Founder Advisory & Leadership Mentoring

Build a product you can sell.
Lead a team that ships.

Whether you're a founder chasing product-market fit or a leader navigating your first reorg — I've been in the room.

VP of Product & Engineering with 10+ years scaling SaaS orgs from early-stage to growth. Direct, tactical, no theory.

Book a free 30-min call See how it works

Founders, CTOs, and product leaders across North America.

$14M+

Raised for clients

Products launched

Startups restructured

10+

Years leading teams

Companies I've worked with

Conesys Europe Spearhead Games Cirque du Soleil Smartpixel Unity Workleap Berkshire Hathaway Tripura Breath Lexop Eltropy Morphcast

Conesys Europe ◆ Spearhead Games ◆ Cirque du Soleil ◆ Smartpixel ◆ Unity ◆ Workleap ◆ Berkshire Hathaway ◆ Tripura Breath ◆ Lexop ◆ Eltropy ◆ Morphcast ◆

Who this is for

Who I work with

Two distinct contexts. One shared approach: clear thinking, honest feedback, and a plan that fits your reality.

Founder Advisory

Leadership Mentoring

Pre-traction founder

You have an idea or early product but no clear path to paying customers. We'll build your validation framework, sharpen your value proposition, and drive toward your first $100K ARR.

Senior IC moving into management

You're a strong engineer or PM about to lead people for the first time. You need frameworks, not just instinct — and someone who's made the transition to tell you what actually works.

Scaling founder & Series A candidate

You have early traction but the company is starting to break. Team misalignment, roadmap drift, operational gaps. We'll restructure your OKRs, define your hiring plan, and make you fundable.

Director scaling a product org

You're responsible for hiring, structuring squads, and setting OKRs — but you've never done it at this scale. You need an experienced sounding board, fast.

Real results

Results that speak for themselves

Founder Traction

From prototype to $100K ARR in 90 days

The situation

A first-time founder had a working POC and a sharp vision — but no validation framework, no clear ICP, and no idea which problem to solve first.

What we built

Over 3 sessions, we built a validation playbook, identified the two highest-signal pilot opportunities, and structured his value proposition around outcomes early customers would actually pay for.

The outcome

30% of pilots converted to paying customers. First $100K ARR within 90 days of launch.

Details anonymized. Based on a real mentoring engagement.

Board Advisory

5× ARR in 24 months — from stagnant to Series A closed

The situation

A seed-stage SaaS company was missing its growth projections with Series A on the horizon. A board member brought me in to find out why.

What we built

Through structured sessions with each founder, we surfaced skill gaps, operational bottlenecks, interpersonal friction, and governance blind spots invisible from the board level. A tailored 90-day action plan was issued for each founder.

The outcome

The company returned to its growth trajectory, multiplied its ARR by 5× over 24 months, and successfully closed its Series A.

Details anonymized. Based on a real advisory engagement.

Leadership Transition

From first-time Director to successful hires and OKR delivery

The situation

A Technical Lead at a Series B fintech was promoted to Director — but had never hired anyone, managed managers, or run an OKR cycle. She had a quarter to build a team.

What we built

Over 3 sessions: a hiring framework, a technical interview rubric, and a 90-day squad structure plan she could walk her CEO through.

The outcome

4 engineers hired in Q1, squad structure established, first OKR cycle delivered on time.

Details anonymized. Based on a real mentoring engagement.

What you get

What we work on

Every session is focused on your real, current challenge.

Founder Advisory

Idea to pitch

Turn a raw idea into a structured product pitch investors and customers can evaluate.

Market validation

Lead user interviews, test your riskiest assumptions, and confirm who actually pays for this.

MVP & roadmap

Define what ships first and why. Build a roadmap that sequences value delivery against resource constraints.

GTM & early growth

Design a 0-to-1 growth strategy — ICP, channels, messaging, pricing — and drive your first revenue.

Funding & grants

Prepare your pitch deck, financial model, and narrative for angel rounds, VCs, and government programs.

