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François Simitchiev — Senior product designer & strategist — b2b SaaS advisor

Hey! I'm François,

senior product designer, growth strategist & advisor

I help lean b2b SaaS startups build valuable products people love, and turn them into smart, efficient product-led growth systems.

I specialize in helping startups:

  • Understand why users aren’t sticking
  • Design onboarding and UX that drive retention
  • Move faster without hiring full-time
  • Build products people actually adopt and love
  • Grow efficiently with product-led systems that scale

Certified in Product-Led Growth and Product Psychology.
10+ years building, designing and supporting entrepreneurs.
5 years deep in b2b SaaS.

My philosophy

I believe every SaaS product should be:

  • a scalable user-success delivery factory
  • an efficient, self-sustaining (and ethical) growth system

Growth doesn’t have to mean bigger teams, bigger budgets, or “growth at all costs.”

Smart growth is about:

  • delivering value early and consistently
  • empowering users and guiding them to success
  • creating momentum instead of friction
  • building trust, confidence and belief

My approach is lean, behavioral, user-first. Always guided by clarity and intention.

My story: Cardboard computers & messy pivots

I still remember the first time I saw a computer. I was 8, it was at school, and I was instantly in awe.

I asked my parents if we could get one. They said no.

So my dad built me one out of cardboard. So realistic I had to lie to my friends: "The power unit is broken…"

I spent hours drawing Windows 95 screens and sliding them into the fake monitor. That kid grew into a Photoshop nerd, dreaming of being a designer, but too insecure to believe in himself.

So I took another path: music. I toured, composed and performed professionally for 10 years. Until I burned out. And realized I wasn’t fulfilled.

I taught myself how to code. Then how to design. Started a micro-studio with another ex-musician-turned-dev friend. Had some wins, many failures, but lots of lessons.

Then I jumped into SaaS. Became a full-time product designer. And instantly felt: "This is where I’m meant to be."

Now I’ve evolved again and quit a great job to go independent.

Today, I work as an advisor and product strategist for early-stage b2b SaaS teams. It’s the work where I feel most useful, energized and aligned. And I’m here to do it with — and for — the right kind of builders.

What I believe

  • Purpose > money
  • Value > BS
  • Tech should serve people, not just optimize for extraction
  • Smart, "good" growth is possible, if we build with intention

I'm a techno-romantic.

I still believe tech can be a force for good. But only if we stop building noise and start building meaning, and only if we stop chasing infinite growth at all cost and start thinking about what success — and enoughness — mean for us.

That’s why I do this work.
And that’s the tribe I want to be part of.

Let’s connect

If you’re building something smart, meaningful and user-first, I want to hear from you!

Connect on LinkedIn

Just reach out. Let’s have a good conversation and see where it leads.