I, Andreas Prins, help founders and leadership teams turn strong technology and ambition into structured, sustainable growth. When complexity threatens momentum, I bring the clarity and strategic structure that transforms potential into performance.
Series A and early scale-ups often outgrow founder-led habits faster than they realize. What worked brilliantly at twenty people becomes bottlenecked at fifty. Hiring increases, decisions multiply, and suddenly what used to work… stalls.
You don't need more noise, you need clarity, structure, and a seasoned advisor who's seen the playbook across engineering, product, and go-to-market. Someone who can look at your organization with fresh eyes and connect the dots you're too close to see.
I help you reveal what truly drives progress, structure teams and decisions, and grow with confidence.
Experience That Cuts Through Complexity
I'm a former CEO and executive product leader who specializes in helping startups and scale-ups grow up without losing their soul. I led StackState as CEO from 2023, through repositioning, growth and its acquisition by SUSE in 2024. Before that I led engineering and product at Mendix (a Siemens company), at XebiaLabs and Digital.ai across four countries, and IT for ING Lease across six. I've navigated pivots, built leadership benches, and prepared companies for acquisition and integration. My approach combines deep technical understanding with strategic business acumen.
Over two decades I've worked across banking, IT consultancy, enterprise DevOps tooling, low-code platforms, observability and open source infrastructure, in the Netherlands, the United States, India and Croatia — always focused on one core question: What will actually move this organization forward? I bring pattern recognition from having seen hundreds of situations like yours, combined with the discipline to cut through complexity and focus on what matters.
Agile and DevOps transformations, engineering culture, CI/CD pipelines, observability, cloud-native architectures, and operating effectively in highly regulated environments. I understand the technology and the organizational dynamics.
Experience as CEO, Chief Product Officer, and VP Product/Engineering guiding teams of up to 140 people. I've built and scaled organizations across product, engineering, and go-to-market functions.
I quickly assess complex situations, ask catalytic questions, and connect dots across technology, people, and go-to-market strategy. My superpower is seeing what others miss and making it actionable.
Direct and challenging, structured and visual, packed with real examples. I don't bring buzzwords I give clarity and movement. Expect honest conversations, clear frameworks, and actionable next steps.
Track record
Enterprise customers served along the way include KPN, Vodafone, Accenture, AXA and Achmea. BEng, industrial engineering — The Hague University of Applied Sciences, 2006.
Every engagement is tailored to your specific inflection point, but most fall into one of these proven formats. Each is designed to create clarity quickly and drive measurable progress within weeks, not months.
Approximately 10 hours per month working directly with CEO and board members. Decision support on organizational structure, product focus, and leadership transitions. Async check-ins plus structured monthly touchpoints to maintain momentum.
OutcomeClear priorities, faster decisions, and a healthier leadership cadence that scales with your growth.
Sharpen product-market fit, ideal customer profile, adoption loops, and conversion mechanics. Align product, engineering, and marketing teams on measurable growth levers. Include funding story and metrics hygiene preparation if needed.
OutcomeA crisp, testable plan that bridges community engagement to paid adoption, with clear owners and timelines.
Two days of preparation and stakeholder interviews, two days of intensive facilitation on strategy definition or team alignment, and one day of wrap-up with documentation. Perfect for retreats, strategy definition, or breaking through organizational logjams.
OutcomeAlignment you can feel, and a plan you can execute with confidence and clarity.
Focused one-on-one support for CTOs, CPOs, or founders stepping into larger leadership roles. Cover delegation, organizational structure, feedback culture, executive communication, and strategic thinking.
OutcomeLeaders who scale themselves without burning out the team or losing technical credibility.
While every engagement is unique, I've seen certain patterns emerge repeatedly across Series A and early-stage scale-ups. These are the scenarios where my experience and approach create the most immediate value.
You have strong top-of-funnel interest and engagement, but weak conversion to paid customers. I help fix activation flows, optimize onboarding experiences, and design product loops that naturally lead to revenue.