Org design & OKRs

Build the team, workflows, and planning cadence your company needs to survive the seed-to-Series A stretch.

Leadership Mentoring

Team structure & hiring

Design squad topology, write leveling frameworks, build interview processes that scale.

OKRs & roadmap strategy

Set goals that actually drive alignment. Build roadmaps that balance customer value with technical debt.

Leadership transitions

Navigate the shift from IC to manager, manager to director, or technical lead to VP. Each one breaks differently.

Stakeholder management

Prepare for board reviews, manage up to your CEO, align cross-functional teams when priorities conflict.

Process & delivery

Implement agile that actually works, fix broken sprint ceremonies, establish engineering metrics without surveillance.

Culture & retention

Build a team culture people don't want to leave. Handle difficult conversations, performance reviews, and reorgs with care.

Testimonials

What founders and leaders say

Excellence

"Jonathan restructured our production like no one could have ever done. Great sense of organization and scalability."

Hadrien L.

Chief Executive Officer

Leadership

"Jonathan is this sort of mythical creature that you only read about in fairy tales. He's the tech leader who can help restructure company objectives while building out a budget tracker. Always on the lookout for ways to improve Engineering, mentor his team, and drive results."

Michel J.

Chief Product Officer

Leadership

"Jonathan really proved his ability to organize and optimize the whole operation process of the company. He managed to bring the company to the next level by establishing a clean protocol adapted to each workflow. He raised productivity, opened new communication channels between departments and developed the culture of the company. As an inspiring leader, I learned a lot from him. A firm hand driven by a big heart and a smart brain makes him the perfect leader everyone wants to follow."

Michel K.

IT Director

Mentorship

"Jonathan's ability to motivate and corral the best out of people was unparalleled, and he understood more than most the times to press and the times to let events unfold. People in the company adored working for him and he got the best out of anyone that he spent time working with. Additionally, his dedication to process and the day to day grind of production set a constant example to follow."

Arthur C.

Product Manager

Mentorship

"Thanks to his sharp knowledge of IT and business management, Jonathan has set up the action plans and methods that are today the backbone of the Operations department. His capacity of carefully listening and address issues allows him to understand the stakes of all departments, from technical development to management, and to provide support and guidance in all business areas. Furthermore, his work ethic directed towards efficiency and growth, as well as his strong communication skills have made him an acknowledged leader. He is also a thoughtful mentor, and being under his responsibility has been a great source of inspiration."

Louise A.

Project Manager

Mentorship

"Kudos to Joe for his incredible support this week in guiding me through my department's domains, workflows, key results, and beyond. He dedicated valuable time to conduct meetings with me, ensuring I stayed on the right path. His fantastic mentorship will surely make a significant difference."

Cindy B.

Product Marketing Director

Mentorship

"I wanted to say thanks for always being there to listen. Your knack for really hearing us out makes a huge difference. It's rare to find a leader who makes everyone feel heard. You help us work better together and come up with smart solutions."

Aurelien G.

Engineering Manager

Collaboration

"Joe is a great leader that always does his best to understand everyone. He leads with strength and focus to empower everyone to meet goals regularly year after year, while balancing direct customer value with tech debt."

Andy M.

Senior Developer

Mentorship

"I appreciate how you work hard yet always make it look easy, your unwavering dedication and how you continuously make time for everyone. You see the best in people. You lead with experience, knowledge and kindness."

Sara M.

Product Designer

Collaboration

"Joe isn't superhuman, but his ability to stand back is quite astonishing and helps the company grow despite any challenges we may encounter. Thanks for the active listening, it's a pleasure to work with you!"

Florian F.

Engineering Manager

Collaboration

"I wanted to express my gratitude for fostering a culture of collaboration! Your ability to bring individuals together, encourage open communication and promote teamwork truly makes a positive impact on our work environment."

Nataliia K.

Senior Developer

Leadership

"It is an honour and pleasure working alongside you! You have strengths that I have as weaknesses and together I believe we are better. Thank you for everything you do for the team."

Michael P.

