Fractional Subject Matter Expert for PropTech, ConTech, FinTech, and Built-Environment Innovation
I help companies, startups, and venture portfolios bypass months of UX research, user interviews, and assumption-driven discovery by bringing direct expertise & authenticity from architecture, construction, real estate, and lending: with fluency across B2C, B2B, and B2B2C models. Allowing product teams to identify real problems faster, test solutions sooner, and reach product-market fit with substantially less risk.
Value Added
Why spend months learning what can be transferred in weeks?
• Consumer psychology mastery
20+ years of knowing exactly what consumers fear, misunderstand, and respond to.• Industry-insider intelligence
Deep knowledge of architecture, permitting, construction, supply chains, and execution.• Complexity to clarity translation
Turning industry messiness into simple workflows, product language, and UX flows.• Revenue-oriented design thinking
Understanding when users pay, where value is perceived, and how to price and package.• Cross-language fluency
Able to speak seamlessly to engineers, PMs, leadership, capital partners, and end-users.
The Cross-Domain 360° Advantage
Alex brings a fully integrated 360-degree perspective spanning architecture, construction, real estate, and lending. Backed by formal licensure, deep technical knowledge, and decades of execution in the real world.
• Licensed Architect
• Licensed Real Estate Broker
• Licensed Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS
• General Contractor and Construction Manager
• Master’s Degree in Architecture, Design Build
• 20+ years across built-environment disciplines
• Practical knowledge of B2C, B2B, and B2B2C dynamics through thousands of customer/partner interactions
• Work with SaaS, PropTech, ConTech, FinTech, real-estate-tech, and VC-supported companies
Trusted by homeowners, builders, capital partners, SaaS founders, and engineering teams as a rare translator between the built-environment and tech.
How I Engage
-
Strategic SME Advisory
• Product direction and refinement
• Real-world workflow alignment
• Market and UX clarity
• Feature prioritization
• Product-market fit acceleration -
Hands-On Value Acceleration
• UX journey modeling
• Real workflow translation
• Conceptual prototypes and visual aids
• Friction and decision barrier mapping
• User comprehension optimization
• Narrative framing and messaging -
Credibility & On-Camera Work
• Expert demos and walkthroughs from a domain authority
• User-facing education and content
• Thought leadership participation
• On-camera product communication
• Executive-level messaging articulation -
Spatial Environment & Simulation Consulting
• 3D visualization and rapid environment iteration using AI tools
• Unreal Engine environments
• Robotics navigation and learning (Omniverse)
• Video game level design
• VR and AR environments
• Digital twins -
Virtual-to-Physical Continuity
• Virtual environment design
• Real-world architectural drawing production
• Construction documentation
• Physical build-out coordination (manufacturing, pre-fab, site-built)
• Material sourcing and facility development
Who I Work With
•Tech & SaaS companies entering the built environment
• PropTech, ConTech, FinTech startups
• Venture studios and portfolio groups
• Robotics and automation firms
• Simulation and immersive tech companies
• Game developers
• Real estate analytics and intelligence platforms
• Smart building and home intelligence systems
• Prefab, manufactured, modular building companies
Case Study Snapshots:
Real-world examples of how I help companies accelerate insight, unblock decision-making, and reach product-market fit faster
Case Study #1:
RenoFi - Eliminating the Conversion Bottleneck
The Problem
Fintech company, RenoFi, noticed users were coming in for remodel-financing exploration, but then stalling before opening a loan. The real issue wasn’t financing, it was uncertainty around design feasibility, options, and cost direction.
How I Helped
I worked directly with the CEO and product team to:
• diagnose the true psychological friction point
• shape the product story and UX flow
• refine positioning and web messaging
• create feasibility-driven design offerings
• produce real design assets and demo videos
• walk real clients through the design process on camera
The Result
RenoFi was able to quickly validate a new design-first offering that:
• gives homeowners clarity and confidence
• accelerates decision-making
• increases downstream loan conversions
• adds a new revenue pathway for RenoFi that complements their core financing model
Their site and onboarding now incorporate messaging, experience flow, and experiential content originating from my engagement.
See RenoFi here->
*All visuals shown are from RenoFi’s publicly available site, used here to illustrate work Alex contributed to or created. The videos, walk-throughs, and design demos shown on RenoFi’s site are original content I created
Case Study #2:
Better Way to Build - Product Direction and MVP Market Validation
Click above to play a clip from this session
The Problem
A SaaS founder who had recently exited his previous company through acquisition was launching a venture studio aimed at PropTech. He had strong conceptual ideas, but lacked real-world validation, industry insight, and clarity on where value and revenue would actually be created. The team needed rapid alignment on user behavior, product direction, and monetization strategy.
How I Helped
I worked closely with the founder and his engineering, PM, and marketing teams to:
• educate the team on real construction and remodeling workflows, user journeys and personas
• clarify actual user pain points and unmet needs
• eliminate weak or speculative feature directions
• define the core user journey and value sequence
• advise on monetization triggers and revenue pathways
• help narrow their MVP to something immediately deployable
• contribute to early concept messaging, positioning, and framing
The Result
The team was able to:
• gain clarity on where real user value exists
• rapidly validate and refine their initial concepts
• compress months of research into a short engagement window
• develop a clearer MVP direction aimed at early revenue generation
• align engineering effort with real-world user outcomes
• strengthen investor-facing narrative and credibility
*All visuals shown used at the permission of Better Way to Build, used here to illustrate work Alex contributed to or created.
Case Study #3:
Homeowner Education & On-Camera Authority
This on camera clarity translates directly to outbound messaging, onboarding communication, and product education for end-users.
Educating homeowners on how remodels go off the rails, using clear storytelling, simple language, and actionable insights. Demonstrating my ability to communicate complex processes on camera, build trust, and deliver real-world clarity in a format that drives engagement and confidence.
Engagement Options
1.One-Time Clarity Session
-> fastest entry point for clarity
2. Retained Monthly Strategic Partnership
-> Ideal for companies needing ongoing insight
3. Sprint-Based Engagement
-> Intensive, outcome-driven collaboration
4. Embedded Fractional SME
-> Deep internal alignment and co-ownership of direction
How We Work Together
• Zoom or Teams sessions
• Slack channel collaboration
• Embedded async advisory
• On-site strategic deep-dive
• Sprint weeks or design labs
• Recorded guidance sessions for internal training
The Core Outcome
No guessing what users need.
-> Build from real-world decision patterns.
No hoping the messaging will land.
-> Speak the language your customers & partners already think in.
Don’t wast time to become an expert in architecture, construction, or real estate cognitive behavior.
-> Borrow twenty years of Alex’s accumulated domain mastery.
Request a Private Consultation
Confidential engagement - NDA available upon request
Direct line for introductions and project inquiries:
(949) 734-0017
Based in: Orange County CA & Chicago IL
Supporting clients nationwide
We will reply to all requests typically within 24 hours