Venture Studio Work
Year: 2023-Present
Company: Ricardo Lamego Design
Industry: Venture Capital
Role: Strategic Advisor / Fractional CPO
Challenge
Venture studios and their portfolio companies often lack senior product and design leadership in early stages, leading to costly validation failures and product-market fit delays. Founders need guidance navigating complex product decisions and organizational challenges but can't justify full-time executive hires. Studios need scalable advisory models that provide depth without overhead.
Approach
Strategic Advisory Model
- Positioned as fractional CPO bringing 25+ years experience to early-stage ventures
- Provided product strategy and organizational design expertise across multiple studio initiatives
- Delivered focused engagement addressing specific challenges rather than ongoing management
Founder Education
- Helped founders identify and avoid common startup pitfalls through pattern recognition
- Applied systematic discovery practices to validate assumptions before significant investment
- Coached teams on user-centered product development and lean validation frameworks
Portfolio Support
- Contributed product vision and roadmap development for multiple ventures
- Facilitated workshops and strategic planning sessions
- Provided design and UX guidance at critical decision points
Outcome
Scalable model: Demonstrated fractional CPO approach providing executive-level product leadership without full-time commitment.
Risk reduction: Helped ventures avoid common failure modes through early-stage validation and systematic discovery.
Pattern transfer: Applied cross-industry experience and pattern recognition to help founders navigate unfamiliar challenges efficiently.
Methods & Deliverables
Methods: Qualitative research, Product strategy, UX strategy, Workshops, Strategic planning
Deliverables: Product Vision, Roadmap, SWOT analysis, Documentation, Strategic frameworks
Tags: Leadership/Org Design, Product Strategy, Venture Capital, 0→1 Launch, Consulting, Ireland