--- title: The Startup CTO description: Clear, independent advice on engineering teams, technology risk and AI for early-stage startups. canonical_url: https://thestartupcto.dev/ html_url: https://thestartupcto.dev/ author: Dan Williams language: en-GB --- # The Startup CTO ## Most startup engineering problems aren’t new. The pattern may be familiar, but the business stakes are specific to your company. I help founders, senior executives, investors and engineering leaders understand what is really happening, what it means for the business and what to do next. [Tell me the problem](mailto:hello@thestartupcto.dev?subject=The%20problem%20I%27m%20trying%20to%20solve&body=What%20are%20you%20seeing%3F%0A%0AWhat%20changed%3F%0A%0AWhat%20decision%20or%20outcome%20is%20at%20stake%3F%0A) ## Start with the signal | What you can see | What may be underneath | First question | | --- | --- | --- | | Busy engineers | Work is too broad | What can be made smaller? | | Slow delivery | A bottleneck elsewhere | What is actually holding work up? | | Big technology bet | Cost of being wrong | What gets expensive if we’re wrong? | | Uneven AI use | Uneven team adoption | Is the whole team getting better? | | Scaling pains | Roles or structure | What does the next stage require? | ## You don’t need a perfect brief. Send a few lines about what you’re seeing, what changed and the decision or outcome at stake: [hello@thestartupcto.dev](mailto:hello@thestartupcto.dev). 1. **Start with the signal.** Describe the visible problem and why it matters now. 2. **Find the cause.** Use the first conversation to understand what is really limiting progress and which trade-offs matter. 3. **Make the next step clear.** Leave with a better view of the problem and the next decision. ## I’ve actually done the job. I’ve written the code, designed systems, hired teams, managed performance, changed team structures, dealt with technical debt, missed deadlines, shipped products and sat in leadership meetings trying to work out what to do next. Software engineer → Founder & CTO → Consumer technology CTO → YC-backed Head of Engineering → Engineering leader working with AI [About Dan and The Startup CTO](https://thestartupcto.dev/about/index.md). ## What are you trying to fix? ### Engineering isn’t working as well as it should Delivery is slow, quality is inconsistent, ownership is unclear, strong engineers are frustrated, or Product and Engineering are not working well together. Understand the system before prescribing a fix. **Starting point:** Engineering Health Check—an independent view of delivery, quality and ownership. ### You need confidence in a big technology decision Architecture, technical debt, infrastructure, build vs buy, a vendor choice, a senior technical hire—or an investor needing an independent view of technology risk. Get an experienced challenge before the decision becomes expensive. **Starting point:** Technical Strategy Review—options, risks and a clear recommendation. ### Your team needs to get serious about AI Move beyond scattered individual usage. Improve how work gets done, spread effective practice, set clear boundaries and measure business and engineering outcomes. **Flagship starting point:** AI Engineering Review—a team-wide adoption plan. ### You need to build a better engineering organisation Hiring, team structure, engineering management, progression, performance, quality, leadership expectations and how Product and Engineering work together. **Starting point:** Organisation Review—clear roles, structure and hiring priorities. ## How I can help Bring the decision or problem that matters. We’ll work out what is happening, explain the business and technical trade-offs, and make the next step clear. ### Advisory Regular access for founders, senior executives, investors, advisors and engineering leaders who want an experienced second opinion on important decisions and difficult problems. Call me before you make the expensive decision. ### Focused reviews An independent review of a specific problem, leaving you with a plain-English explanation, the important evidence and a practical plan. The work can cover AI adoption, team health, delivery, organisation, technology strategy or hiring. ### Deeper work For unusually strong-fit, limited-scope or future opportunities, tell me what you need. Deeper work starts with a conversation, not a standard package. ## AI Engineering Review The test is not simply whether engineers are using AI. The test is whether AI is making the engineering team measurably better. The flagship AI Engineering Review turns scattered use into a practical plan: how work should change, where risk sits, what leaders need to enable and how progress will be measured. 1. **Understand today.** See how the team uses AI now and where it could make a meaningful difference. 2. **Create the conditions.** Set practical boundaries, support the team and spread effective ways of working. 3. **Measure and move.** Track outcomes that matter and sequence a practical 90-day plan. ## Engineering principles Teams should understand why the work matters, own the outcome, maintain high standards and avoid unnecessary process. These are strong defaults, applied with judgement. 1. Give engineers the problem, not just the ticket. 2. Making work smaller is the easiest lever for speed. 3. Clear boundaries create speed. Read [all eight engineering principles](https://thestartupcto.dev/principles/index.md). ## Tell me what you’re seeing. A few honest lines are enough. We can work out the shape of the problem together. [Email Dan about the problem](mailto:hello@thestartupcto.dev?subject=The%20problem%20I%27m%20trying%20to%20solve&body=What%20are%20you%20seeing%3F%0A%0AWhat%20changed%3F%0A%0AWhat%20decision%20or%20outcome%20is%20at%20stake%3F%0A) or write to [hello@thestartupcto.dev](mailto:hello@thestartupcto.dev).