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Fractional COO  —  Abu Dhabi Page 01 / 01

Fractional COO  ·  Product operations  ·  Abu Dhabi

A fractional COO for product-led companies, embedded in Abu Dhabi.

Fractional COO and product-operations engagements for Series A–C consumer-tech founders across Abu Dhabi and the Hub71 ecosystem — the operating system of a billion-dollar product org, without the full-time executive hire.

No. 2  —  Plain answers

Plain answers, before we go further.

  • What is a fractional COO? An operations leader who runs the operating system behind your product and engineering org — the PDLC, quarterly planning, launch readiness, and cross-functional execution — part-time or for a fixed term, without the full-time chief-officer hire.
  • Why hire one in Abu Dhabi? Abu Dhabi's capital is patient and ecosystem-led — Hub71, Mubadala, ADGM. What that money backs still has to ship product, and a senior operator who has built the operating system before turns a well-funded roadmap into a shipped one.
  • COO, product operations — what is the difference? Operations first, product second. This is a COO-grade operating role focused on the product-and-engineering machine: how the org plans, decides, and ships — not product vision or the roadmap, which stay with the founder and CPO.
No. 3  —  Engagements

No. 3

Three modes, one practice.

Most engagements move through them in order: diagnose first, embed second, advise on the calls that don't fit a memo.

I

Execution Diagnostic

A short, focused engagement to expose where the operating system is leaking velocity.

Two to four weeks embedded with product and ops leadership in Abu Dhabi or remote. Run against the PDLC Maturity Ladder and the Founder Intuition Audit to locate where decisions stall and rework compounds — written up in a brief that survives the engagement.

→  Open intro

II

Embedded Partnership

Interim COO / head of product operations on the executive team, alongside founder or CPO.

A sustained engagement where an operator runs product and engineering operations next to your team in Abu Dhabi, installs the operating cadence, hires the permanent operations leader, and exits into a structured handoff. Not advisory, not staff-aug.

→  Open intro

III

Advisory Retainer

Standing operator counsel inside the founder's biggest decisions.

A monthly seat for the operator-level conversations: hires, restructures, market moves, the calls that don't fit a memo. For founders who already have their operating cadence and want a senior operator in the room, not on a deck.

→  Open intro
Open with whichever feels right  →
No. 4  —  In Abu Dhabi

No. 4

How the work runs.

Remote-first, on the Gulf's calendar, and on-site in Abu Dhabi when a build genuinely needs someone in the room.

Abu Dhabi's advantage is capital with patience — Hub71 incentives, Mubadala's reach, ADGM's common-law footing. But well-funded is not the same as well-shipped: the operating system is what turns a backed roadmap into a live product. I mentor at the Abu Dhabi SME Hub and stay close to the ecosystem, working on the region's Sunday-to-Thursday calendar.

Structure matters: an ADGM tech-startup licence doesn't automatically cover consumer retail on the mainland, and that shapes how far a product can legally reach. Working language is English, alongside Arabic-first teams; confidentiality is the default, with NDAs shipped before the first call on request.

  • Working hours 08:00 — 18:00 GST · full Gulf overlap; AM PT for SF
  • Working model Remote-first, on the Gulf’s calendar · on-site in Abu Dhabi when a client requires it
  • NDA before call Mutual NDA shipped within 24h on request, ahead of the intro call
No. 5  —  Provenance

No. 5

Affiliations.

Introductions in the Gulf are earned through standing. The standing on record is below.

Affiliation Role When  /  Where
  • Abu Dhabi SME Hub Mentor 2024 — Present · Abu Dhabi
  • Neurobay Ventures General Partner 2025 — 2026 · UAE
  • PolyUno Ventures Advisor 2025 — Present · UAE
  • Brooklyn Tech Expo Keynote February 2026 · New York
  • Certified ScrumMaster Credential Scrum Alliance

For warm introductions through the Hub  →

No. 6  —  FAQ

No. 6

Abu Dhabi, plainly answered.

The questions founders ask before the intro call. Answered without fanfare.

  • 01 Do you work with Hub71 and ADGM-based startups? Yes. I mentor at the Abu Dhabi SME Hub and work with founders across the emirate’s ecosystem. Being ecosystem-adjacent — knowing what Hub71, Mubadala, and ADGM-backed capital expects — is part of the value.
  • 02 Is this a COO or a product role? Operations, applied to product. Twelve years of standing up product-operations and program functions — PDLCs, quarterly planning, launch readiness, operating models — at Reddit, Tinder, Strava, Snowflake, and Twitter. I run the machine; product vision and the roadmap stay with your founder and CPO.
  • 03 Do you understand ADGM structuring for consumer tech? Yes — including the catch that an ADGM tech-startup licence does not by itself cover consumer retail on the mainland without a dual licence. Structure shapes how far a consumer product can legally reach.
  • 04 How is fit decided? On the intro call. Thirty minutes, three questions: stage, where the operating system is leaking, what would change in 60 days. If it isn't a fit, I'll say so on the call.
  • 05 What's the typical engagement length? Diagnostics: 2–4 weeks. Embedded partnerships: two to four quarters. Advisory retainers: rolling, with a six-month minimum and a one-month opt-out.

Still have a question? Open an intro call  →

No. VII  —  Regard

“One of the best Program Managers I know.”

Mike Manoske, PCC  ·  Executive Coach

Open an intro call  → Or send the nine questions  →