Advisor and technical partner for founders and technical leaders

Riccardo Ferretti

I help founders and technical leaders make better decisions at the intersection of AI, product, and business.

I am based in Italy and have worked inside global scale-ups, VC-backed startups, and founder-led companies. I bring operating judgment to the moments where strategy, technology, and execution collide.

About

A founder-facing perspective built from both inside and outside the company

I was at LinkedIn early, while the company was scaling from roughly 50 people to more than 2,000. That gave me a close view of how strong companies make decisions, where operating discipline matters, and how complexity starts to creep in as growth accelerates.

Later I moved closer to the founder side. I built a VC-backed company, worked through investor and product trade-offs, and then led engineering teams inside startup environments. I have seen the pressure from both sides: the founder trying to move fast under uncertainty, and the technical leader trying to turn ambiguity into a system that actually works.

Today I work as an independent advisor and technical partner. The common thread is not process for its own sake. It is helping leadership teams make clearer decisions earlier, so they avoid expensive confusion later.

Best fit

Founder-led startups making consequential product or technical decisions

Technical leaders navigating AI adoption without wanting theater or hype

Teams that need senior judgment and operating clarity more than generic execution capacity

Next Steps

Start with a Short Conversation

The best starting point is usually a focused 30-minute intro. If email is easier, use the form and tell me what decision, initiative, or technical challenge you are working through.