Principal accountability
Paul remains accountable for the diagnosis, framing, recommendation, and quality of the work.
Technology & Engineering Advisory
Experts for when you don't yet understand the problem.
We help founders, executives, investors, and technology leaders understand difficult engineering, organizational, and operational problems — and determine what should happen next.
Background
Our work begins where a technical problem stops being purely technical. northup.io is led by Paul Northup, a technology executive with nearly two decades of experience working through progressively larger technical and organizational problems at startup software companies.
Operating experience
Most recently, he led engineering, data, and quality as the senior-most technology leader through a transaction valued at over $100 million.
Specialists when needed
When a problem requires deeper expertise, we bring in trusted operators with direct experience rather than pretending one generalist can answer everything.
Consulting
Call us when the answer is not obvious, the stakes are real, or nobody agrees on what is actually wrong.
Technology leadership and intervention
Experienced leadership for companies facing a transition, stalled organization, leadership gap, or problem that cannot wait for the next permanent hire.
Engineering organization diagnosis
Determine why delivery, ownership, hiring, leadership, or product–engineering collaboration is not working, then redesign around the actual constraints.
Technical and operational diligence
An independent view of architecture, product risk, team capability, delivery health, scalability, and the distance between the reported story and operating reality.
Architecture, risk, and modernization
Clarify architectural risk, technical debt, platform constraints, reliability issues, and modernization priorities before committing significant time or capital.
AI strategy and implementation review
Separate credible product and operational opportunities from hype, then define the architecture, data, evaluation, governance, and delivery path.
Executive and board advisory
Clear, independent advice for founders, executives, boards, and investors who need to understand a consequential technical or organizational decision.
We are most useful before a company commits to a solution: understanding what is actually wrong, identifying real bottlenecks, deciding which expertise is required, and turning an ambiguous problem into a credible course of action.
Rates
Advisory pricing reflects the responsibility involved, not the number of people we can place on an account.
| Engagement | Typical use | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Embedded advisory | Principal-led, multi-month work with a meaningful weekly commitment | $225 USD/hr |
| Core advisory | Diagnosis, decision support, leadership, architecture, AI strategy, and diligence | $275 USD/hr |
| Executive and board advisory | Short, high-leverage work with founders, executives, investors, or boards | $325 USD/hr |
| Urgent or specialist-led | Transactions, incidents, compressed timelines, or work requiring specialist participation | $400+ USD/hr |
| Full day | Workshops, diligence sessions, planning, or on-site work | $2,400 USD |
Fixed-fee projects and monthly retainers are available when the scope is clear. Specialist fees are scoped transparently and approved before work begins. Travel and material third-party expenses are billed separately where relevant.
Bring us the problem your team cannot explain clearly yet.
Principal-led technology advisory, with experienced specialists brought in where they materially improve the answer.