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HAMZA ZULQUERNAIN · FRACTIONAL CTO FOR FOUNDERS

I build your product with you. Then I hand you the keys.

The same phases I run with owner-run businesses, starting with a free 30-minute call. We decide what your MVP needs. I build it with you. Then you own it, and anyone you hire can pick it up.

Book a free 30-minute call
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  • 55 changes

    shipped in-house by a client's owner, with Claude, in the first month after handoff (Aug 18 – Sep 11, 2026). I made one.

  • 2

    back-office systems built with owner-run businesses and handed over in 2026.

  • 12×

    monthly revenue by month six at Royal Pawz, where I'm an equity partner.

  • 7-figure exit

    founding engineer, DietAI.

Sound familiar?

  • You have the idea, not the engineer.

    You know the problem and the customer. You need someone to decide what to build, then build it with you.

  • Your prototype has stopped holding up.

    You built it with an AI tool and it mostly works. Now real users are coming, and it keeps breaking.

  • You need a product people can pay for.

    Not a demo. A small product that works, takes payment and shows you what users do.

  • You are about to hire engineers.

    You want the code, the accounts and the habits set up right, so the people you hire can pick it up.

How it works

Built with your team, not handed over the wall.

Before the Sprint

A free 30-minute call

Tell me what you're building and where you're stuck. I'll ask questions, push on the plan and tell you straight whether I can help.

Book a free call

  1. Scoping Sprint

    7–10 business days

    We decide what your MVP needs, what can wait and what not to build. You get a written plan and a fixed price for the Build.

    Fixed price. Credited in full toward the Build if it starts within 30 days.

  2. Build: your MVP

    Set in the Sprint

    I build the MVP with you, one working piece at a time. You click through real software every week, not status reports.

    Fixed scope, agreed in writing after the Sprint.

  3. Handoff

    End of the Build

    You get the keys and the guardrails. The code and accounts sit in your company's name, so the engineers you hire can pick it up.

    Part of every Build.

  4. After handoff

    Your choice

    You pick how much of me you need. When you hire a full-time CTO, I help you make the hire and hand over to them.

    • Self-serve with on-call supportYour team makes the changes. When something breaks, you text me and I pick it up.
    • Self-serve, pay per fixYour team makes the changes. When you need me, you pay for that fix and nothing more.
    • Monthly fractional CTOI stay on as your part-time CTO. Each month we plan, build and review the work together.

Every phase is priced before it starts.

See prices →

Owned, not rented.

Every handoff includes:

  • Your code and accounts in your company's name
  • Claude set up for your team
  • Checks that run on every change before it goes live
  • A preview link for every change
  • A runbook
  • A staff guide

Changes that touch payments, security or your database come to me before they go live.

Standing warranty: if something I built doesn't work the way we agreed, I fix it. No invoice, no end date.

Recent work

Production software, not a slide deck.

a Houston-area wholesale distributor

Website and back office · handed over in August 2026

I built it with the owner. Then he took over the changes.

I built a new website. Then the owner and I built a back office for reorders, purchasing, pricing, delivery and sales. He started building alongside me in June. At handoff in August, the owner had the code, a How-To Guide built into the app, and Claude set up so he could change it himself. I am still on call.

55 of 56
changes after handoff, made by the owner
59
back-office screens
24
chapters in the staff guide built into the app
Changes to the software, by who made them

From April to July I made most of the changes, and the owner joined in from June. After handoff on August 17 that flipped. From September 1 to 11 the owner made 52 changes and I made 1.

Changes to the software, by who made them
MonthThe ownerMe
Apr016
May031
Jun638
Jul945
Aug324
Sep 1–11521

Each bar is a month of changes. The software is the website and back office of a Houston-area wholesale distributor. The last bar is September 1 to 11.

See the handoff →

See all work →

Who you work with

Hamza Zulquernain

Fractional CTO · Zapp Studios · Houston

Based in Houston, working with owners here and remotely.

I take pride in this work, and I stay with it after it ships. The job is done when your business gets real value from it and your team can run it.

  • Founding engineer, DietAIBuilt the product, the funnel and the growth systems through a 7-figure exit.
  • Equity partner, Royal Pawz USA12× monthly revenue by month six.
  • Two back-office systemsBuilt with the owners and their teams, and handed over in 2026.

Other ways to work with me

Equity is a separate door. It is for a business that already has sales.

  • Vibe-Code Rescue

    You built an app with an AI tool and it has stopped holding up. I audit it, fix what matters, or rebuild it.

    Rescue an app →

  • Equity Partnership

    Less cash up front and a real stake in how your business does. It starts with a paid two-week pilot.

    Partnerships →

Questions founders ask

Do you take on founder projects?

Yes. I work as a fractional CTO for founders, with the same phases I run with owner-run businesses: a Scoping Sprint, a Build and a handoff. It starts with a free 30-minute call.

What happens on the free call?

You tell me what you're building and where you're stuck. I ask questions, push on the plan and tell you straight whether I can help. If I'm not the right person, I'll say so. The call is 30 minutes and costs nothing.

Will you build my MVP?

Yes, when it's a fit. We start with the Scoping Sprint to decide what the MVP needs and what can wait. Then I build it with you, and you click through working software every week.

Can you be our CTO?

Yes, part time. After the Build, you can keep me on as a monthly fractional CTO while you raise, hire or grow. When you're ready for a full-time CTO, I'll help you hire one and hand over to them.

Do you work for equity?

Not in place of pay for an early product. The Equity Partnership is a separate door, for businesses that already have revenue. It starts with a paid two-week pilot.

Who owns the code?

You do. Your code, your data and every account sit in your company's name, not mine. That is part of every handoff. When you hire engineers, they pick up where I left off.

Is my idea too early?

No. Bring the problem, a deck or a prototype. The sooner we talk, the less you spend building the wrong thing.

I built a prototype with an AI tool. Can you take it from here?

Often, yes. If it has stopped holding up, the Vibe-Code Rescue is made for that: I audit it, fix what matters, or rebuild it. We can work out which on the call.

What does it cost?

The call is free. The Scoping Sprint is a fixed price, credited in full toward the Build if it starts within 30 days. The Build is priced in writing after the Sprint. The prices are published on the fractional CTO page.

Will you keep what I share private?

Yes. I'm not here to collect ideas. If a deeper talk needs an NDA, just ask.

Tell me what you're building.

Book a free 30-minute call. Bring the idea, the deck or the prototype. You'll leave with a clear next step, whether or not it's me.

Book a free callFind your fit →