We work on difficult problems worth the effort.
Malpaux is a boutique operator firm. We embed with founders and leadership teams when the product, technology, and organisation need to change at the same time, and when the normal answers (hire, consult, outsource) aren't fast or thorough enough to work.
We take on two to three engagements at a time.
Every engagement is direct. You work with the same senior people throughout.
Interim & fractional
leadership.
For organisations that need senior product, design, or technology leadership embedded in the team to own decisions and ship outcomes, not parachuted in to advise and leave.
Transformation
engagements.
For organisations where the problem isn't a missing leader, it's that the whole system needs redesigning. How product, design, technology, and the organisation work together.
Design & creative
For organisations that need identity, product experience, or a full launch system, built to the standard of the product itself, not treated as a downstream output.
Strategic product &
technology development.
For organisations that need end-to-end product and technology creation, from strategy and architecture to a working system, on complex problems where the answer isn't known yet.
Advisory.
For founders and leadership teams who need a thinking partner with operator-level depth, for a specific decision, a recurring challenge, or an ongoing strategic relationship.
Venture & innovation partnerships.
For teams at the earliest stage, whether that's a founding team, a non-profit, or a public institution, where Malpaux invests alongside the operational and design work. We take equity, reduce or even eliminate our cash rate, and work as a genuine founding partner: strategy, product architecture, identity, go-to-market, and fundraising support.
What we don’t do.
We don't take on ticket-taking or spec execution work. We're not a staff augmentation resource, a dev shop, or a delivery partner for a roadmap someone else has defined. If the problem is well-specified and the main challenge is execution bandwidth, we're probably not the right fit — and we'll say so. We'd rather have an honest conversation early than waste your time or ours.
The engagements that work are ones where the problem is genuinely hard, the stakes extend beyond the company, and there's trust on both sides to do the work properly.
Apply for collaboration.
If you're working on something difficult, we'd love to hear about it. The best starting point is always a conversation.