Fractional Product Partner
Clarity that moves products forward.
I help founders and leadership teams make what they're building clear, credible and commercially viable.
The challenge
When things feel harder than they should
- The product is strong, but deals are slow
- There's interest, but not enough conversion
- Investors are asking harder questions
- Teams aren't aligned on what matters
- The value is real, but hard to articulate
This is rarely a product problem.
It's a clarity problem.
Ways to work together
Two ways I typically help
Ongoing
Fractional Product Advisor
Embedded alongside your leadership team as a trusted thinking partner. Not filling a seat. An experienced perspective when it matters.
- Product strategy and commercial positioning
- Leadership alignment on priorities
- Clarity when roadmaps or narratives drift
- Stronger story for buyers and investors
Typically 1–3 days per week
Focused
Clarity Sprint
A structured engagement to align product, commercial value and narrative. For when something specific needs to shift.
- Map how the product is actually perceived
- Make commercial value explicit
- Align the story across stakeholders
- Define a credible path to adoption
2 days per week over 4–6 weeks
Example work
From promising product to commercially credible proposition
AI-powered capacity intelligence for hospital systems
Context
A differentiated AI product for hospital capacity. The technology worked and clinical teams saw value. But commercially, it wasn't landing.
Challenge
Different stakeholders heard different stories. No shared understanding of what the product was worth or who should be buying it.
Work
Over six weeks we mapped the buying landscape, made the commercial model explicit and built a narrative connecting capability to measurable outcomes.
Outcome
Clearer ROI conversations. Stronger team alignment. A credible path to scale built on what was actually true about the product.
Dealing with something similar?
Book a callApproach
What the first weeks look like
Week 1
Listen and map
Conversations with your team, customers and investors. Understand how things actually work, not how they're supposed to.
Week 2
Name the gaps
Where the product story breaks down. Where commercial value isn't landing. Where alignment is assumed but doesn't exist.
Week 3–4
Build the clarity
Positioning, narrative, commercial model. The things that need to be true for deals to close and investors to commit.
Week 5–6
Lock the path
A clear, grounded plan for adoption. What to do next, who needs to move and what evidence to build.
About
Tim Doughty
Product leader who has spent the last decade working at the intersection of product, commercial strategy and capital. Most of that time inside PE-backed and investor-led environments where the product has to make commercial sense quickly.
Previously led product across the Motive Partners portfolio, working directly with Apollo Global Management-backed companies to turn complex platforms into commercially credible businesses. Built AI-enabled investment tooling that replaced entire analyst functions. Shaped lending strategies that unlocked tens of millions in new volume.
I don't do strategy decks that sit on a shelf. I work with you until the thing is clear enough that people move.
Let's talk.
If something here resonates, or if you're trying to figure out what's not working, I'm happy to compare notes. No pitch, no pressure.
Book a 30-minute introductory call.
No preparation needed.