AdvisorySelected foundersAleksei Balchunas

Work with me — operator access for selected founders

I keep this to a small number of sessions per month. Not a consulting business — a way to share operator-level depth from 10+ consumer products and two exits with founders stuck on a specific decision.

01

How it works

Brief first, payment second. Sessions work best when I know the context before we get on a call.

Step 1
Send a brief to me@alekseibalchunas.com — what you're building, what's stuck, what you want from the session. I'll confirm fit and share the booking link.
Step 2
Book and pay on Upwork. Once we're aligned, book the session and pick a time.
Step 3
Session. Focused operator conversation — architecture, unit economics, AI stack, go-to-market, or whatever you brought.

Before booking: get the Reading People guide — it shows how I think about hiring, team design, and founder communication.

For ongoing fractional CTO/CPO or monthly advisory retainers — skip the session format and email directly with context.

02

Sessions

Introductory pricing while I keep this to a small number of sessions per month.

$200$150
30 minutes

Advisory session

One sharp decision: architecture, unit economics, AI stack, go-to-market, or an unblock. Best when you need a map, not a slide deck.

Book on Upwork
$400$300
60 minutes

Advisory session

Full walkthrough — strategy, technical architecture, team setup, marketplace economics, or AI/LLM delivery. Room to go deep.

Book on Upwork

Where I add leverage

Early-stage architecture · shipping AI/LLM features to production · standing up the first engineering team · marketplace unit economics · cross-border payments and logistics · mobile growth (Meta/TikTok) · serverless AWS for small teams · product pivots and build-vs-buy calls.