Not a consultant. Not a contractor. A co-founder who happens to bring 20 years of AI and full-stack engineering.
“I've worked with him for like 20 years, across hundreds of projects, and even built three companies with his help. He consistently delivers more than expected.”
- Greg Jenkins, Co-founder, BizJetJobs & Porch Enclosure Systems
Matthew Turley
20+ years building · 16 years independent
Watch: How I work with founders
90 seconds · No fluff
You tried no-code tools. Then you hit the complexity ceiling.
You hired a developer. Then they disappeared.
You need custom software, but you're not technical.
That's where I come in. Your AI technical co-founder. I bring the infrastructure, the strategy, and the hands-on engineering to turn your vision into a product that works.
I don't just use AI tools. I build autonomous AI systems. Then I wire them into your product so you ship faster than any team of five.
Whether you're launching an AI-powered MVP, scaling to $100K MRR, or rebuilding after your developer disappeared, I bring the technical co-founder you've been missing.
Discovery Sprint: $2,500 (1-2 weeks) MVP Build: $8,000–25,000 (4-8 weeks)
You validated your idea. Now you need it built right. Not a prototype. A real product ready for paying customers. Built in 6–8 weeks with a foundation that scales to $100K+ MRR.
Discovery Sprint: $2,500 (1-2 weeks) Ongoing Partnership: Starting at $5,000/month
You have customers and revenue, and now you need to scale. Your product works, but technical debt is slowing you down. You need someone who can build features AND make technical decisions.
Discovery Sprint: $2,500 (1-2 weeks) Stabilization + Ongoing: $8,000–10,000/month
Your developer left. Your customers didn't. I step in immediately, audit your codebase, stabilize, and keep building.
1-2 weeks, $2.5K
6-20 weeks
Monthly
Recent Work
Client partnerships and my own products. Traditional SaaS, AI-native tools, and everything in between.
I don't just talk about AI. I build with it. The products marked “My Product” are things I shipped using autonomous AI agents. Proof the approach works before I recommend it to clients.
From WordPress to $103K MRR subscription platform
“Matthew's vision and code turned our site into the revenue engine that fueled 10 years of YoY growth.”
Non-technical founders, WordPress limitations, market shifts, churn risk
15 years of iterative dev, subscription platform (Recurly), automated billing, employer/pilot tools
The cost control layer for AI-powered apps
“Built with autonomous AI coding agents to solve a problem I hit running AI systems at scale.”
AI API costs spiraling, no visibility into spend, manual model routing
Cost intelligence proxy between app and AI providers. Tracks, classifies, routes to cheapest viable model
Regional shop to seven-figure national brand
“The visual configurator transformed our sales process and enabled nationwide expansion.”
Manual quoting, regional-only sales, no self-service ordering
3D visual configurator with real-time pricing, automated ordering, direct-to-consumer nationwide
Get a board of AI advisors to pressure-test your decisions
“Built to prove multi-model AI architecture works in production. Concept to live product in days.”
High-stakes decisions made in echo chambers, single-model AI bias
4 AI providers (Claude, GPT-4o, Grok, Gemini) playing different advisor roles, then synthesized
Cancellation intelligence platform, from idea to live product
“What started as a simple MVP turned into something much more complete and impressive. He's been super proactive in suggesting improvements and tackling challenges along the way.”
No visibility into why users cancel, generic exit surveys, lost revenue
Embeddable cancellation widget, churn reasons capture, automated Stripe retention offers, real-time analytics
Paste a GitHub repo. Get a security audit in 60 seconds.
“Scans AI-generated codebases for the stuff AI gets wrong. Not a CVE database. A CTO reviewing your code.”
AI-generated code ships with hardcoded secrets, missing auth, no rate limiting
50+ security checks with fix recommendations and code snippets, free tier, deep scan available
Have a product that needs AI? Let's talk.
Schedule a CallMatthew is more than just a developer; he is a trusted partner and integral member of our team. His contributions have been transformative over 15 years.
The math is simple: get a technical co-founder with AI expertise without the $310K salary, 6-month search, equity dilution, and risk of a bad hire.
Immediate impact, proven results
Traditional hiring risks & overhead
Median U.S. CTO total comp: $310k (salary + benefits + equity)
Full-time CTO cost
Annual Core Growth
Cost savings
Same strategic leadership, proven track record, immediate availability.
From short-term planning to long-term partnerships. All projects start with a Discovery Sprint to ensure we're building the right thing.
Discovery, MVP builds, and platform rebuilds. Scoped engagements with clear deliverables.
Before any code is written, we map your AI strategy, technical architecture, and go-to-market plan
AI-powered MVP built to test your concept with real users
Production-ready product with AI integrations, built to handle paying customers from day one
For established businesses that need AI transformation or a complete platform rebuild
Long-term technical partnership for founders who need continuous feature development and strategic guidance.
Your fractional AI technical co-founder: strategy, code, and shipping
Dedicated AI technical leadership with priority access and faster velocity
Every project follows the same proven process:
Map requirements, plan architecture, estimate timeline. You get complete documentation whether we work together or not.
Weekly check-ins to review progress. You see working features constantly, not after months of silence. AI-assisted development accelerates standard patterns.
Deployment, monitoring, bug fixes. I don't disappear after launch.
Most clients continue working with me long-term. Continuous iteration as your business evolves.
