Choosing a CTO is a big decision, especially if you aren't technical yourself. You need someone who can build the product, explain the choices and understand what those choices mean for your business.
I've been a founder, a developer and an engineering manager. Those roles have given me different views of the same problem: how to build something useful with the time and money available.
From the first decisions through the working product.
I joined Vector as one of the first five people on the team, then went on to lead fifteen engineers at Datadog. I've worked through the early product decisions and the demands of an established platform. On your project, I'll handle the technical plan and the development.
Every feature uses time and money you could spend elsewhere.
In 1998 (aged 15), I built the first version of CyberProsper. It grew to more than 500 paying subscribers and I sold it to GetResponse. I've had to find customers, charge for software and decide where to spend the next month of development. That's the experience I bring when we're deciding what your first release really needs.
Your questions and feedback come straight to me.
When you explain a problem or change your mind about a feature, you're talking to the person who can act on it. I use AI in development to shorten the work between an agreed decision and something you can try, with my own review and testing throughout.
The interface, the data and the infrastructure.
You won't need to coordinate separate developers for the screens, the back end and the deployment. I work across all three. I'll plan for the traffic you expect at launch and explain which parts may need to change as the product grows.
Progress, tradeoffs and problems explained plainly.
You'll see working software, short updates and a shared plan. If a decision affects cost or timing, I'll explain it in terms you can act on. I'm a British Canadian based in Toronto, with working hours that overlap North America and the European afternoon.
Your ownership continues beyond the first launch.
You own the code and infrastructure. I document the setup and help plan how a team can carry the product forward. Continued development is available through Blueprint Ventures Inc. on a monthly retainer. If you'd also like my ongoing advice as a fractional CTO, we can agree a separate personal advisory role and equity stake.
A useful first release with a scope we can explain.
A 90-day target gives us a reason to keep the first release focused. Before we begin, we'll agree what fits and what comes later. If new information changes the scope or timing, we'll discuss the options while there's still time to make a useful decision.
You don't need to be certain yet. Tell me where you are with the idea and what you need help with, and I'll give you my view on whether we're a fit.