I take a small number of advisory engagements alongside my work at openJII, typically two to four at a time. Two shapes fit best. The first is scaleups and mid-market businesses where engineering, data, and the commercial side need someone who can translate between them; this is where the org is real (15–80 engineers) and the questions are hard (data platform GTM, AI strategy, restructuring, pricing). The second is founders who have a working B2B SaaS prototype that now has to become production-ready and pass the scrutiny of enterprise or regulated buyers (SOC 2, HIPAA, multi-tenant isolation, security hardening). In both cases the leadership team wants a sparring partner who has done the work, not a deck.
Scaling and restructuring engineering organisations, performance and career frameworks, DORA-style measurement, hiring and team composition. I’ve done this in growth and in downturn, building a 35-person org, restructuring 40 → 25 → 30, doubling deployment frequency without losing quality.
What to build in-house vs buy, where AI actually creates leverage in your business, how to productise data work into a service or platform line that earns its keep. Hands-on Databricks across three contexts now: the data-platform practice I launched at INFO, an agritech digital-transformation engagement that adopted it on my recommendation, and openJII’s silver/gold lakehouse layers today. I’m completing the Databricks certification track in 2026. MBA in AI & Data Analytics at UvA, useful for arguing the commercial logic, not just the architecture.
Helping research-grade groups behave more like product organisations, and helping product teams take research-grade systems seriously. Currently the central problem of my day job at the Jan IngenHousz Institute. Especially relevant for biotech, agritech, climate-tech, and any company sitting on a research output that needs to become commercial.
Independent technical assessment for investors, acquirers, and boards. Architecture, team, delivery practices, scalability, key-person risk, what the next 12–24 months of engineering investment actually buys you. I’ve done this through INFO on enterprise engagements, in earlier freelance work for early-stage investors, and ad-hoc since.
Taking an early B2B SaaS product from working prototype to something an enterprise or regulated buyer will trust: multi-tenant data isolation, security hardening, auditability, and the architecture and program discipline that a SOC 2 or HIPAA path requires. I lead the path to those audits and put the right structure in place; I don’t sell the attestation itself. I’ve worked inside regulated and data-sensitive contexts, healthcare at Dephion and EU-regulated agritech data infrastructure now, so the constraints are familiar rather than theoretical.
1–2 weeks · fixed fee · written verdict
A fixed-scope review for a founder whose product works but now has to stand up to enterprise or regulated procurement. I look at multi-tenancy and data isolation, the security posture, the architecture, and how far you are from a credible SOC 2 or HIPAA path, then hand back a written verdict: what’s solid, what blocks an enterprise deal, and the shortest sensible route to ready. It’s the natural first step, and it tells both of us whether a longer engagement makes sense.
1–2 days / quarter · multi-year · retainer or equity
One to two days per quarter, ongoing. I sit in board or leadership meetings, prepare for them with the CEO/CTO ahead of time, and stay on call between sessions for the questions that matter. Suited to growth-stage companies where the leadership team needs continuity rather than a single intervention.
4–8 hours / month · monthly fee
A fixed envelope of hours each month (typically four to eight) to be a sparring partner for the CEO or CTO. Reviews of architecture decisions, hiring, vendor choices, organisation moves; sometimes a workshop or off-site. The point is a high-trust relationship and continuity, not transactional consulting.
1–3 days · fixed scope
A focused engagement on a specific question: entering a new market, productising a service line, restructuring engineering, evaluating an AI/data investment. Usually one or two days of preparation, a working session with leadership, and a written follow-up.
1–2 weeks · fixed fee
A bounded engagement on a deal timetable. Document review, interviews with engineering leadership, architecture and code-base assessment, written report with risks and a 12–24 month investment view.
fractional / interim · scoped per engagement
When the review turns up more than a founder can carry alone, I can step in as fractional or interim engineering leadership to own the hardening roadmap and the road to compliance. Where it makes sense to build rather than only advise, I assemble and oversee a small, hand-picked team of senior engineers I’ve worked with, additive to your team rather than a hand-off to an agency, and stay accountable for the work. Scope and shape are set per engagement.
I’m a full-time Technical Program Manager at the Jan IngenHousz Institute, so my advisory bandwidth is finite, typically two to four engagements at a time. I’m especially well placed for work that touches plant science, photosynthesis, agritech, or open research infrastructure: that’s where the openJII context compounds rather than competes, and where the boring groundwork I do during the week becomes directly useful in an advisory conversation. The line I won’t cross is a direct conflict of interest with JII itself; everything else, including organisations adjacent to or parallel with JII’s mission, I’m happy to discuss case by case.
I work best with founders, CEOs, CTOs, and boards who are willing to be direct and who want a sparring partner rather than someone to validate a decision they’ve already made. I’m based in Amsterdam and work in English, Dutch (improving), and Croatian. Engagements are invoiced through my Dutch ZZP.
The right way to start is a 30-minute conversation. Email dominikvrbic01@gmail.com with a paragraph or two on what you’re working on and what you’d want from an advisor. I reply to everything.