Questions people ask
Straight answers to the real questions, in plain language.
Last updated 9 July 2026
Yes, that is exactly the situation I work in. You bring the idea, I work out precisely what it takes to make it real and what it will cost, then I assemble and run the team and suppliers who build it. You get a new venture off the ground without having to clear three months to do it yourself.
That is the core of it. I set up the new venture alongside your existing business so it does not pull your attention away from what already works. I handle the plan, the suppliers and the team. You stay as involved as you choose, and you keep full ownership and control.
No, and this matters. I plan the venture and orchestrate the people who build it. I do not write code, design the product myself, or build anything in-house. I am the general contractor, not the trades. That focus is what lets me get the whole venture shipped rather than just one piece of it.
A co-founder takes equity, shares control and stays indefinitely. I do none of that. I charge a fixed fee, take no stake in your business, and step away once the venture is up and running. You get senior delivery without giving away ownership or creating a long-term dependency.
A consultant produces advice and leaves you to act on it. I stay accountable for the thing actually getting built. The Ukuva Plan is written to be executed, not filed, and I can run the execution myself. You are buying delivery, not a document.
No. A fractional COO runs your existing business part-time. I am not running what you already have. I am setting up the new venture beside it. Different job, different focus, no overlap with your current operations.
The Ukuva Plan is a fixed fee, quoted up front to your requirements, payable half up front and half on completion. You get a firm quote before any work begins. If you want me to run the execution afterwards, that is quoted separately once the plan is set.
Four steps. First, a free 30-minute call to hear the idea. Second, a short scoping document so we agree on what we are building. Third, a fixed quote for the plan. Fourth, optional execution, where I assemble and run the delivery. You can stop after any step.
No, never. This is a fee-based service, not a partnership. You keep one hundred percent of your venture. I am paid for the work, not with a stake in the outcome.
No. Payments and fintech are where much of my track record comes from, and they prove I can ship hard, regulated, cross-border things. But the work itself is sector-agnostic. What I bring to any industry is the discipline of getting hard things built and a network to build them with.
I am based in Amsterdam and work remotely by default, with travel to you when the engagement genuinely needs it. Where on-site time is required, travel is agreed and invoiced transparently.
Only a few at a time, deliberately. I would rather do a small number of ventures properly than spread myself thin. It means when I take your venture on, it gets my full attention.
Ukuva is the isiXhosa word for to listen, or to hear. It is also why the elephant appears in the logo: the animal with the largest ears, and the longest memory. The name is the method. I listen properly first, then I plan and get the thing built.