VP of Revenue

Leadership

"Leading a team is tough but Joe makes it look so easy. Those challenges never seem to deter Joe's great mood. Keep up the awesome job!"

Vickram B.

Front-End Developer

Leadership

"Have to give a mention to my work buddy Joe! Always sharing words of wisdom, supporting every department, being present at the office, despite his packed schedule. Thank you sir for being you!"

Enya L.

HR Coordinator

Collaboration

"I am grateful to have him as a Manager, co-worker and a friend. He makes my weeks better and fun, while pushing me to do great work."

Priscilia P.

HR Director

Excellence

"Joe is always giving 100% in everything he does. Whether its complex coding or being the go-to IT person, you make everyone's life so much easier and don't know what the rest of us would do without you."

Adam R.

Finance Manager

How it works

Three steps, no commitment

Free discovery call

30 minutes. We identify your biggest challenge and see if there's a fit. No sales pitch, no obligation.

Define goals

We agree on what success looks like — whether it's navigating a reorg, hiring your first team, or preparing for a promotion.

1:1 sessions — $240/hr

Ongoing sessions at your pace. Direct, tactical guidance based on real experience. Cancel anytime.

Book your free discovery call

No fit, no charge. If after our first paid session you don't feel it was worth it, I'll refund you in full. No questions asked.

FAQ

Common questions

What actually happens on the free call?

We spend the first 20 minutes on your specific situation — what you're navigating, what's already been tried, and what success looks like for you. I'll share 2–3 concrete ideas you can use immediately, regardless of whether we work together. The last 10 minutes is for your questions. No pitch at the end.

Is this worth $240 per hour?

Independent executive coaches charge $300-800/hr. Platform-based PM mentors start at $250/hr for one-off sessions. My rate reflects actionable guidance from someone actively leading at the VP level — not a career coach who left the industry a decade ago. One avoided hiring mistake or one successful reorg pays for dozens of sessions.

What if we're not a good fit?

That's what the free 30-minute discovery call is for. We'll know within the first conversation whether my experience maps to your challenge. If it doesn't, I'll tell you — and where possible, point you to someone better suited. If you go ahead and the first paid session doesn't deliver value, I'll refund you in full.

How is this different from reading a leadership book?

Books give you frameworks. Mentoring applies them to your specific situation — your team, your company politics, your timeline. I've read the books too. The difference is I've also implemented the ideas across five companies and can tell you what actually works vs. what sounds good in theory.

How often should we meet?

Most people start with biweekly sessions. Some switch to weekly during intense periods (a reorg, a critical hire, a career transition). Others move to monthly once they've built momentum. There's no minimum commitment — you book when you need it.

Do you offer mentoring in French?

Yes. I'm natively bilingual (French/English) and comfortable mentoring in either language. Many of my colleagues in Montreal and Quebec have worked with me in French.

Do you work with first-time founders?

Yes — early-stage founders make up the majority of the people I work with. The earlier, the better. The decisions you make in the first 90 days on validation, team structure, and positioning carry outsized leverage. You don't need funding to start — just a clear challenge.

Can you help with fundraising or grant applications?

Yes. I've helped clients raise $14M+ in private funding and unlock $7M+ in government grants and programs. I can help you prepare your pitch, structure your financial narrative, and identify the right programs for your stage and sector.

About

Jonathan Jenin

VP of Product Development (Payments) at Eltropy. Previously led product and engineering at Lexop, Workleap, SmartPixel, and Spearhead Games. MBA.

I've scaled product and engineering teams across fintech, SaaS, and gaming — from scrappy early-stage to structured growth. I've done the hard parts: first hires, first processes, first failures, and the rebuilds that follow.

As a founder advisor, I've helped clients raise $14M+ in funding, unlock $7M+ in government grants, and bring 4 products to market. I've supported 6 startups through OKR-driven restructuring — from pre-seed chaos to Series A readiness.

I mentor because I wish I'd had someone to call when I was figuring it out. Montreal-based. Sessions available in English and French.

Ready?