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Equity & capital

We don't write big cheques.
We write hours.

Backing, for us, is angel-size: a small cheque at pre-seed or seed, or our hours for a share — fractional work or advisory, around the product work. A few a year, when the problem and the team are both right.

How it works

Sweat equity
We work or advise for a share — fractional, agreed upfront based on stage, scope, and fit. Hands-on building or a standing advisory seat; either way it fits around the product work, not instead of it.
Capital
Angel-size cheques at pre-seed or seed. We won’t anchor your round — but when we’re already in the work and the fit is strong, being on the cap table makes sense for everyone.
By introduction
Back isn’t a service you can cold-book. Most fits come through people who know us well. If you found this page on your own, that counts for something — reach out directly and tell us what you’re building.

What we look for

  • Technical problems that need genuine engineering depth to solve — not agency work dressed up as a startup
  • Founders who want a builder’s eye on the work — fractional, but real
  • B2B SaaS, developer tooling, agentic systems, infrastructure — the things we already live in
  • Pre-seed to seed — before the company has more process than momentum
  • A clear path to the problem being real: customers, revenue, or a sharp thesis with proof of pull

Get in touch

Tell us what you’re building, where you are, and what you need. We’ll reply if it’s a fit, or point you somewhere more useful if it isn’t.

hello@clandestinehours.com