Moving from founder-led to leadership-led operations. Installing organizational clarity, decision rights, delivery cadence, and the operating systems that let you scale without losing speed or culture.
You've built an engaged community but struggle to monetize it sustainably. I help craft the bridge from free value to paid value the psychology, pricing, and product design that makes the transition feel natural.
Aligning your narrative, metrics, and roadmap to investor expectations. Preparing board materials that tell a compelling story. Making sure your operational reality matches your growth ambitions.
Helping strong technical leaders become organization-level leaders. The transition from doing to leading, from technical expert to strategic architect, from individual contributor to force multiplier.
I'm selective about the companies I work with, not out of exclusivity, but because the best results come from genuine alignment. Here's who benefits most from working together, and who probably doesn't.
Honest assessment: The best way to know if we're a good fit is a conversation. I'm direct about where I can help and where you might be better served by someone else. My goal isn't to win every engagement, it's to create exceptional outcomes where we work together.
I believe in straightforward engagement models with clear value exchange. Every engagement is designed around your specific goals, stage, and cadence. Here's how we typically structure our work together.
For ongoing advisory relationships, typically around 10 hours per month. This includes regular touchpoints with CEO and leadership team, async support between meetings, and participation in key strategic decisions. Optional small equity component for long-term commitments where our interests are deeply aligned.
Best for: Companies wanting a trusted advisor for 6-12 months or longer during critical growth phases.
Time-bound engagements like Product & GTM Sprints or Leadership Offsites. These have defined deliverables, clear timelines (typically 2-5 weeks), and specific outcomes. Fixed pricing based on scope rather than hourly rates.
Best for: Specific challenges or inflection points where you need focused expertise for a defined period.
Structured in blocks of 10 one-hour sessions, typically spread over 3-4 months. Focused on individual leadership development for CTOs, CPOs, or founders stepping into larger roles. Includes between-session assignments and resources.
Best for: High-potential leaders navigating significant role transitions or capability development.
No public rate card every engagement is designed around your goals and cadence. Investment levels vary based on company stage, engagement type, and time commitment. I'm transparent about costs during our initial conversation.
These are the practical questions that come up in almost every initial conversation. If you have others, let's discuss them directly.
We begin with a no-obligation intro call to understand your situation and goals. If there's potential fit, I'll do light discovery talking with a few key stakeholders. Then I'll send a proposal outlining scope, cadence, specific outcomes, and investment. You'll know exactly what to expect before committing.
I primarily serve European companies, where I bring the most contextual expertise. Most work is remote with video collaboration tools, plus on-site presence for offsites, leadership sessions, and other key moments where face-to-face interaction creates disproportionate value.
No. I strengthen your existing leadership through clarity, structure, and healthy operating habits. I'm not an interim executive or hands-on manager, I'm a strategic advisor who helps your leaders become more effective. I make myself obsolete by building your team's capabilities.
I co-create frameworks, strategies, and operating systems, but I don't become operational staff. My job is to make your system work without me. The goal is always capability transfer, not dependency creation.
Yes; this is a frequent component of engagements. I help align product strategy, metrics, and growth story to investor expectations. I prepare board materials, coach on pitch delivery, and ensure your operational reality matches your fundraising story. I don't lead the fundraise, but I help you be dramatically more effective.
Still have questions? The best way to get answers specific to your situation is a direct conversation.
If you're at an inflection point and want clear movement in the next 90 days, let's connect. I'm selective about engagements to ensure I can deliver exceptional value if we're a fit, we'll both know quickly.
Whether you're wrestling with a specific challenge or sensing that something needs to change but can't quite articulate what reach out. The first conversation is always exploratory, no pressure, just clarity on whether working together makes sense.
Contact Information
Use this form to tell me about your current challenge. I read every message personally and typically respond within 24 hours.
What to include: Brief description of your company and stage, the specific challenge or inflection point you're facing, and what you're hoping to achieve in the next quarter. The more specific you are, the better I can assess if I'm the right person to help.