I take on 3-4 new partnerships per year. I'm selective because I work closely with each client and often continue for years.
Pause or cancel anytime.
To avoid $50k mistakes. You get scope clarity, technical validation, and a plan you can use even if you don't hire me. Free consultations create bad incentives. I'd tell you what you want to hear instead of what you need to hear.
I own the roadmap with you, not just tickets. I'll say "don't build that yet" as often as "ship this now." I make strategic technical decisions, not just implement yours.
Yes. You own the repos, infrastructure, and all accounts from day one.
That's what the ongoing partnership is for. Most clients continue working with me because building software is never truly "done."
AI (Claude, Cursor) accelerates the 90% of code that's standard patterns: auth, databases, forms. This lets me focus on the 10% unique to your business. You get traditional quality at faster timelines.
We'll discuss your project and whether we're a good fit
$2,500, rolls into MVP price if we proceed
You decide if you want to move forward
Most clients work with me for years
Currently accepting 2 new partnerships.
Schedule a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your project and see if we're a good fit.
Have a product that needs direction?
Schedule a CallWhether you're starting, scaling, or recovering, let's plan your next move.
Common questions about working together, contracts, and technical processes.
Kickoff in 1–2 weeks. I slot into (or lead) your current team from day one. Initial planning calls happen within 48 hours of agreement, with active development starting in the first sprint cycle.
I help you hire and onboard your internal team when ready. You keep all code and architectural knowledge. I can assist with technical interviews, architecture reviews, and knowledge transfer to ensure smooth transition.
You own 100% of custom code and business logic. I retain rights to reusable components and general methodologies. All work is delivered with complete source code, documentation, and deployment instructions.
Next.js, React, TypeScript, Node.js, PostgreSQL. Whatever makes sense for your use case. I focus on proven, maintainable technologies rather than bleeding-edge frameworks that might create technical debt.
Every line is reviewed, tested, and documented following industry best practices. Automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, code reviews, and documentation are built into the development process from day one.
Weekly development cycles with daily progress updates via Slack or your preferred platform. You see exactly what's being built and why, with time for feedback before it's too late to change direction.
Emergency support is included in Core and Plus tiers with appropriate SLA response times. Caretaker tier includes basic emergency support. All tiers include proactive monitoring and issue prevention.
30-day out clause – zero risk.
Month-to-month contracts with 30-day notice. No long-term commitments required. Project-based work (like Refined MVP) has milestone-based payment schedules with clear deliverables and timelines.
Many businesses outgrow Shopify's checkout limitations, product variant restrictions, or lack of custom business logic. I've helped founders migrate from Shopify to custom platforms when they need: Complex pricing rules Shopify can't handle, Custom checkout flows for B2B or wholesale, Integration with manufacturing or fulfillment systems, Product configurators that exceed Shopify's capabilities. We can keep Shopify for content and add custom functionality, or build a complete replacement. Schedule a discovery call to discuss your specific limitations.
Yes. I regularly help founders move from WordPress to custom Next.js applications when they hit WordPress's performance ceiling or need functionality that's impossible with plugins. Common reasons to migrate: Performance issues with high traffic or complex queries, Need for custom user dashboards or workflows, Security concerns with plugin dependencies, Costs of maintaining complex WordPress infrastructure. We can migrate content, preserve SEO, and build features that would require dozens of plugins in WordPress. Most WordPress-to-custom migrations take 8-12 weeks.
Absolutely. No-code tools are excellent for validation, but many businesses hit hard limits around: Bubble: Performance degradation beyond ~1,000 users, complex workflow limitations; Webflow: Database size restrictions, lack of custom business logic; Airtable: Not built for customer-facing applications, API rate limits. I help founders migrate from no-code to custom code when the business has validated product-market fit but needs more control, performance, or complex features. You keep what works, rebuild what doesn't.
Many successful businesses start by using generic SaaS tools (CRMs, project management, booking systems) but eventually need custom solutions that match their exact processes. I build custom alternatives when: You're paying $500+/month for features you don't need, The tool doesn't integrate with your systems, You need workflows the tool can't support, Data ownership or privacy requirements demand self-hosting. I'll help you analyze whether building custom makes business sense. Often it's cheaper to build exactly what you need than to keep paying for 80% unused features.
Yes, this is one of the most common scenarios. My process: 48-hour codebase audit: Understand what exists, what works, what's broken; Immediate stabilization: Fix critical issues, restore functionality; Technical debt assessment: Identify what needs rebuilding vs. what can stay; Roadmap planning: Prioritize fixes, features, and long-term improvements. Most founders who come to me after developer turnover stay for years because they never want to be in that situation again. I document everything, keep code clean, and ensure you're never dependent on me.
Most founders I work with tried the DIY route, hired (and lost) a developer, or hit the limits of their current tools.
The next step is a free 30-minute call where we'll discuss:
No sales pitch. Just honest technical guidance.
Schedule Free ConsultationEvery project is unique. The best answers come from understanding your specific situation.
Ask Your QuestionUsually respond within 12 hours
Whether you're starting, scaling, or recovering, let's plan your next move.
See the 3-step process from Discovery Sprint to ongoing partnership
Transparent pricing for Discovery Sprints, MVP builds, and ongoing partnerships
For technical questions or detailed project discussion
I work with a maximum of 5 growing SaaS companies at a time to ensure quality and attention to detail. Current availability and project fit will be discussed in our initial conversation.