSE: LSPD

  • General Assembly

    Taught product to 1,500+ students

What founders say

“We 5x'd revenue in the time I worked with Frankie. … Pricing, hiring, expansion calls I used to sit on for weeks get resolved in one conversation.”
Founder, End-of-life care startup ($1M run rate)
“In a three-week sprint, Frankie narrowed our ICP, coached me through my first enterprise sales cycle, and helped us book 30+ targeted conversations. Two weeks later: four VC term sheets.”
Founder, AI memory layer startup (pre-seed, VC-backed)

Also worked with Overseas Vietnamese · Hirechain · Haystack (YC) · AI inference startup ($6M pre-seed)

All testimonials

How I help

Validate willingness to pay

Find your sharpest ICP and pressure-test whether they'll actually open their wallet, before you build.

Land your design partners

5 to 10 companies building alongside you: giving feedback, using the product, converting to paying customers.

Ship faster without the chaos

Lightweight systems to decide what to build next. No 50-page PRDs, just priorities your team follows.

Founder coaching

Weekly calls for the hard calls: pricing, hiring, co-founder tension, the 2am doubts.

Is this a fit?

Good fit

  • Early-stage, pre-PMF or just past it
  • Shipping weekly
  • Want someone in the weeds with you, not reviewing from a distance

Probably not

  • Post-Series A or hiring full-time
  • You want deck polish or advisor-only sessions
  • You're looking for a 'yes' person who doesn't ask questions
What does working with a fractional co-founder look like?

I work inside your team, hands-on and at founder speed, on whatever stands between you and product-market fit: your ICP, willingness to pay, design partners and what to build next. The goal is your first $1M in revenue.

What's the difference between fractional work and coaching?

Fractional means I'm in the weeds with you, shipping alongside the team. Coaching is a weekly call for the hard decisions: pricing, hiring, co-founder tension and whatever else is blocking you.

When can we start?

Fractional engagements are fully booked until Q1 2027; reserving a slot now puts you first in line. Coaching has 2 slots open now.

How do we get started?

Tell me what you're building through the intake form. I reply within 48 hours, or tell you why I'm not the right fit.

Tell me what you're building.

I reply within 48 hours, or tell you why I'm not the right fit.

Reserve a Q1 2027 slot

Need help sooner? 2 of 3 coaching slots open now.